French Polynesia SMARTguide

tourism activity can be related to blue
tourism. Each of the sectors is fairly
structured, even if it is necessary to
make further progress, in particular for
the local authorities, the municipalities,
where the problems to be solved
may sometimes seem complex. On
land, we must underline the efforts
of operators such as Dick Bailey (eds:
The Brando, Pacific Beachcomber, Paul
Gaugin Cruises, etc.), who developed
ering
rnational Transport,
in Polynesia the first SWAC systems
(eds: a pioneering deep seawater
air-conditioning system). It’s not
just a paradise-like destination; it’s
also an important and responsible
preoccupation about this nature which
is our wealth and which needs to be
protected.
How important is tourism in your
GDP and in terms of employment
and what actions do you envisage
taking in the short to mid-term?
What are your priorities?
For French Polynesia, for The Islands
of Tahiti, the economic weight of
tourism is higher than the French
national average and closer to the
world average, since tourism accounts
for about 10% of our local GDP and
40% of our own resources. In addition,
expressed in full-time jobs, tourism
accounts for about 20% of all jobs
(public and private). The contribution
for the French Polynesian economy
has no equivalent in the world. The
development challenges for French
Polynesia go well beyond tourism
alone. The expanse of our territory,
the scattering of our islands and
the concentration of tourism and
economic flows are criteria which are
obviously taken into account when
designing our tourism development
strategy.
Furthermore, the measures we take
must best preserve us from external
circumstantial fluctuations, whether
monetary, climatic, commercial, etc.
This is why we need to strengthen our
structures, our structuration. This is
how we consider our mid-term action.
The Islands of Tahiti are today very
well-known thanks to Bora Bora
and its luxury hotels. But a much
more diverse offering exists in terms
of accommodation types.
What means are you employing
for this diversity to become better
known?
You are right. Various measures
need to be taken. Regarding the
type of accommodation you are
mentioning, which we call familyrun
hotels or guesthouses, I can tell
you that their level of professionalism
has considerably increased over
the past years. They are now rated
through French or international
labels. They have also streamlined
their commercial circuits, and they
are slowly developing networks and
relations with TOs and TAs, mainly
national ones, but also recently, an
opening onto North America and
various European countries.
Are any new air links planned?
French Bee and United Airlines
have announced new services via
San Francisco starting this year. We
MAJOR HOTEL
DEVELOPMENT
PROJECTS, SUCH
AS THE TAHITIAN
VILLAGE ON
TAHITI, AND THE
CREATION OF
NEW HOTELS, ARE
ENVISAGED IN THE
MAIN ISLANDS
AND ALSO IN THE
SOCIETY ISLANDS
AND TUAMOTU
are also engaging talks with other
companies to service the destination
from other markets. We have been in
a phase of continuous growth for the
past three years after the crisis from
2008-2012, and are now reaching new
levels of turnover that had never been
reached before, with around 200,000
tourists. We are implementing a global
plan to upgrade existing, unclassified
or certified accommodation in order
to respond in a reactive manner to
the increase in the supply of seats in
the air. We have embarked on an indepth
overhaul of our accommodation
regulations, allowing, among other
things, to develop and create a new
dynamic in the medium term in the
small family hotel sector, our Tahitian
guesthouses, which are one of the
key selling points. In the longer term,
major hotel development projects,
such as the Tahitian Village on Tahiti,
and the creation of new hotels, are
envisaged in the main islands and also
in the Society Islands and Tuamotu.
SMART GUIDE French Polynesia 7