ITB Berlin News 2019 - Review Edition

OCEANIA
A TOUR OF PLANET EARTH
39
New tourism chief
promotes Tahiti
attractions at ITB
Berlin
Maïlee
Faugerat
Board Chair,
Tahiti Tourisme
Christopher Korenke, Senior VP Commercial and Marketing,
Air Tahiti Nui and Jean-Marc Hastings, General Manager
France & Europe, Air Tahiti Nui (l. to r.)
Air Tahiti Nui
Updates Fleet
Maïlee Faugerat was elected Board
Chair of Tahiti Tourisme in 2018
and was present at ITB Berlin 2019
in her new capacity. Recognised
as an active and committed
personality in Polynesia’s
economy, she replaced Michel
Monvoisin. Faugerat has more
than twenty years’ experience in
local and international marketing,
management control and
management of companies.
In her new role, Faugerat plays a
pivotal role in promoting tourism
in a location that is widelyperceived
as “Paradise on Earth”
by people around the world.
While the main island of Tahiti
is especially famous, the Tahiti
archipelago actually consists of
118 beautiful islands, offering a
range of touristic attractions.
A key dimension of the Tahiti
experience is authenticity.
Guesthouses are usually smaller
and more intimate than hotels,
creating a secluded space to
disconnect and unwind. The
shared experiences, meals and
relationships between guests and
owners mean travellers feel like
they are part of an extended family
and privy to insider knowledge of
the destination.
In terms of its attractions, The
Islands of Tahiti, officially known
as French Polynesia, possess one
of the most spectacularly beautiful
and diverse environments on
earth. A mixture of high volcanic
islands and low-lying atolls, these
specks of land are strewn across
four million square km of the
South Pacific. Clustered into five
archipelagos: the Society Islands,
the Tuamotu Islands, the Gambier
Islands, the Marquesas Islands
and the Austral Islands, The
Islands of Tahiti have in common a
delightful blend of Polynesian and
French cultures, and a consistently
tropical climate.
French Polynesia’s world of
oceanic islands offers vacationers
an almost limitless range of
vacation activities, both passive
and active. From paragliding
to beach combing to embracing
the laid-back island lifestyle, the
island is packed with a mix of
tropical adventure and blissful
relaxation. Visitors can swim with
sharks, shop for cultured pearls,
take a cruise, play a few rounds of
golf. There’s so much to do, they’ll
never want to leave
The Air Tahiti Nui airline
is a key means by which
tourists are able to reach the
islands of Tahiti in comfort,
according to SVP Commercial
and Marketing Christopher
Korenke: “We are a small but
very fine international airline
that has a presence in markets
including Asia, the Americas,
Europe and Oceania. Where
we don’t have a presence, we
have agreements with other
carriers – so that there is a kind
of passenger pipeline into our
main gateways.”
A thriving business, Air Tahiti
Nui is in the process of renewing
its fleet, says Korenke. “We are
switching from the Airbus 340
to the Dreamliner. We have
already received two of them
and expect another two in May
and August. They offer a very
premium product, but also
nice seats in economy.”
The airline, which flies in and
out of Los Angeles, Tokyo,
Paris and Sydney among
others, puts a strong emphasis
on quality, which is important
given the upscale profile of the
end destination, says Korenke:
“While Tahiti is open to every
segment, the luxury profile of
the market has to be reflected
in the onboard experience, so
we provide our guests with a
nice experience.”
While many tourists come
to see the main island, there
are 118 beautiful islands for
visitors to sample. “We fly to
the main island and then have
co-operation agreements with
domestic carriers that can take
visitors on from there,” says
Korenke. “But we have also
opened up a new subsidiary:
Tahiti Nui Helicopters. We saw
a lack of civil helicopters in
Tahiti, so we launched Tahiti
Nui Helicopters as a way to
transfer people between the
islands, and offer upscale
excursions to remote beaches
and mountains.”
Korenke says Tahiti is
experiencing good growth –
which is little wonder given
its almost mythological status:
“Tahiti has a good brand
image and a strong position
in the world’s collective
imagination,” he explains.
“There are dozens of exotic
untouched islands, wellpreserved
nature, beautiful
people and beaches, and mana
– the spirit of Tahiti in the air”
ITB BERLIN NEWS • Friday 15 th March 2019