Page 143 - Decadence

country’s new citizenship by investment program globally. VIC has its head of ce in Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila, with operations currently in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Phnom Penh. “We recently opened an of ce in Bangkok as our Asia Paci c headquarters. London, being recognized as the global centre of the Citizenship and Residency by Investment industry was the natural next step for us.”
“To make Vanuatu more accessible to the world, we are working to establish direct ights between Bangkok and Port Vila. This will revolutionize international access to Vanuatu and have a signi cant impact in terms of increasing and diversifying the tourism and investment base. It will connect us to China and the Middle East, and even Europe and the Americas. A whole new range of markets will open up.”
The airport in Port Vila can handle anything from Boeing 737s to turbo-prop aircraft, but also newer aircraft such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The main carriers there are Qantas, Virgin Australia and Air Vanuatu. Most ights are from Brisbane, which is just a little over two hours, Sydney and Auckland.
“I have been in Asia for 20 years, having lived in Hong Kong and in China following 6 years serving as a British Army Of cer” said Mr Elcocke-Harris. “I was appointed by the government of Vanuatu to represent and promote its interests under the Vanuatu Information Centre initiative. Quite frankly, the reason I am involved is that Vanuatu needs help on the international stage. As a small island nation their resources are limited and their voice is not very powerful. With my previous background in a UK government bi-lateral relations role, plus extensive business consulting experience, they believe I am the right person to help articulate the attractions of Vanuatu and the bene ts of its citizenship program. I am passionate about my role in helping Vanuatu raise its global pro le.
“I will be based in London from end of March 2018 and running VIC’s operations from there - likely with some further endorsement from the Vanuatu Government as the honorary Vanuatu consul in the UK and in a “Trade Commissioner” role. This will provide Vanuatu a more substantive presence in a post-Brexit UK – which will see the UK government reviving and placing more emphasis on its historical Commonwealth trading links,” said Mr Elcocke-
Harris. I would like to be highly proactive in raising the pro le of Vanuatu through engaging with relevant UK government and private sector entities, to promote investment, trade and tourism.
“I like to describe Vanuatu as an undiscovered gem because the rst question most people ask me is, “where is it?”. That actually takes a little explaining as it is a speck on the map, to the slight North East of Australia – beyond New Caledonia. Far from being a “speck” however, Vanuatu in fact comprises 86 islands (or 83 at high-tide as I like to joke), of which 65 are populated, strung out over a distance of some 1,300 kilometers north to south. This is Vanuatu. The population of 285,000 is quite dispersed and this requires a lot of air connectivity there are a lot of ights between islands. The main airport and most of the commercial development is in Port Vila on the island of Efate.
“There are some supermarkets in the capital and you can buy all the things you need, but everything is imported so can be a little expensive. For luxury goods you have to go to Australia. When you walk around Vanuatu you rarely see Chanel, Hermes or other well-known brands, and nobody really cares.
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