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Agence France-Presse

One of the five stars that used to adorn the facade of the Margarita hotel on the Venezuelan paradise island of the same name has fallen off.
Not that there are any guests to notice.
The hotel is abandoned, its peeling facade a symbol of the decline of an island once dubbed the “Pearl of the Caribbean” that has been robbed of its shine by a severe economic crisis.
A short drive away by car, a herd of cows grazes in front of another vacant former five-star hostelry, Lagunamar.


It looks as if an earthquake ripped through here, tearing the roof off a poolside pavilion, tossing lamps and toilets around the garden and leaving mounds of rubble.
The damage is, in fact, the work of vandals, who steal scrap metal to sell at a profit or to build shacks.
Margarita, a major source of pearls in the 15th and 16th centuries, used to be a playground for American tourists, drawn to its palm-fringed white-sand beaches and turquoise waters.
But Venezuela’s economic collapse, high crime rates and growing international isolation in the wake of bitterly disputed elections have caught up with the island of 500,000 people.
The signs of decline are everywhere.


Several clothes and souvenir shops along the main shopping drag, Santiago Marino, stand empty.
And power outages are frequent. An explosion in November at a gas facility in the nearby state of Monagas led to blackouts of up to 20 hours at a time.
“This is not the Margarita of the past,” Jose Padobani, a 26-year-old barman, says.
An 80 per cent drop in GDP over a decade of increasingly repressive rule by strongman president Nicolas Maduro between 2013 and 2023 pushed more than seven million Venezuelans – almost a quarter of the population – to seek a better life elsewhere.
Many had hoped to return after the July 2024 elections, in which polls showed an easy win for the opposition.


But those hopes were shattered when Maduro claimed victory – despite results published by the opposition showing their man, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, winning by a landslide.
“All my friends have left, but I don’t want to leave,” says Juan Caiman, a 44-year-old furniture maker, whose Colombian father immigrated to Venezuela in the 1980s to escape the violence unleashed by drug kingpin Pablo Escobar.
Caiman, who makes luxury furniture in a workshop near the abandoned Margarita hotel, is one of a group of businesspeople determined to tough it out on the island.
Fadwa Hage, 55, owner of an adjacent sports shop on Santiago Marino, says those who had stayed behind did so to protect their businesses from looting.
But she also sees tentative signs of a recovery.


“This year, just on this one block, three new businesses have already opened,” she says.
“We have beaches, mountains and lots of activities in which to invest.”
In the near absence of Western tourists, the government has launched campaigns to attract visitors from Venezuela ally Russia, Cuba and Poland.
We depend on Venezuelan tourists because Russian tourists don’t spend a thing
Demetria, a masseuse at a beach on Margarita Island
Some 40,000 Russians have visited Margarita since 2023, according to official figures, lured by all-inclusive packages, including limitless alcohol, in hotels with generators that keep the lights and air conditioning on.
Signs posted around the island welcome visitors in Russian, Turkish, Polish and Chinese, and kitesurfing lessons are also offered in those languages.
But many islanders complain they are not benefiting from the new revenue streams.
“We depend on Venezuelan tourists because Russian tourists don’t spend a thing,” Demetria, a masseuse who has been offering treatments on the beach for 16 years, says.



Peter, a 44-year-old Russian IT specialist who was on his first visit to Venezuela this year, says he was surprised to find hotels, shops and restaurants abandoned.
“It’s as if they were built for 10 times more tourists,” he says.
In the low-income neighbourhood of Las Maritas, Crismar Lopez uses two candles and the torch on her mobile phone to illuminate the kitchen where she makes hot dogs to sell on the street for US$1.50 a pair.
The recent power cuts put Lopez and her husband out of business for two weeks because they could not refrigerate food.
But the 47-year-old mother of three says she is used to muddling through.
“Venezuelans are masters in the art of coping,” she says.


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Tourism

Russians replace wealthy Western visitors on Venezuela’s down-at-heel holiday island

An abandoned hotel on Margarita Island, Venezuela. The Caribbean paradise is in decline after years of devaluations, inflation and the collapse of public services. Photo: AFP

Many of Margarita Island’s hotels now stand abandoned, in scenes very different to when the island used to be a playground for American tourists. Photo: AFP

A child plays on the shore of El Yaque Beach in the south of Margarita Island. Photo: AFP

A hat vendor works at Pampatar Beach on Margarita Island. The beautiful sand and waters remain despite the economic troubles its people face. Photo: AFP

A man fishes at Juan Griego Bay on the north of Margarita Island. Recent years have been tough for islanders but there are signs that things may be turning around. Photo: AFP

A street lined with closed businesses on Margarita Island. Venezuela’s GDP has dropped 80 per cent over the last decade. Photo: AFP

Women chat inside a house during a power outage in the low-income neighbourhood of Las Maritas. Power outages are frequent on Margarita Island. Photo: AFP

Pelicans perch on a boat at a beach on Margarita Island. Photo: AFP

A man paddles a kayak on El Yaque Beach on Margarita Island. The island used to be called the “jewel of the Caribbean”. Photo: AFP

A sign written in Russian at El Yaque Beach in Margarita Island. The island is now trying to woo Russian, Cuban and Polish tourists. Photo: AFP

A sign advertising kitesurfing written in Russian. Lessons are offered in Russian, Turkish, Polish and Chinese on the island. Photo: AFP

A man kitesurfs at El Yaque Beach on Margarita Island. Photo: AFP

What to see on ‘special’ Kat O island in Hong Kong, and the villagers you’ll likely meet

Crooked Island (Kat O) in Hong Kong’s northeast New Territories. Photo: Warton Li

Fong Sam-kiu, 79, relaxes in the outdoor eating area of her home in Kat O, one of the largest outlying islands in Hong Kong’s northeast New Territories. Photo: Kylie Knott


The peaceful vibe of Kat O stands in stark contrast to Shenzhen’s Yantian container port, which can be seen in the distance. Photo: Warton Li

A woman sells traditional Hakka snacks from a stall on Kat O Main Street. Photo: Kylie Knott

Kat O resident May Liu makes traditional Hakka leaf cakes. Photo: Kylie Knott

Visitors can get to Kat O on a ferry from Ma Liu Shui public pier. Photo: Kylie Knott

A view of Tung O Wan beach from Ko Pang Teng hill, which is a 20-minute hike from Kat O’s ferry pier. Photo: Kylie Knott 

Mr Wing with his three-month-old puppy Coffee. Photo: Kylie Knott

Jimmy Wong returned to Kat O in 2014. Photo: Kylie Knott

The Tin Hau Temple on Kat O houses the Kat O Story Room. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

One of many abandoned buildings on Kat O. Photo: Kylie Knott 

Villagers dress in traditional Hakka-style costumes to celebrate the On Lung Tai Ping Ching Chiu Festival on Kat O in 20226. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Kiffy Cho makes jewellery outside Yik Man Restaurant on Kat O. Photo: Kylie Knott

An abandoned building on Kat O is overgrown with roots. Photo: Kylie Knott

Winston Ho swapped “noisy and polluted” London for a quiet life on Kat O, where his mother was born. Photo: Kylie Knott

The ferry pier on Kat O island. Photo: Kylie Knott

How a Moana holiday sailing in Tahiti offers a taste of Polynesian seafaring culture

The Vaapiti, a double-hulled canoe, in French Polynesia. Photo: Vaapiti

A resurrected Polynesian canoe called the Vaapiti sails in Tahiti. Boating classes and trips are teaching visitors about seafaring culture and keeping traditions alive. Photo: Vaapiti

The Vaapiti, a resurrected double-hulled canoe, in the shallow waters off the coast of Moorea, in French Polynesia. Photo: Vaapiti

The lighthouse at Point Venus, a headland at the northern tip of Tahiti. Photo: Tahiti Tourism

Sailors encounter blue water and gentle waves off Tahiti. Photo: Vaapiti

Raphael Labaysse sails on Vaapiti. Photo: Vaapiti

Phu Quoc, Vietnam for designer resorts and attractions that include … a town on the Med?

Sunset Town is a major tourist attraction on Phu Quoc, a Vietnamese island that offers a blend of natural beauty and artificial attractions. The town makes people feel as if they are not in Vietnam. Photo: courtesy of JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay

Phu Quoc is the biggest island in Vietnam. It has rapidly transformed from a remote island to a tourist hub. Photo: courtesy of JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay

The world’s longest non-stop three-rope cable car from Phu Quoc’s Sunset Town takes visitors to Hon Thom island. Photo: courtesy of JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay

“Kiss of the Sea” is a nightly water and laser show in Phu Quoc. Photo: courtesy of JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay

The JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort’s Lamarck University check-in area and lobby is set up like a library. Photo: courtesy of JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay

Visitors can see working beehives at Phu Quoc Bee Farm. Photo: Erika Na

Anh showing visitors the bees on his farm. Photo: Erika Na

Shenzhen travel guide: how to get a visa on arrival, which apps to download and cashless payment in the Chinese city

To get to places in Shenzhen like Dongmen Pedestrian Street (above), Hong Kong residents without the right visa can apply for one on arrival. That’s not all you need to know - we break down the essentials for your trip from Hong Kong. Photo: Shutterstock

WeChat is useful for electronic payments and for its mini-programs – apps within the app. Photo: Shutterstock

The simplest option within Hong Kong to reach Shenzhen is to take the MTR East Rail Line to Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau stations. Photo: Erika Na

Shenzhen taxis can be ordered via Didi Chuxing, the Chinese equivalent of Uber. Photo: Shutterstock

Alipay accepts foreign-issued credit cards and can be used to make e-payments in Shenzhen. Photo: Shutterstock

Baidu Maps is more accurate than Google Maps in Shenzhen. Photo: Shutterstock

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On Margarita Island, derelict hotels stand on dead streets after a decade-long downturn stripped the ‘pearl of the Caribbean’ of its lustre


On Margarita Island, derelict hotels stand on dead streets after a decade-long downturn stripped the ‘pearl of the Caribbean’ of its lustre.


Travel Destinations

Venezuela