WELLINGTON, New Zealand (16 Nov 2001) -- British authorities have given the go-ahead to a private consortium hoping to build tourist lodges and two air strips on one of the world's remotest spots. The Wellesley Pacific group said Thursday it wants to build a 10-room lodge on Pitcairn Island, 10 chalets on the nearby coral atoll of Oeno, and airstrips on both islands for flying tourists into what could become one of the world's most exclusive vacation destinations. Fewer than 50 people live on Pitcairn, a British territory made up of four tiny islands in the Pacific halfway between New Zealand and Peru. Oeno is a coral-rich island used as a resort area by the islanders, 120 kilometers (75 miles) northwest of the main island. Pitcairn is home to the descendants of mutineers from the British warship Bounty. Led by Fletcher Christian, the mutineers seized the Bounty from Capt. William Bligh and settled on Pitcairn in 1790. With a virtually nonexistent economy and facing a population exodus, islanders have told their British governor ? Wellington, New Zealand?based British High Commissioner Martin Williams ? that they want to develop tourism to breathe new life into the islands. In a letter to Wellesley Pacific director Wayne Coffey, Williams asked the group to produce a detailed development and business plan, complete with independent socio-economic and environmental impact assessments. If the plan merits further study, detailed discussions would follow, the letter said. "We're pleased. There has been a lot of hard work put in and it's progress," Coffey said. | |
The islanders presently eke out an existence selling handicrafts on the Internet and to passengers on passing cruise liners. Williams said the views of the islanders had been one of the major factors behind the decision to seek a detailed plan from the developers. "I hope that any investment will contribute to reversing (the) trend" of gradual decline in the population of the island group, he added. Any plan would have to consider the long-term provision of drinking water, which is scarce on the islands; detail improved links with the islands, including air strips; and outline small and environmentally sympathetic, high-quality tourist accommodation. Environmental groups in Britain and New Zealand have raised concerns about the impact of commercial development on the undisturbed environment and particularly the islands' bird life. Unesco has declared one island, Henderson, which is 200 kilometers (125 miles) northwest of Pitcairn, a world heritage site for its bird and turtle populations. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORK |
