The Serra Azul Tourist District has ambitious plans for the coming years: to be the largest entertainment region in the State of São Paulo and triple its number of visitors.
To achieve its objectives, the region, which is 70 km from São Paulo and covers the cities of Jundiaí, Itupeva, Vinhedo and Louveira, has several projects underway, with the construction of hotels and new parks.
Serra Azul Tourist District
The Serra Azul Tourist District receives around 10 million visitors annually, including all its attractions. The region is home to the Hopi Hari amusement park, the Wet'n Wild water park, the Premium Outlet, the small Serra Azul shopping mall, the hotel Cyan Resort and the Fazenda Blue Valley event space.
Hopi Hari
In the last two years, around R$700 million was invested in the region, for the new Premium Outlet area, at the Cyan Resort and also in the first phase of construction of the golf club.
In total, the São Paulo State Department of Tourism and Travel foresees an investment of R$2.8 billion. “This was the announcement of the new investment forecast that we made at the last meeting of the DTSA Management Council in December 2023. This amount considers the investments already made in the first two years since the officialization of the Serra Azul Tourist District and the next ones that are already planned at the moment”, said Alain Baldacci, president of the Management Council of the Serra Azul Tourist District and also president and CEO of Wet'n Wild, to Melhores Destinos.
By 2027, the region should gain new attractions: a hotel to be built next to Wet'n Wild, a tourist complex with motorsports, the completion of the golf course and an apartment complex. In addition, it is also planned to build a park with a shopping mall and a sports and adventure theme, with a hotel – only the latter is still in the design and fundraising phase, the others already have defined investments.
With the new projects, the Serra Azul Tourist District intends to become the largest entertainment region in the State. “This has been the purpose since the beginning of the fight to have a tourist district along the lines of Disney in Orlando, maintaining the appropriate proportions, which began in 2004”, said Alain Baldacci.
The long-term expectation is that the region will receive three times as many visitors as it currently does. “In two decades we should surpass 30 million visitors per year. Still, far below the 88 million that Orlando receives nowadays”, compared the businessman.
Check out all the investments in the Serra Azul Tourist District expansion project below:
Hotel Wet'n Wild
The Wet'n Wild Hotel will have an investment of R$200 million from the park itself and is scheduled to open in 2026. It will have a built area of 37 thousand square meters, will have 330 apartments and will be resort style, with all amenities for guests.
Check out more about the Wet'n Wild Hotel in our special post:
– Water park near São Paulo will gain a R$200 million hotel with more than 300 apartments
Universalauto
Three investments in the expansion of the Serra Azul Tourist District are being carried out by the Senpar group, which has already invested in Outlet Premium, Cyan and the Serra Azul shopping mall. The group will also be responsible for Universauto, Golf Club and Terras São José.
With an investment of R$ 210 million, Universauto will be a tourist complex with motorsports – it will have a test track, with a museum and a vehicle shopping mall. The idea is that it will have a partnership with international brands, and is expected to be delivered in 2026. It will be located behind the Cyan Resort, almost next to the Premium Outlet.
Golf Club
The Golf Club is one of the attractions that is already under construction. The total investment will be R$150 million, of which R$60 million has already been used for the first phase of the golf course, which will be delivered in June with 9 of the 18 holes.
Full completion is expected by the end of 2025. The golf course is designed by American Jack Nicklaus, now retired and one of the main names in world sport.
São José Lands
The largest investment in the Serra Azul Tourist District is reserved for Terras de São José, a multi-property expected to operate with 600 apartments. R$450 million will be invested, with a forecast overall sales value of R$1.3 billion. The works should begin next year and be completed by 2027.
When the region's expansion plan was announced, Terras de São José was considered a hotel, as the apartments could be rented to travelers as soon as they were ready.
Adventure Mall
Adventure Mall is another project that is part of the expansion of the Serra Azul Tourist District, but it is still in its initial phase, without investors. It will be a park with a shopping mall and a sports and adventure theme, as well as a new hotel.
More money for the region
It is undeniable that when all these projects are ready, more tourists will visit the region. And the more people, the more money comes in. “Following its conception, the importance of the Tourist District is to develop the region’s economy based on tourist activities,” said Baldacci. “With the support of public authorities and the active participation of the private sector, it will be viable to expand projects and attractions that will naturally generate new jobs, direct and indirect, and greater tax collection that can be used in improvements in these municipalities and in the State of São Paulo as a whole. Therefore, public policy around the Tourist District allows for the economic and social development of the region.”
Do you already know the Serra Azul Tourist District? Have you ever visited a park or shopped at the Premium Outlet? Leave your comment!
