About Us

SpacePortLeisure was born out of Raoul Katovsky’s vision for a futuristic experience that would blend 100% entertainment and 100% education and a desire to communicate and share with everyone the wonders of the universe and mankind’s interaction with space. Over the last 11 years SpacePortLeisure has grown from this vision and today is the result of very extensive international investigatory market research and in-depth concept and business development and team building.

SpacePortLeisure is developing world-class “next generation” space, science and technology theme parks, hotels, and mixed used lifestyle urban city destinations, which provide a "space tourism experience" on Planet Earth for those unable to travel into space. The evolving global business, with a focus on China and Western Europe, where it is building significant footprints, spans these lines of businesses.

SpacePortLeisure aims to build a not-for-profit Institute for space, science and technology education that will be attached to each theme park and provide learners with a stimulating environment in which to learn.

To turn our vision into realty, we have assembled a highly professional international SpacePortLeisure Team which includes rocket scientists, theme-park experts, animators, film producers, special effects experts, designers and architects.

We look forward to welcoming you to a SpacePort in the near future as a sponsor, partner, space and technology enthusiast or simply a thrill seeker looking for an unforgettable day out!

About Gran Scala

A British-based consortium, International Leisure Development (www.ild-plc.com), whose major shareholders include Aristocrat Technologies, UFA Insurance, Ultragroup, Inc. Atlanta, USA, Europtima, and Tranchant Group, chose the location because of a possible 25 million catchment market (excluding foreign tourists) and its proximity to Zaragoza Airport, an important hub in the low cost air network. Zaragoza is also one of NASA’s Shuttle Tactical Abort Landing Sites (STAL).

Sited in the Los Monegros region, (+/-50km east of Zaragoza), Gran Scala aims at taking a strong role in the region’s economic and social development. It will integrate traditional agriculture, (in decline up to now), in its landscape concept by using biologically treated waste water for irrigation, thus helping climate control while regulating the use of water through the seasons without jeopardizing water availability in the Ebro valley.

Renewable energies (already over 20% of Arag?n’s energy production today), both solar and wind generated, will be developed on a large scale and combined with geothermal techniques and fuel cells allowing for windmill produced hydrogen storage,. These techniques will be integrated in both infrastructure and architecture, with, for example, a high rise building having a double skin fabric façade thereby increasing thermals for windmill activation and its base will cover a naturally climate controlled Rambla, (with P.V. cells providing shade and electricity). This “skirt “could also define different climate zones and botanical gardens. Solar cooling technologies, ideally efficient in Aragon’s climate, will reduce dramatically, Gran Scala’s energy consumption.

Landscape concepts, combining traditional agriculture and indigenous vegetation, have been chosen for their capacity to retain water, which will address certification requirements and studies will be undertaken by natural environment specialists who will define the correct habitat for rare flora and fauna. Natural areas will be part of carefully planned reserves for endangered species reintroduction, an attraction in its own right.

The HST [high speed train] link [Madrid- Barcelona via Zaragoza is to be opened shortly] and two nearby airports [Zaragoza and Huesca] connect the Gran Scala resort to Europe’s main population and directly serve Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia, Toulouse and Zaragoza within a radius of just over an hour travel. The Gran Scala destination should be regularly visited by the local population living within 300km. Gran Scala expects 25 million visitors per year, but is being developed on the basis of 35 million visitors per year.

Gran Scala will result in the creation of an estimated 60.000 jobs, which supplements the Autonomous Community of Aragon’s development plan following the Expo 2008, which is being held in Zaragoza. Gran Scala has been declared to be of both regional and national importance.

About SpacePortGranScala - A Futuristic Space City

SpacePortGranScala is a 95 hectare space-themed entertainment, hospitality and leisure resort with:-

		a 60 hectare theme park, multi-day Mars Experience and a Space Camp
		two hotels and an international convention center
		tourist condos, and wellness center
		restaurants and retail

SpacePortGranScala will include two space-themed [Year2100 and Year3000] casinos each on a 9 hectare site, and each with a hotel and mini cultural museum.

The underlying core offer of SpacePortGranScala will be “Explore”, “Experience”, Innovate” and “Live”, themes that will be carried throughout SpacePortGranScala’s theme park, hotels, retail, and lifestyle real estate.

Using space as a theme together with our human desire to explore, and with technology as the enabler, SpacePortLeisure will provide intelligent, stimulating, and fun-filled lifestyle, entertainment and learning experiences that will give freedom to transcend language and culture, thus creating dynamic new ways of learning and of building new communities across the globe. Our creativity will be as expansive as the Universe. Only a privileged few will be able to experience a real flight into space. In conceiving the SpacePortLeisure concept, the goal is to give visitors and residents alike, an experience of “Stepping into Space” at our SpacePortGranScala.

Visitors to SpacePortGranScala will be whipped away from Planet Earth for the day on an awe inspiring adventure normally only experienced by a select few space tourists. From the moment they arrive, they will start the illusion that they are departing for a journey into space and throughout this journey will be entertained by attractions for all to enjoy from educational interactive displays and simulations to the wildest roller coasters for the true thrill seeker.

SpacePortGranScala, as a concept, is in touch with the times and will always be contemporary. It is linked to space and mankind’s continuous exploration of his Universe. The concept has longevity since it is futuristic and sustainable through software technology. Since man first gazed up at the stars, he has been inspired to discover, to travel, to experiment, to invent and understand. SpacePortGranScala will involve its visitors in the vision of the future through knowledge and innovation, providing a unique blend of education and entertainment.

The mission of SpaceportGranScala is optimistic, future oriented and involving in a unique way. Everyone really IS an explorer, and explorers really will make incredible discoveries about the cosmos in the next century. This place will be the rightful home of those explorers. Our “A to A Prime” narrative story paradigm involves transforming the guest from a mere observer/tourist into a participant in the story. Just about everyone wants to be an explorer – this place is the home for these daring, courageous adventurers.

SpacePortLeisure is set to break ground late this year at SpacePortGranScala, with a development cost of some €1 billion. BRC Imagination Arts, of Burbank, California, who have done major projects for NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Disney and Universal, to name but a few, will generate the SpacePortGranScala Master Plan and will project manage the development from an entertainment standpoint.

Raoul Katovsky – Executive Chairman

Raoul Katovsky, who holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree, launched the 1st baby disposable diaper in South Africa during 1969. Raoul sold this start-up business during 1972 to Colgate-Palmolive and thereafter spent 11 years at Colgate responsible for the Medical and Industrial Products Divisions. Raoul switched to the human resources and human capital technologies market and inter alia knowledge-engineered an expert-based job evaluation system, which is still in the Top 5 of such systems. After 22 years, Raoul is now the visionary and vision-architect behind the SpacePortLeisure concept and is specifically focusing on spearheading the development of SpacePortGranScala.  

Hans Deuze – CEO: Location Based Entertainment

SpacePortLeisure’s conceptual design, creative development, coordination and operations is Hans Deuze’s domain in his role as SpacePortLeisure CEO Location Based Entertainment. At the appropriate time we plan to bring on board an already-identified highly experienced CEO with major international global theme park operational experience. Hans will have ongoing responsibilities for Design, Development and Operations. Hans had 14 years experience with Philips Leisure in the Netherlands and 6 years with Euro Disney and Walt Disney Studios in Paris. Hans is a former Euro Disney Imagineer. Whilst working at Euro Disneyland, Hans had vast experience and training in live show operations and special events. In 2000, Hans was the operational producer for Walt Disney Studio’s world renown spectacular stunt show called “Moteurs…Action” involving specially designed cars, motor bikes, jet skis and a large cast of actors, stuntmen and technicians.

Hans Deuze, SpacePortLeisures' CEO: Location Based Entertainment, received the prestigious Disney Imagineer recognition twice over.

Dr. Boris Lautenbach

Dr. Boris Lautenbach, a Doctor of Law, who is based in Zurich, Switzerland, is a SpacePortLeisure Senior Vice President responsible [part-time] for SpacePortLeisure’s global licensing, merchandising, sponsorship and strategic alliance partner programs, a role that he previously had for Euro Disney.

Garret Smith

Garrett Smith has a Masters of Science in Space Management from the International Space University in Strasbourg, France. Garrett has a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Boston University. Garrett worked for Boeing and Airbus. Garrett is based in Toulouse and is SpacePortLeisure’s Senior Vice President [part-time] responsible for SpacePortLeisure’s space IP/content development and astronaut training.

PK Holmes

Paul K Holmes (PK) is the Founder/Chairman and Managing Director of the global entertainment network and creative alliance FEPA Group Featured Entertainment & Production Arts Ltd.  PK is a seasoned business and creative developer, entertainment producer and strategist. PK is SpacePortLeisure’s Senior Vice President: Business & Relationship Development – North America [part-time].

FEPA portfolio is engaged in film, television, digital entertainment, 3-D productions and development, music, live theatre, destination resort developments and finance worldwide.

Further identified highly experienced and well positioned executives that would bring real executive business development power and thought leadership, have indicated their desire to join SpacePortLeisure’s Core Executive “A” Team as we ramp-up accordingly. Hans is well positioned in the location based entertainment global network, as is Danny Naidoo, a member of the SpacePortLeisure Board of Directors, within the Microsoft and IT global networks, and thus, we do not foresee human capital at this level to be an issue.