Asian Company Affects Name Choice of Theme Park
The official name of a planned children's theme park based on the popular Estonian cartoon character Lotte will now be known only at end of April after a conflict emerged with the Korean-Japanese company Lotte Group.
Management of the project, a 12.5-hectare park to be developed on the grounds of a former Soviet missile base in Pärnu County, had been planning to call the park Lottemaa (Lotte World), but now have to rethink their decision.
Lotte Group, one of Asia's largest food production and distribution companies, has had a theme park named Lotte World in South Korea since 1989. The park is similar to Disneyland and pulls in two million visitors each year.
"While putting together our marketing plan we will consider with Lotte Group," Rein Malsub, project manager of the Lotte theme park, told Eesti Päevaleht.
The cartoon's creators, Heiki Ernits and Janno Põldma hope to open the park in May 2013.
Ingrid Teesalu