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Category Archives: Islands

China to let tourists visit disputed Paracel Islands in South China Sea

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BEIJING - China will this month start allowing tourists to visit the Paracel Islands, one of a group of disputed islets and reefs in the South China Sea, state news agency Xinhua said, a move likely to irk rival claimant Vietnam.

A cruise ship that can accommodate 1,965 passengers is ready for sailing to the Paracels, known in Chinese as Xisha, Xinhua reported, citing ship owner Haihang Group Corp.

Hainan Harbor and Shipping Holdings Co is building another cruise ship.

"Tourists will eat and sleep on the cruise ships and can land on the islands for sightseeing" ahead of Labour Day on May 1, Tan Li, vice governor of China's southernmost island province of Hainan, told Xinhua late on Saturday.

There is only one hotel with 56 rooms on the two-sq-km Woody Island, the largest island in the Paracels, the agency said.

"Prices will be relatively high due to the high costs of tourism infrastructure construction," Huang Huaru, general manager of a tourism agency in Hainan, told Xinhua.

Last year, China approved the formal establishment of a military garrison in Sansha city, which is located on Woody Island. The city administers the mostly uninhabited islands in the South China Sea which China claims.

Tan said local authorities will build more supply ships and infrastructure in Sansha, including ports, water supply and sewage treatment facilities.

China took full control of the Paracelsa cluster of close to 40 islets, outcrops and reefsin 1974 after a naval showdown with the then South Vietnam, and there have been incidents ever since. Taiwan also claims the Paracels.

Last month Vietnam accused China of opening fire on a fishing boat near the Paracels and burning down its cabin, charges Beijing denied.

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China to let tourists visit disputed Paracel Islands in South China Sea

Eastday-China to open Xisha Islands to tourism before May

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BOAO, Hainan, April 7 -- China is scheduled to let tourists visit the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea ahead of the forthcoming May Day holiday, said Tan Li, executive vice governor of the southern-most province of Hainan, on Saturday.

People will be allowed to visit the islands on cruise tours, said Tan at the 2013 Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference, which will open on Sunday.

Details on the tour routes, capacity of tourist reception and cruise ships will be released on a later date, he said.

The Xisha Islands are a cluster of close to 40 islets, sandbanks and reefs.

Tourists will eat and sleep on the cruise ships and can land on the islands for sightseeing, the official said.

Cruise tours are the choice as hotels and other facilities to accommodate tourists are inadequate, he said.

There is only one hotel with 56 rooms in the 2.13-square-kilometer Yongxing Island, the largest island among the Xisha Islands group and home to the government offices of Sansha city. In addition, there is no fresh water and all supplies have to be transported from outside.

The city was established last summer to administer more than 200 islets, sandbanks and reefs in the Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha islands and 2 million square kilometers of surrounding waters.

A cruise ship with a gross registered tonnage of 47,000 tonnes that can accommodate 1,965 passengers is ready for sailing, according to the ship owner Haihang Group Corp Ltd..

Hainan Harbor and Shipping Holdings Co. is building another one.

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Eastday-China to open Xisha Islands to tourism before May

China Opening up Disputed Islands to Tourists

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China says it is opening up a disputed island chain with just one hotel to tourism in another step in its battle to demonstrate that the potentially oil-rich territory is Chinese.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported Sunday that people will be allowed to go on cruise tours to the islands known as Xisha in China and Paracel elsewhere by next month.

Vietnam also claims the islets, sandbanks and reefs southeast of China's Hainan Island in the South China Sea.

Hainan's executive vice governor Tan Li told a news conference Saturday that tourists will eat and sleep on cruise ships and land on the islands for sightseeing, according to Xinhua.

A Hainan provincial government official who gave only his surname, Zhong, confirmed Tan's remarks at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference and that local authorities plan to open the islands to tourists before the May Day holiday on May 1. "Detailed information, such as the tourist capacity and travel itinerary, is still not available," Zhong said.

There is one hotel with 56 rooms on Xisha's largest island, Yongxing, which is 2.13 square kilometers (0.82 sq. miles) and has no fresh water, said Xinhua. It quoted ship owner Haihang Group Corp. Ltd. as saying a cruise ship that can accommodate 1,965 passengers is ready for sailing, while a second company is building another one.

China claims virtually the entire South China Sea and its island groups, while Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries claim some areas. The disputes occasionally erupt into open confrontation. The islands amid some of the world's busiest commercial sea lanes, along with rich fishing grounds and potential oil and gas deposits.

Last year China created a city administration on Yongxing to oversee hundreds of thousands of square kilometers (miles) of water where it wants to strengthen its control. Vietnam said then that China's actions violated international law. The Philippines, which disputes another island chain further south over which China's Sansha city also claims jurisdiction, doesn't recognize the city.

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China Opening up Disputed Islands to Tourists

MARBLEHEAD 101: The other islands off Marblehead

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Out from Marblehead Harbor are many islands, some of which were discussed last week. Moving east, Toms Rocks form a long ledge, visible at low tide. In the 1600s, Tom Moore of Salem got permission to set up fish flakes on Marblehead Neck, where he had a fish-salting-and-drying operation. At some point on his way back and forth, he smashed up against these rocks and was drowned. This was memorable enough to name the rocks after him.

A quarter mile beyond Marblehead Light is Marblehead Rock. It is two islets, connected at low water. It is unoccupied, home to seabirds only. The islands called rocks are mostly that: not large enough to ever have been inhabited. Moving east, Halfway Rock is half way between Cape Ann and Boston. It is impressive, three miles out in the Atlantic Ocean and 40 feet high. It was the custom for out-going fishermen and sailors to throw coins at Halfway Rock to insure good luck and a safe return. It also attracted boys who wanted to retrieve those coins, although this was discouraged because it was dangerous, and it might undo the sailors luck.

Cat Island, or Childrens Island, has been discussed before, but to summarize briefly: In 1633, the island was owned by a tailor from Salem named Richard Cotta. The island takes its name from him. It was the location of a controversial and ill-fated smallpox hospital just before the American Revolution. In the 19th century, a hotel was built on the island that became so popular with summer visitors from Lowell that the island was called Lowells Island for a time. When the hotel failed, part of the remaining structure was used to build childrens tuberculosis hospital and sanitarium, and that is when it became Childrens Island. The hospital remained until 1946. Childrens Island is now home the a summer day camp run by the Lynch-van Otterloo YMCA.

Eagle Island is to the northeast. It is surrounded by shoals and covered with shrubbery. It was noted for wild parsnips in the 18th century, though none appear to grow there anymore. The Gooseberries are two small islands southeast of Bakers Island where gooseberry bushes grew. China trade ships out of Salem stopped there to load up on rocks for ballast. The rocks were thrown in the Pearl River in China when the ships were loaded with cargo for the return voyage.

Bakers Island is the largest island off Marblehead at 60 acres. Governor Winthrop called it Bakers Island in 1630, but with no mention of why or who Baker might be. Bakers Island lies directly in the path of all shipping trade, and in the 1770s two lighthouses were erected, one large and one small. They were known affectionately known as Mr. and Mrs.

Further out are both Great and Little Misery islands. Both were used to graze cattle and sheep, which at one time could walk from one island to the other at low tide. The islands were first called Moultons Misery, after Captain Moulton was shipwrecked there.

Great Misery was the site of many Harvard class reunions and the setting for an elaborate turtle-meat dinner given by the East India Marine Society of Salem. Members of this group had to have captained ships that had sailed around both Capes, and they were well known for their parties and celebrations.

In the early 1900s, Great Misery became quite a social place, with lots of summer homes, a tennis court and an airplane landing strip. But its popularity faded in the 1920s, and one of the summer homes was cut in half and moved to Marblehead Neck, where it still stands on Flint Street. A suspicious fire in 1926 burned down all the rest of the houses, and now the islands, owned by the Trustees of the Reservations, are available for day trippers and picnickers, where they can see the stone foundations where the summer colony stood.

Heading back in to Marblehead Harbor, the sailor passes Coney Island, an acre and a half of rocks and grass. Close in to Marblehead Harbor are Gerrys Island and Browns or Crowninshield Island, which have already been discussed. At the east end of Gerrys Island is Jacks Rock, named for the black servant of Marbleheads early 18th-century Parson Barnard, who liked to fish there.

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MARBLEHEAD 101: The other islands off Marblehead

Cruise the Greek Islands during shoulder season and save

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Topics: cruising, greece, greek islands, holidays, travel

TAKE your time exploring the islands of Sifnos and Milos and discovering Athens on an 11-day Island Explorer package from Icon Holidays, priced from $3360 per person, twin share.

This price is for a for September deal, the shoulder season, a good time for Aussies to visit Greece as it's less crowded and prices are lower.

The deal includes private tours of Athens, Acropolis Museum, Cape Sounion, Sifnos and Milos, a private cooking lesson in Sifnos, four nights' accommodation with breakfasts in Athens, and three in both Sifnos and Milos, hydrofoil tickets, entry fees, private taxi transfers and taxes.

It also includes a catamaran cruise around the islands of Milos and Poliegos, stopping off at fishing villages, swimming at secluded beaches and in caves and lunching on board.

The package can be upgraded with hotel choices and is also available between June and September.

For more information visit iconjourneys.com.

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Cruise the Greek Islands during shoulder season and save

A guide to names of islands in the South and East China Seas

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Countries involved in the dispute over the islands and rich mineral resources in the South and East China Seas have chosen their own names for the land masses - to underscore their property rights

In March 2012, the Japanese parliament named the previously nameless chain of 39 islands Senkaku. The People's Republic of China responded promptly with its own name, Diaoyo, for a total 70 islands in the region. Republic of China (Taiwan) rejected Japan's names.

The case shows how the naming of islands can be used as a political tool. The naming - as well as older documents and maps - aims to prove that the opposing parties have never cared about the region and that there has always been a legitimate claim to the disputed islands.

The result is a plethora of names and terms that can cause confusion. DW provides insight into the conflicts, the names and the players.

East China Sea

The East China Sea, called Dong Hi () in Chinese and Higashi Shina Kai () in Japanese, is located west of the Chinese mainland, north of South Korea, east of the southwestern part of Japan and south of Taiwan.

Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands

The East China Sea is home to the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyo Islands, which are called Diaoyu do () in Chinese, Diaoyutai liy ( ) in Taiwanese and Senkaku Shoto ( ) in Japanese. These are eight uninhabited islands and reefs. The largest island, which is 4.32 square kilometers, is about the size of the English Garden in Munich.

Liancourt Rocks/Dokdo Islands

The Liancourt Rocks, or Takeshima () in Japanese and Dokdo () in Korean, include two rocky islands and a group of smaller rocks. Both South Korea and Japan claim the islands. They were managed by Japan up to 1945 and by South Korea since 1953.

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A guide to names of islands in the South and East China Seas

The Falkland Islands Brace for Oil Wealth

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On March10 and 11, Falkland Islanders voted in a referendum on whether to remain under British rule. Of its 2,563 citizens, only three voted no. The victory set off howls of indignation in nearby Argentina, which fought a brief, disastrous war with Britain over the South Atlantic islands in 1982. On March28, Argentine President Cristina Fernndez de Kirchner tweeted, An English territory more than 12,000 km away [from the U.K.]? The idea is not even worthy of a kindergarten of three-year-olds.

Soon Argentines may have something else to be angry about. The Falklands are no longer just an archipelago of sheep farmers and fishermen at worlds end. A promising offshore oil discovery is expected to bring the British territory $10.5billion in tax revenue and royalties over 25 years.

The Argentines have threatened to sue any company involved in Falklands drilling, but that hasnt stopped the islanders. The Falklands government is starting a wealth fund to manage the cash. On the agenda: paving the main highway from the airport to the capital of Stanley, improving the port so it can accept larger ships, and reimbursing the 60million ($90million) the U.K. spends annually to defend the islands. In times ofrecession, its difficult for people in the U.K. to justify spending money on a small population on the other end of the world, says Andrea Clausen, a Falklander who owns a bus company. But as long as Argentina claims the Falklands in its constitution, the threat wont go away.

The offshore oil discovery may generate government revenues of about $160,000 per person each year when it starts production in 2017, according to London-based consultants Edison Investment Research. Thats equivalent to the aftertax income of a top 1percent earner in Britain, figures Londons Institute for Fiscal Studies, which researches the impact of taxes and spending. Falkland officials in December visited Norway and the Shetland Islands, which have similar funds to invest their oil and gas earnings. They wanted to know how to avoid inflation and poor financial management. The discovery will no doubt be transformational for the islands, increasing government revenue several times over, says Mineral Resources Director Stephen Luxton.

The field, known as Sea Lion, contains about 400million barrels of oil, according to Rockhopper Exploration (RKH), the explorer that discovered it three years ago. Premier Oil (PMO) of the U.K. agreed to take over operating the field last year with a $1billion investment. The islands can expect to receive $3.9billion in royalties and $6.6billion in tax revenue over the life of the field, according to Edison. Those figures may increase if more oil is found around Sea Lion or if gas finds drilled last year are deemed to be of commercial value. Theres strong potential for more reservoirs to be discovered and developed, says Ian McLelland, head of oil and gas at Edison. The money will go mostly to the sovereign wealth fund.

Is it possible to avoid squandering such a windfall, especially for a territory of fewer than 3,000 people? Thats what the Falklanders asked the Norwegians, who in 1990 started what is now the worlds largest sovereign wealth fund. With 4trillion kroner ($715billion) in assets, it returned 13.4percent in 2012. The Falklands fund will never reach that scale, but if the islanders can replicate the Norwegians prudent management, theyll be satisfied. Falklanders, says Clausen, want to know that our way of life wont be destroyed.

The bottom line: Argentina still claims the Falklands, which are worth a lot more now that 400 million barrels of oil have been found near the islands.

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The Falkland Islands Brace for Oil Wealth

IGN and USGS censoring earthquakes on El Hierro (Canary Islands) Here’s the proof! – Video

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IGN and USGS censoring earthquakes on El Hierro (Canary Islands) Here #39;s the proof!
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IGN and USGS censoring earthquakes on El Hierro (Canary Islands) Here's the proof! - Video

Thai islands rank top in Asia

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TRAVEL TITBITS

Koh Tao has been listed among the Top 10 Island Destinations in the World and the top Island Destination in Asia, according to the inaugural Travelers' Choice Islands awards of TripAdvisor, a global travel review website.

According to TripAdvisor Chief Marketing Officer Barbara Messing, the winners were based on the feedback of millions of travellers who rated the quality of the most highly-rated hotels, restaurants and attractions listed for each island on TripAdvisor during a 12-month period.

The awards recognised more than 100 islands across the globe, she said.

Heading the list is Ambergris Caye in Belize, followed by St John in the US, Bora Bora in French Polynesia, San Juan Island in Washington, USA, Santorini in Greece, Isla Mujeres in Mexico, Moorea in French Polynesia, Koh Tao in Thailand, Easter Island in Chile and Nosy Be in Madagascar.

Thailand boasts four of the top 10 islands in Asia _ Koh Tao (1st), Koh Lanta (3rd), Phuket (6th) and Koh Samui (7th).

"Whether you are looking for idyllic palm-lined islands, or islands that offer a more cultural experience, you will find inspiration in these lists," she said.

For the complete list of winners from the 2013 Travellers' Choice Islands, visit tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Islands.

Bangkok to host 2013 Pata Summit The Pacific Asia Travel Association (Pata) will organise the 2013 Pata Annual Summit on April 26 in Bangkok.

The one-day summit will address the theme "Embracing the Complete Visitor Economy" with four key sessions: "Why the visitor economy is key for jobs and societal development", "Public sector challenges and opportunities inherent in politically advancing the complete visitor economy", "Private sector connecting the complete visitor economy" and "Strengthening weak links in the visitor economy".

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Thai islands rank top in Asia


  1. Islands