{
  "id": 353959,
  "title": "The geopolitics of luxury hotels",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/07/30/the-geopolitics-of-luxury-hotels",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-07-30T11:39:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Le Monde diplomatique (English)",
    "slug": "le-monde-diplomatique-english",
    "url": "https://mondediplo.com/2026/08/06luxury-hotels"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the realm of geopolitics, luxury hotels may be emerging as a new form of colonialism. As Saudi Arabia invests in industrial development and the UAE focuses on logistics infrastructure, Qatar has turned to luxury tourism to strengthen its international standing and diversify its economy. The Aldabra atoll, a UNESCO World Heritage site teeming with marine biodiversity, serves as a sanctuary, yet nearby on Assumption Island, India harbors ambitions to establish a naval base to counter China's influence.\n\nThis ambition traces back to Narendra Modi's announcement during a tour of Indian Ocean islands in 2015, solidified by an agreement between India and the Seychelles in 2018. However, Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan opted for a more luxurious approach, envisioning a six-star resort complex spanning 51,000 square meters, including 37 villas and four restaurants, with global air connectivity facilitated by a runway extension. Despite Patrick Herminie, the current president of the resort, initiating an inquiry into the project, construction is still underway.\n\nTwo Syrian-Qatari billionaires, Ramez and Moutaz al-Khayyat, are instrumental in similar ventures across strategic locations, including Albania and Egypt. They transform these sites into private assets, exploiting the Indian Ocean's significance in global maritime traffic and energy exports from the Persian Gulf to Asia. The Indian Ocean hosts 40% of global maritime traffic and 80% of energy exports from the Persian Gulf to Asia, making it a hotbed for geopolitical maneuvering.\n\nChina, India, and the Gulf monarchies are all jostling for influence in the region. China has been financing deep-water ports in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Djibouti since 2013, securing its hydrocarbon supply and extending its military reach. This has enabled China to establish a naval base in Djibouti in 2017 and deploy surveillance systems and drones to monitor maritime routes, aiming to transform the Indian Ocean into a \"Chinese sea.\"\n\nIndia, in response, has adopted the 'diamond necklace' strategy, constructing a series of naval bases and forging cooperation agreements with the Maldives, Mauritius, and others. This mirrors Qatar's luxury tourism strategy, as exemplified by the proposed Assumption Island resort, which merges geopolitical strategy with opulent infrastructure.",
  "summary": "While Saudi Arabia is banking on industrial investment and the UAE on logistics infrastructure, Qatar has gone for luxury tourism to consolidate its international position and diversify its economy. - 2026/08 / article",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}