French town's UFO landing pad welcomes first visitors

A village in France that built the country's only council-funded UFO landing pad has received its first craft after a 34 year wait. Arès, near Bordeaux, southwestern France, decided to try and attract Martians to its triangular "UFOport" with its very own fake Martian craft in a celebration of alien enthusiasts.

Made by a local artist, the man-made UFO "landed" on the strip and, it is hoped, will entice any hesitant extraterrestrials in search of a runway. A plaque reads: "Reserved for voyagers of the universe".The UFO port was opened in 1976 after a vote by the local council reportedly amid much laughter. A triangular seafront esplanade was set aside for unidentified flying objects and a marble slab with a message of welcome to "all travellers from the Universe" was put in place.

The council also passed a law exempting aliens from local taxes and authorised them to participate in French boule or mud-skating tournaments. The $1300 it cost to build the UFO port has proved money extremely well-spent. As many as 20,000 tourists now visit Ares every year; some wanting photographs taken near the UFO port while others are sci-fi buffs keen to soak up the atmosphere.

"The reactions are sometimes very serious," said Jean-Guy Perriere, the town's mayor. ”One American wrote in the 1980s to congratulate the council and express his anger at President Reagan for failing to do the same thing. There is an unknown world in this universe whose limits are beyond our comprehension," he added cryptically.