While millions of people temporarily locked down the corona pandemic, the super-rich fled to the holiday paradises.
Google co-founder Larry Page was among them.
Munich - The story about the whereabouts of Google co-founder Larry Page reads like a detective novel. Although he officially left the Google parent company Alphabet long ago, he still exercises considerable influence on the fortunes of the tech giant through special voting shares. Reports of its activities have nonetheless become rare. As
Business Insider
(BI) established, at least his whereabouts could now be determined. The clarification took place in real detective work.
A report on June 19 about a private jet that provided the residents of the Fiji Islands with face masks, smocks and gloves in the fight against Corona and a photo on social media now brought BI to Pages track.
For fear of reprisals, the person did not want to be named.
The vacation paradise Fiji was struggling with a second corona wave at this time.
Larry Page: Report about his private jet disappears from the news
One of the most unusual things about private jet delivery was that the state-run Fijian Broadcasting Company News released a report that the plane and delivery were from Google co-founder Larry Page.
This message disappeared shortly after the Fiji Islands health authorities asked the broadcaster not to publish the information.
A photo of the private plane appeared on social media shortly before the report was published.
Soon after, observers checked the jet's registration number and came across a company called Blue City Holdings.
The company manages the fleet of the two Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page as well as the former Google boss and current chairman of the board of directors Eric Schmidt.
Fiji Islands: Super yachts as an entry ticket
Page's association with the Fijis apparently goes back a long way.
The billionaire spent his vacations there in the past and held meetings on his super yacht.
He is said to have been there for several months during the pandemic.
His quarters are probably on the heart-shaped island of Tavarua, which is west of the mainland, as reported by people who saw him there.
There is speculation among locals as to whether Page has not even bought an island in the holiday region.
The island nation of Fiji is a popular destination among the wealthy.
The country closed its borders to travelers during the pandemic, but different rules apply to the wealthy.
Last summer, Fiji launched the “Blue Lane” initiative, which allowed owners of superyachts and private jets to enter the country as long as they adhered to applicable quarantine regulations.
The government attaches great importance to privacy.
Page also used this initiative and fled the effects of the pandemic to the sunny holiday paradise.
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Dream beach: The Fiji Islands are considered a safe haven among the super-rich during the corona pandemic.
© mvaligursky / Imago
"Blue Lane" is intended to cushion the negative economic effects for the Fijis due to the absence of tourists.
“Superyachts are welcomed with open arms and given easier access, while it is not easy for sailboats like ours,” wrote the sailor Lorenzo Cipriani in a blog post on August 4, 2020 about a trip he made to the area.
"The government is running a campaign to welcome those who can spend a lot of money and is expecting hundreds of luxury yachts to arrive."
Larry Page: Escape from the Corona Pandemic
The Fiji Islands have long had a reputation as a popular retreat for the super-rich.
"There are numerous high net worth individuals who have used Fiji as a place to endure the pandemic," said Michael Lewis, the director of a local private community development called Vunabaka.
Stars like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have already been spotted in Fiji, Mel Gibson owns the private island "Mago Island", reports the portal.
For Page an ideal place to escape from the gray reality of the corona pandemic.
Although he largely disappeared from the public eye after his retirement from Google, he is reportedly still in close contact with CEO Sundar Pichai and attends board meetings.
Otherwise he turned his attention to private projects.
Larry Page: The Fijis protect his privacy
There are rumors about whether Page really bought an island there.
He was also allegedly spotted on the island of Namotu, to which he traveled by private jet with around 30 of his employees.
Other sources claim to have seen him doing hydrofoiling on another island, a type of surfing that is popular with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Page's wife Lucinda Southworth, among others.
Even the number of islands that Page is said to have bought is controversial.
There is talk of one or more.
According to
Business Insider
, Fiji's Tourism Board and Real Estate Department declined multiple requests for information about the island's owner, invoking the owners' right to privacy.
