Private island

Real estate laws restrict foreigners' ability to buy property in the geographical area, and many islands either have unclear ownership rights or are already settled.

Private islands that are available in Southeast Asia's real estate market are also prohibitively costly due to being in high demand by hotel developers.

[3] While the Hawaiian island of Lanai is still bigger at 364 km2 (141 sq mi), technically it might not qualify as part of its territory (about 2%) does not belong to the principal owner.

Nevertheless, some people still try to set up their own micronations on islands, like real-estate millionaire Michael Oliver's attempt at building a libertarian city-state called the Republic of Minerva in the southern Pacific Ocean.

[7] The same applies to freedom to roam in Nordic countries: only the yard of a house and the immediate vicinity is legally protected against trespassing, and the water bodies around the island are freely navigable.

Conservation groups' efforts to restrict development reduced the supply of private islands in the market, raising prices.

Such islands (or sections thereof) were further developed to have restaurants and perhaps additional attractions such as parasailing, waterparks, zip lines, horseback riding, spas and more.

The purchase of an island allows the cruise line to achieve greater control over the venue and to influence the quality of experience of their passengers.