Island is Lalvani's brainchild
UK-based media tycoon Gulu Lalvani said it was he and not Microsoft chairman Bill Gates who was behind the plan to build a doughnut-shaped luxury island off Phuket that would house resorts and be connected to his own marina.
The Pakistan-born billionaire, who owns Binatone - one of the world's largest manufacturers of digital cordless phones - said Gates was linked to the project because he and his wife Linda frequently visited Phuket on their yacht.After two years of construction Lalvani's Royal Phuket Marina is now complete. It can hold 350 yachts. The Bt7-billion man-made island he plans off Sapam Beach in tambon Koh Kaew will be able to hold 400 yachts, the flamboyant tycoon said. The island will be named "Zoran" after his youngest child. It will contain 30-40 villas, a condominium, restaurants, cafes and shops, Lalvani said. He said there would be five penthouses with private docking areas. The 65-rai island will be built three kilometres off the coast. Lalvani said he decided to build an island because constant dredging of waterways to enable yachts to be docked at the marina had left a large amount of earth. His marina was built to accommodate large yachts of up to 40 metres in length and the minimum depth required is six metres. Lalvani said Phuket's potential as a tourist resort would get a boost after it received the Asia Maritime Capital Award. He said Phuket still needed more brand-name retailers as well as tourist attractions tailored to high-end tourists. The number of foreign tourists visiting Phuket rose 40 per cent in the first quarter despite political instability, he added.
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