#83524 - 12/12/09 12:24 AM
Las Vegas coming to FP
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holte
Expert Advisor
Registered: 11/19/04
Posts: 2365
Loc: Duluth, Minnesota
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Mini-Las Vegas proposed for Tupai atoll near Bora Bora
(Tahitipresse) - The head of the tourism industry group Tahiti Nui Travel (TNT) has proposed building a casino on the Leeward Islands atoll of Tupai 12 miles from Bora Bora along with an 80-room underwater hotel and two more traditional hotels.
As presented in Saturday's edition of French language daily newspaper La Dépêche de Tahiti (LDT), the US$30 million (€20m) project is Franck Falletta's proposal for relaunching tourism in Tahiti and Her Islands.
He was due to present his project to new French Polynesia President Gaston Tong Sang on Saturday after having presented it to Vice President Edouard Fritch last Wednesday, according to LDT. The project would use the part of the atoll owned by Tahiti's government.
Falletta also told LDT about his plans to introduce TransCash debit cards in Tahiti. According to the TransCash online Web site, this "money-sharing" system "consists of two genuine prepaid debit Visa cards, conveying rights and privileges. You and your chosen second card holder will be able to load money and enjoy purchasing goods and services everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted worldwide."
Falletta announced plans to for a group of foreign investors to arrive in Tahiti soon to discuss the various parts of the casino-hotel project and obtain the support of the Tong Sang government. Falletta told the newspaper he is already associated with these investors, who, he claimed, could propose buying 14 hotel properties in French Polynesia.
The proposed project for Tupai, an 11-km2 (4 sq.-mile) atoll with a private runway, is located 19 kms (12 miles) north of Bora Bora, where 12 luxury hotels are located.
Besides the casino and underwater hotel, the project calls for a 110-room hotel to be built on the atoll and a deluxe hotel of 80 villas to be built over the lagoon, like the overwater bungalows and villas that dot the island and motu, islets, at Bora Bora.
LDT said Falletta described his ambitious project for Tupai as "a mini-Las Vegas" or a "mini-Miami".
"I know there's resistance to the opening of casinos," he told LDT. Falletta has previously proposed a casino for Tahiti's north coast Commune of Mahina. Organized religions have traditionally opposed the building of casinos in Tahiti. However, some government and tourism industry officials have voiced support in the past for building a casino as a means of attracting more international visitors.
Falletta said that by building a casino on a small atoll like Tupai, rather than on the island of Tahiti, this would "avoid having too many (local) people tempted by gambling". He gave two reasons. First, he told LDT, the casino would be built primarily for tourists. Second, he said, local residents on Tahiti and other islands would have to get to Tupai to gamble.
LDT noted that Tahitians have a keen interest in going to casinos in Auckland, New Zealand, and elsewhere. Many Tahitians travel yearly to Las Vegas.
In 1998, the French Polynesia government of then President Gaston Flosse became the owner of Tupai, using public funds to purchase the private domain. Flosse wanted to convert part of the atoll into an exclusive, deluxe private vacation resort for important political personalities visiting Tahiti.
Part of Tupai's potential attraction as a tourist destination is its proximity to Bora Bora, probably the island best known overseas of all French Polynesia.
However, some 30-40 families, who claimed three years ago to represent some 5,000 Tahitians, have been trying for some 30 years to reclaim what they say was originally their land on Tupai. These families say they inherited the land that has been handed down over more than four generations.
They have tried to recuperate 33 parcels of land ranging in size from 2,000 m2 (21,528 sq. ft.) to 200 hectares (494 acres) on an atoll with a surface of 1,107 hectares (2,735 acres).
ATP
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#83528 - 12/12/09 05:28 AM
Re: Las Vegas coming to FP
[Re: holte]
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BarbiJKM
Supreme Advisor
Registered: 02/14/07
Posts: 6042
Loc: Mesa, AZ
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It will never happen... ownership of the land issues will tie this up for eons!
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#83529 - 12/12/09 10:20 AM
Re: Las Vegas coming to FP
[Re: BarbiJKM]
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Patti.
Expert Advisor
Registered: 03/28/04
Posts: 2376
Loc: Las Vegas, NV
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I agree Barbi...it'll NEVER happen. Even if there were no land ownership issues...I still don't think this will ever happen.
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#83531 - 12/12/09 10:38 PM
Re: Las Vegas coming to FP
[Re: Patti.]
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Suki (689)
Senior Advisor
Registered: 10/29/07
Posts: 890
Loc: ELA US of A
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Fantasyland ^^^^&&&^^^^^FP4LIFE^^^^&&&^^^^
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