Golf great Greg Norman was keynote speaker at the unveiling of 52 private villas that will act as the cornerstone of a $1 billion development in the island country of Dominican Republic in April. Known as “The Great White Shark,” Norman greeted an international press corps to show off his latest golf course development at Costa Blanca’s two-day kickoff.

Costa Blanca’s plans are enormous; spread over 300 acres in the town of Juan Dolio and incorporating 10 towers with 52 private villas. The condominium project is the latest of condo developer Group Metro. The Caribbean development will play host to a mega-yacht marina, as well as the usual accoutrements of a luxury condo development – “a tennis village, clubhouses for both tennis and golf, a secured, private beach, and the first signature Greg Norman PGA golf course in the country,” according to www.NewCondosOnline.com.

“The highly-anticipated development will set new standards of luxury in the area, and will bring forth a modern spin on private, high-end communities…Residents will find villas with open-air spacing to showcase their wrap-around pools, condos where every owner is afforded unobstructed water-front views, and an assurance that every aspect and step of the project is environmentally sound and positively affects the region,” according to a press release on the web site.

The Dominican Republic tourist industry has continued its growth trend even through the latest world-wide economic downturn with a 4.5 percent increase in 2008. Meanwhile, capital investment growth was up more than 20 percent according to www.GoPuntacanaRealEstate.com, a site that tracks local real estate trends in the DR.