Starting December 3, with the opening of the Nais Aquarium Restaurant at the Oakland Mall Shopping Center, the largest Mobile Aquarium in the world will be inaugurated, with sharks, manta rays, eels and 450 fish from 38 exotic species, as part of a complex of 15 aquariums decorating the Restaurant and Lounge

More than a theme restaurant, Nais Aquarium is an ecological center promoting entertainment and education endowed with a sophisticated Life Support System, including a Marine Species Hospital, Quarantine Tanks, Biology Lab, Nutritional Support Center and amazing GPS lighting system to maintain the natural fish habitat

Grupo Nais announces the December 3 opening of the Nais Aquarium, the First Restaurant-Aquarium in Latin America, in Guatemala City, placing it on the map as one of six cities worldwide -- Nashville, Colorado City, Dallas, Houston and Dubai -- that have similar tourist and ecological attractions.

A gastronomical and technological gem that astonishes with its complexity and beauty, the Nais Aquarium includes a group of 15 aquariums in the Restaurant, Lounge and family area. Measuring 12 x 6 meters and containing 30 thousand gallons of salt water, the main Aquarium is the largest Mobile Aquarium in the world, with 450 fish from 38 exotic species, including sharks, manta rays and eels.

Visitors can savor seafood delicacies from a special menu or enjoy their favorite dishes from the Nais menu as they immerse themselves in the underwater aquatic world watching divers feed the fish, or taking a "Back Stage Tour" to learn about the Life Support System and marine species.

The sophisticated Life Support System in the Nais Aquarium, comprising a Marine Species Hospital, Quarantine Tanks, Biology Lab and Nutritional Support Center, is under the supervision of a team of marine biologists, aquaculturalists and aquarium technicians working 24 hours a day 365 days a year. The three water filtration systems of the Nais Aquarium make it possible to maintain the life cycle of all saltwater species, keeping it clean and additive-free, just as in their natural habitat.

Two dazzling lighting systems have been installed in the aquariums and throughout the restaurant and lounge of the Nais Aquarium. In a further effort to keep the fish environment natural, the lighting system in the aquariums has a GPS device that adjusts the light in accordance with sun and moon movement to simulate natural light at all times. The second, which is being used for the first time in a restaurant in Latin America, is also an ecological system on account of its high energy savings based on LED RGB controlled by DMX that allows for changes of color and interaction with music.

Nais Aquarium has the accreditation, supervision and backing of the Corporacion Nacional de Aereas Protegidas, CONAP, as well as world-class environmental institutions, such as the Ocean Science Foundation and University of Florida's Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory, assembled in a single platform for the protection, conservation, care, study, research and education on marine fauna and their reproduction.

Grupo Nais General Manager Jose Luis Garces said: "Grupo Nais is proud to make available to Guatemala the Nais Aquarium, a unique, new and innovative tourist and gastronomical concept with the character and stamp of Grupo Nais. This wonderful Life Support System will enrich the range of recreational alternatives for Guatemalans and contribute to the knowledge, study and protection of our marine species."

Doctor Rolando Wer, President of the "Fishes of Guatemala" Committee of the Asociacion de Proteccion Marina (Association for Marine Protection), said: "The Nais Aquarium is splendid news for education and research into the world's marine fauna as it will help foster awareness regarding respect and care of our marine species and the valuable resource of water."

The opening of the Nais Aquarium in Guatemala Wednesday, December 3, is part of Grupo Nais' Expansion Plan in Latin America, with projects for opening a Nais Aquarium in the most heavily frequented shopping centers in El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama and Mexico. In Guatemala, the Nais Aquarium forecasts having 500,000 visitors in 2009, and will create 180 direct and 40 indirect jobs. A portion of Nais Aquarium monthly revenues will be used to finance Asociacion de Proteccion Marina research projects.

Nais Aquarium is an innovative business project of Grupo Nais, with the support of major sponsors such as Claro, Coca-Cola, BAM and Panasonic, created to become an important focus of incentive for Guatemalan and Central American tourism and positioning the country and the isthmus as a destination of the first order in recreational and environmental tourism.

About Grupo Nais

Grupo Nais began operations in Guatemala City in 1974, where over the past 34 years its restaurants have been offering breakfast, lunch and dinner menus that have made it the leader of the country's gastronomical market. Nais restaurants are leaders in the breakfast segment, being the first to offer breakfast in Guatemala. Nais restaurants were also the first to offer Internet access, as well as the first and only ones in Guatemala to have H Certification from INGUAT (the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism), which certifies hygiene, quality and safety in food preparation. Grupo Nais has become known for offering innovative concepts and a pleasant environment for its customers, allowing them to live each day an experience that is NAIS All the way!

Contact:
Daniel Silva Hernandez
Hill & Knowlton Guatemala
daniel.silva@hillandknowlton.com
Phone: (502) 2420 8390
Cell phone: (502) 5966  3714
Fax: (502) 2420-8391

CONTACT: 
Daniel Silva Hernandez, Hill & Knowlton Guatemala,
+011-502-2420-8390, or cell, +011-502-5966-3714, fax, +011-502-2420-8391,
daniel.silva@hillandknowlton.com, for Grupo Nais