Islands are new status symbols of the wealthy

A view of the UK island, which was put up for auction on Taobao.com on March 3, 2015, in this undated photo, with an inset map of the island's location. [Photo/paipai.taobao.com]

Group heads for the South Pacific in search of paradise

Luxury cars and private jets are no longer topping the "to-buy" lists of Chinese billionaires.

Instead, it appears that some are about to set off for the South Pacific later this month in search of something altogether bigger: Their very own island in Fiji, Tuvalu or Tahiti.

It is the first time such a group has been put together with the sole aim of securing the members' own South Pacific plot of land, Lin Dong, the 42-year-old founder of the China Island Owners Association, was quoted in various newspapers, including Malaysia's Sin Chew Daily, as saying.

Lin explained islands in Fiji are the cheapest, with plenty of choice but very few inhabitants.

The islands are generally being offered under 99-year leases (no outright ownership is offered) priced at 3 million yuan ($483,000), and there is interest from buyers clubbing together to share the cost of their piece of paradise. Making an island livable could cost another 1 million yuan, to install the necessary facilities.

Lin turned down a request for further information on Monday, adding that "too much media exposure for the time being will make a very big difference in the closing price, and not help with negotiations", after two newspapers in Fiji reported the potential purchases.

The papers said some members are expected to leave later this month or the start of next.

Officially created in August 2012, the China Island Owners Association is reported to have 43 member-owners in China, but the association itself estimates there are around 680 island owners in China, most owning properties within lakes (60 percent), then rivers (30 percent), and then off the coast.

Some have built private clubhouses on their islands to entertain friends and customers, while others are owned by companies which plan to build tourist resorts.

Lin is believed to be a Guangdong entrepreneur who made his fortune from a medical equipment company, according to reports.

The United Kingdom's Daily Mail said his first purchase was a tiny lake isle called Jialan in his native province. He invested further in 2006, buying 10 small islands off Guangdong, and so far he is reported to have spent over 30 million yuan acquiring 30 islands, both at home and abroad, to spend his holidays there.

Lin reportedly said that it is not an easy job to invest in an uninhabited island.

Infrastructure may cost as much as 500 million yuan, he said, while a hotel may cost another 100 million yuan. But the rewards to those who do invest in tourism can be rich, with some already raking in profits of more than 10 million yuan per year.