The French Polynesian government has approved a proposed hotel and resort complex on Tahiti, which will cost nearly three billion US dollars to realise.
A jury has picked the project by a Hawaiian company, Group 70 International, to develop the Tahiti Mahana Beach Resorts and Spa on 52 hectares on the island's west side.
Photo: Presidence Polynesie francaise
The two other proposals were from a French and a Chinese company.
The president, Gaston Flosse, says he will find the investors to finance the development, which is to include five hotels , a casino, a convention centre, cinemas, an aquatic park as well as luxury shops.
To add to the sustainability of the complex, it is to be airconditioned with a system using cold water from the ocean's depth.
The resort project is a key plank in the government's plan to create jobs and revive tourism as visitor numbers are well below what they were 15 years ago.
