Hugo Ch?vez said he intends to seize yachts and private property in Los Roques, a popular tourist archipelago off Venezuela's coast, worrying owners and tourists about the resort's fate.
Tourists from around the world sunbathe on the white sands of Francisqui, occasionally jumping into the turquoise Caribbean waters just off Venezuela's coast.
Skip to next paragraphThe beaches of the Los Roques archipelago ? in which Francisqui lies ? are some of the most idyllic in the world, and luxury yachts owned by international businessmen sit moored off the coast.
But the wealthy Venezuelans and foreign tourists who enjoy Los Roques may have their paradise spoiled.
President Hugo Ch?vez announced in October his intention to seize the yachts and expropriate property on the islands to be used for state tourism.
"I've always said we should nationalize Los Roques," Mr. Ch?vez said on national television.
"Expropriating a boat is completely absurd," says Venezuelan factory owner Javier ?lvarez, waist-deep in the water by his 74-foot yacht. "I don't see how they can take away something which you've worked hard for and have bought."
Vacation expropriation
Government expropriation of private industry has been a key policy of Ch?vez's regime.
More than 450 companies have been expropriated this year alone. ExxonMobil, which had its assets seized in 2007, is still fighting the Venezuelan government for $7 billion in compensation it believes it is owed.
The money demanded in compensation is taking its toll on Venezuela's economy, as Ch?vez plans to increase spending nearly 50 percent next year to drum up domestic support before next year's presidential elections.
Now, Ch?vez has set his sights on Los Roques, the cr?me de la cr?me of Caribbean beach resorts.
The crystal-clear ?waters attract divers from around the world, while the white-sand beaches are one of the few luxuries on Venezuela's Caribbean coastline.
The islands were made a national park in 1972, for fear that the land would be overtaken by developers. But privately owned posadas, or inns, still dot the islands, and it's those lands that Ch?vez is eyeing now.
"[Ch?vez's] policy is just to try to hurt the rich people," says Diego Arria, a former minister of tourism who was president of the corporation of hotels and tourism at the time of the park's formation.
Mr. Arria has been personally hit by the government's expropriation policy. Last year, his ranch in Yaracuy was seized by authorities.
'Owners are scared'
Just a five-minute boat ride away from Francisqui is the archipelago's main island, Gran Roque.
On it is a small landing strip, littered with small planes owned by wealthy businessmen, as well as the posadas that house the high-end tourists.
Many of these are owned by Italians who ventured to Los Roques over the past 20 years.
"I feel the owners are scared," says one manager, unwilling to reveal his name for fear of reprisal.
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