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Sustainability vs tourism: What is Tahiti Tourisme’s five-year plan?

Tourism is a balancing act for most places; on the one hand, destinations want revenue; conversely, they need to make it sustainable and as eco-friendly as possible. The Islands of Tahiti think they’ve got the balance just right. 

Tourism is a balancing act for most places; on the one hand, destinations want revenue; conversely, they need to make it sustainable and as eco-friendly as possible. The Islands of Tahiti think they’ve got the balance just right. 

In an interview with Karryon this week, Tahiti Tourisme CEO Jean-Marc Mocellin said the country had a simple plan to sustain tourism, and that is to aim for no more than 300,000 visitors per year. 

The logic behind this is that the population is expected to hit 300,000 in around five years. That’s one visitor per one local, Mr Mocellin said. 

He added that Tahiti’s difference to many other island destinations was its people and culture, much of which draws travellers to its shores. So if locals aren’t happy with the volume of visitors, he said, problems would arise. 

Time will tell whether this approach will work, but even that figure sounds high for a small group of archipelagos. 

Tahiti pool
A resort pool in Tahiti

Quality over quantity 

Tahiti Tourisme’s stated preference for quality over quantity of visitors however should help tourism remain sustainable however, is

“Our handicap in the past has become our strength,” Mr Mocellin said, in reference to the high costs involved in even getting to French Polynesia – the country in which the Islands of Tahiti technically reside. 

Travelling to Tahiti isn’t cheap, he added, but that makes the islands an ideal destination to escape mass tourism. 

The country also aims to continue to keep a lid on cruising. According to Mocellin, around 90 per cent of cruise ships that pass through the islands carry less than 350 passengers. Tahiti’s preference for smaller vessels operated by the likes of Windstar and Paul Gauguin Cruises mean that “very few” large ships pass through the islands. 

One cruise Mocellin recommends is a hybrid passenger/freight soft adventure to the Marquesas Islands. The recommendation aligns with Tahitian authorities’ desire to push tourism to islands beyond Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora and the current most popular destinations.  

Tahitian lady
Life in the slow lane in Tahiti

Book through trade 

Caroline Brunel, founder of Nouvelle Vague Marketing, which represents Tahiti Tourisme in Australia, said advisors and wholesalers remained more important than ever for the country. 

Ms Brunel told Karryon at the Tahiti Tourisme roadshow this week that if something were to go wrong, like a connection to the islands, “it’s all taken care of”. For this reason alone, Brunel said she always encouraged booking through trade as they know the islands best, and have great products. 

Tahiti is also a “complex destination” with a different time zone and many islands and activities, she added, so the Tahiti Specialist Program is highly recommended.  

The Islands of Tahiti opened to all visitors on 1 August. 

For more information on Tahiti, click here.