Blonde Island for Blondes Only

A fairly new, Lituanian, company has set up a Blonde Island travel company. To travel to Blonde Island you must be a blonde - yes, it's blondes only at Blonde Island.

How crazy is that?

Well, it's certainly getting the founders into a lot of hot water because of its discriminatory tone. The founders of Olialia, the company behind the Blonde Island concept have set up a resort in the Maldive Islands. They will only employ blondes - even flights to the Island will be crewed entirely by blondes, including having blonde pilots.

Giedre Pukiene, the Managing Director of Olialia (pronounced Ooh La La), says the concept is to break with the idea that blondes are stupid - instead showing the world that blondes can run businesses. The staff have degrees and are smart.

Olialia even have their own nightclub for blondes, Vilnius.

It was only announced in September 2010, with the planned opening of the blondes only resort and Blonde Island not taking bookings until 2015 - so it's a bit of a long wait for blondes who want to book now.

But already they've fallen foul, potentially, of several laws.  They've been accused of being ageist as older people are less likely to be blonde and of being racist as many nationalities don't have any blondes.

But their legal troubles don't stop with the EU legislations, in the Maldives itself, where Blonde Island is expected to be set up, there's a requirement that they have to employ at least 50% local staff, but locals to the Maldives are rarely blonde at all.

Here are some thoughts about this Blonde Island:

• Will it ever get off the ground? With a 5 year lead in, are they just promoting themselves and their nightclub?
• The Maldives are in the Indian Ocean - a long drawn-out trail of islands.
  
• In 2004 the Maldives suffered catastrophic damage from a tsunami
• The Maldives are a presidential republic
  

Anna Cervova: Girl on Beach

Diane Finlayson: Blonde