text: Image copyright iStock/Norimoto Image caption It's easy to see why tourists flock to Palau but the government wants to attract fewer people and more money 
   
   Palau wants to cut the number of tourists visiting its idyllic shores by making it a more expensive place to visit. 
   
   President Tommy Remengesau wants to rebrand the Pacific island state as a luxury destination and is proposing a new law that would allow only five-star hotel developments in future, Radio New Zealand International reports. He's offering tax breaks for high-end investors if they sort out all their own infrastructure needs, such as building roads and designing water treatment systems for the resorts. 
   
   Palau relies heavily on tourism, but in recent years locals have complained about an influx of visitors causing overcrowding at popular sites, damaging coral reefs and disturbing wildlife. The biggest increase has been among Chinese tour groups, and in 2015 the government announced it was halving the number of charter flights arriving from China. 
   
   President Remengesau says the proposed law focuses on "quality rather than quantity", and he makes clear that Palau wants to attract big spenders, Marianas Variety reports. But he says it's also about developing the islands in a way that respects the natural environment and those who call the country home. 
   
   "There's a right way to do things and there's a wrong way to do things," he says, adding that when it comes to development, "the best spots around the world have blended in with the environment". 
   
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   Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter. ||||| The President of Palau has proposed a new law that will allow only five-star hotels to open up on its islands, essentially closing them to all but the wealthiest visitors. 
   
   Tommy Remengesau has expressed his desire for a “quality rather than quantity” tourism strategy – focusing on travellers with more cash to spend – after concerns were raised about the effects of mass tourism on the islands. 
   
   Palau is renowned for its coral reefs and desert islands Credit: alamy 
   
   In a statement to reporters, Remengesau said he wanted to encourage high-end hotels that “would come in with their own designed water treatment system [and] power back-ups. If there are any other infrastructures that they have to do, like opening a road, the investor would do that themselves.” 
   
   The hotels would be rewarded by the government for their assistance with “the necessary tax breaks and exemptions,” said Remengesau. “It’s kind of a win-win situation for Palau and the investor.” 
   
   Palau, a remote republic in Oceania, is pure Bounty advert territory, with pristine beaches, world-class scuba diving, and forest-covered volcanic islands. It relies on tourism for 85 per cent of its GDP, but over the years rising visitor numbers have taken their toll – with damage to local coral reefs, relative overcrowding, and wildlife disturbance. 
   
   The archipelago is particularly popular with Chinese tourists, who visit on package holidays – but they are notorious for spending little money locally. In an effort to discourage these travellers, the Palau government halved the number of charter flights from China in 2015. 
   
   The move appeared to pay off. “While the numbers went down, the actual tourist spending went up,” said Remengesau. “It confirms our direction [to attract] less tourists who spend more which equates to more tax dollars. We [will] go for quality rather than quantity... to create a goal of high-end, high-value tourism.” 
   
   A traditional wooden 'bai' house in Palau Credit: alamy 
   
   At present, there is just a handful of five-star resorts in Palau, centred around Koror – the most populous island in the state. Remengesau gave no indication of where he would like Palau’s new five-star resorts to be built, but with 500 islands to its name there is no shortage of palm-fringed beaches and superlative sea views. 
   
   Whether the hotels will be built sustainably, in harmony with Palau’s natural assets, remains to be seen.
target: – The Pacific island nation of Palau boasts some stunning sights—but they don't want just anybody coming to check them out. The country's president, Tommy Remengesau, is planning to introduce legislation restricting hotel development to five-star chains, a move that would effectively make Palau a "luxury only" nation, the Telegraph reports. Remengesau says mass tourism is damaging the environment of Palau, which is made up of around 250 islands, and he wants to pursue a "quality not quantity" strategy. "There's a right way to do things and there's a wrong way to do things," says the president, per the BBC. And when it comes to development, he adds, "the best spots around the world have blended in with the environment." Radio New Zealand notes that the proposal comes after massive growth in tourism over the last couple of years, most of which involved package tours from mainland China. Remengesau says tourism spending actually went up after steps were taken to reduce the number of charter flights from China. (A tourism slogan in Australia is pretty darn explicit.)