Belizean politician Erwin Contreras with John Travolta.
As the 2014 Cannes Film Festival is starting to wind down, reports indicate the ultra-posh PuertoAzul Exclusive Resorts party was the place to be this year. Formal invitations to the May 21 bash, called "PuertoAzul Experience," went to noted celebrities like John Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston, Andrea Bocelli and a long list of other Hollywood A-List celebrities and global socialites.
While the majority of international English-language media have been focused on the PuertoAzul attendees and who was wearing what, a few Italian and French media outlets became interested in topographical display board behind the fashion-studded gowns and what the "PuertoAzul Experience" actually was. Turns out, this party -- complete with posh amenities like 30 euro bottled water -- was the official launch party for PuertoAzul Resorts Belize, dubbed a "citadel of luxury," a stone's throw from World Heritage Site The Belize Blue Hole.
Local Belize and international media were kept in the dark about the proposed project until social media posts appeared referencing a new luxury resort in Belize, along with photos of Belize's Minister of Tourism in attendance at the event. Source
Puerto Azul promotional masterplan concept unveiled at Cannes.
Environmentalists are in an uproar at the Cabinet’s approval for the multi-million dollar tourism development within the Lighthouse Reef Atoll. Puerto Azul Belize Limited is proposing an exclusive resort, hotel, golf course, villas and spa to be built on Northern Two Caye and Sandbore Caye. The island proposed for development are a short distance from the Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye Natural Monument, both extensively protected areas for their importance in the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (a UNESCO World Heritage Site).
The development is expected to consist of over 970 acres of luxury amenities for the world’s elite including shopping centers, restaurants and bars, a golf club house, spa, airstrip, marina, churches, business centers, botanical garden, health care center, not to mention accommodations for approximately 1,000 guests and 2,000 employees. Puerto Azul is expected to be the most luxurious and expensive tourism destination in Belize, offering seven star exclusivity of nature and services
Last night in Cannes: John Travolta and Kelly Preston were flown in to host a high priced event promoting an environmentally controversial project. The couple were brought to Cannes to shill for a proposed billionaires’ paradise in Belize, an island in the Caribbean. Puerto Azul is under attack in Belize by just about every local group because it threatens protected and historical sites in Belize.
Puerto Azul, according to reports, could very negatively impact the Blue Hole, a World Heritage site in Belize that some believe could be named the 8th Wonder of the World. In 2012, the Great Blue Hole was cited by the Discovery Channel as number one on its list of “The 10 Most Amazing Places on Earth”.
The Travoltas have long been used as spokespeople by last night’s promote Oscar Generale (he’s a person), who puts together these events. Some of the other celebrities who attended last night– Heidi Klum, Adrien Brody, Rosario Dawson– may have thought the flashy gathering at the very very posh St. George villa in Cannes was for charity.
Alas, the event was to raise money for the massive enterprise under attack in Belize. The main investor is business man Domenico Giannini. He’s really just a real estate developer who’s been clever enough to use celebrities as his pitch men and women.
The Puerto Azul development in Belize would be a radical addition to the island. It would include an exclusive resort, hotel, golf, villas and spa, on Northern Two Caye (960 acres) and Sandbore Caye (10 acres), suitable to accommodate 1,000 guests and 2,000 employees. The plans call for an underwater lab, shopping centers, restaurants and bars, a golf club house, spa, airstrip and marina.