Discovery Communications announced plans Tuesday for a massive $400-million (375-million-euro) eco-resort in Costa Rica. The US group's new facility will include a farm, a beach and scuba diving, rock climbing and a volcano.

Construction near Liberia in Guanacaste province is expected to start in 2018 with opening planned for 2020. The project should be a welcome job creator in one of the country's poorer areas.

"This shows that we can commit to big investment and development plans that are completely in line with our vision of sustainable development," said the Central American nation's president, Luis Guillermo Solis.

US-based Discovery owns the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet cable television channels. Costa Rica already is a Latin American magnet for US tourists especially, who account for more than half the two million visitors arriving by air each year.

ak/eg (AFP)