Rio to Open Largest Ferris Wheel in Latin America in November

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Visitors will be accommodated in 54 gondolas [cabins] capable of holding up to eight passengers each, and rides will be held from 10 AM to 6 PM, with the possibility of extended hours during the high season.

“I strongly believe that Rio de Janeiro residents will welcome the Ferris wheel, who will want to come and experience the views at a height of 88 meters,” said Fabio Bordini, executive director of FW Investimentos, the holding company that manages Rio Star.

Bordini said there will be special prices for Rio de Janeiro residents, which should be an important part of the public, estimated at 3,000 people a day. Doing the math, there will be approximately one million visitors per year.

Work on the erection of the steel structure, that towers above the Rio port area, ended last week, and technicians from Asia now work on the electrical and hydraulic finalization of the attraction, which will welcome its first visitors in the second fortnight of November.

There were three shipments to bring in all the material of the Rio Star Giant Wheel from China.

The project stemmed from a bidding process by the Rio de Janeiro Mayoralty for the construction of a theme park in the region, near the Rio de Janeiro AquaRio.

Executive Director of FW Investimentos, the holding company managing Rio Star, Fábio Bordini, says that the work began in December last year, and the greatest challenge was to “tropicalize” the Ferris wheel, 100 percent ordered from China.

“We traveled to China with our engineers and detailed how the whole structuring should be, so that it would come to Brazil prepared for the sea breeze, sea conditions, type of steel. All this was carried out beforehand”, says the executive.

Tickets will cost R$59, but anyone purchasing online will get a R$10 discount. In the first stage of operation, between November and the first fortnight of December, tickets will only be sold at the box office. Only after the official inauguration, scheduled for December, will it be possible to buy in advance through the Internet.

Direct jobs

The Ferris wheel will be soon be repainted to cover damage to the finish caused during shipping. The construction of the restaurant, the administrative headquarters and the souvenir store, which will make up the complex, is also in its final stages.

The first turn of the structure should occur soon, between October 25th and 30th.

Source: Agência Brasil

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