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After months of expectation, work on building and
upgrading the round island ring road on Efate, the
principal island of Vanuatu where the capital Port Vila
is located, has finally started.
Vanuatu is entering an exciting new phase in its
development and local residents have noticed, in
particular, the significant increase in property prices
and overseas investment.
The Vanuatu Government has been proactive and has
undertaken initiatives in conjunction with the private
sector to streamline bureaucracy and fast track
over-seas investments.

With its cosmopolitan, English-French background,
Vanuatu is considered to be the ‘undiscovered jewel of
the Pacific’ and it is truly shaping up to be a
wonderful place to live in. Airlines servicing Vanuatu
have recently introduced additional direct flights to
and from Australia.
What does all this mean? It will mean more hotel beds,
more restaurants, more tourism related activities. The
Vanuatu Government has placed tourism as a high priority
in its development strategy and has incentives in place
to encourage growth.Exciting times are ahead indeed for
the tourism sector.
Vanuatu was voted the happiest country in the Happy
Planet Index of 2006. You can see why Ni-Vanuatu are the
happiest people on earth from their friendly smiles
greeting you every where you go.
The large retiring baby boomer population of Australia
and New Zealand are looking for a new ’home away from
home’ and have now discovered Vanuatu as a place to
retire. Australia being a short 3 hour flight away has
been the deciding factor for retiring baby boomers to
purchase homes and invest in Vanuatu. They are within
easy flying time to their family and friends. These Baby
boomers’ significant spending power will have a huge
impact on the local economy.
One attractive aspect of Vanuatu to retirees is the
absence of Income Tax in Vanuatu. The Government has
opted for a system of indirect taxation. No Income
Taxes, means less bureaucracy, less annoying paper work,
NO annoying tax collectors and it’s related stress. It
means all accumulated wealth is not subject to any form
of Income Tax. This means more time and money for more
“quality retirement” time.
Where can you purchase waterfront lease-hold land, only
minutes from the Capital for a fraction of what you
would pay in countries like Australia. Building costs
are comparable to those in Developed Countries, so the
exercise of purchasing land and building your dream
residence will not differ much.The recent introduction
of Strata Title Legislation and its associated
regulations has opened up more opportunities in the
commercialization of property in Vanuatu.
Moores Rowland Vanuatu has been in Vanuatu for over 30
years and with its associated trust company,
TransPacific Trust Limited and real estate company,
Transpacific Real Estate Limited are able to offer
foreign investor/retirees a unique blend of advice,
insight and services to get a “foot” into Vanuatu.
Call us today to discuss your investment needs.
Laurie HARRISON
Partner - Moores Rowland
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