Cancun, Q.R. — A new 74-meter high ferris wheel is set to launch in the spring for Cancun’s 50th anniversary.
The new wheel will replace the existing sightseeing tourist attraction in the Cancun Hotel Zone, adding another 20 meters of height. The new ferris wheel, El Sol de Cancún, will be one of the three tallest wheels in North America.
The wheel, which was constructed in Holland, is considered a “smart wheel” in that it is fully automated and computerized with voice and data technology inside each of the viewing gondolas.
El Sol de Cancún, which is a 220 million peso investment, is a project of Divertido México and Dutch Wheels Internacional de Holanda. The structure will have a foundation of more than 30 meters deep, complying with the new safety regulations of ASTM F24 International (American Society of Testing Materials) and the ability to withstand up to Category 5 hurricanes.
El Sol de Cancún comes in at a weight of 600 tons with 35 standard gondolas and one VIP gondola with a capacity of 216 people per tour. Executives of Grupo Divertido say the gondola will operate daily from 2:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. and is set to begin operating in February of 2020, in time for Cancun’s 50th anniversary, which is in April.
State Governor Carlos Joaquin said that Cancun has emerged from the Quintana Roo jungle, becoming the most important holiday destination in the country with an excess of 5 million visitors per year.
The new 50th Anniversary logo for the city of Cancun has also been unveiled. Cancun will celebrate its milestone in April of 2020.
