Tourist Region: Tahiti

French Polynesia consists of 5 island archipelagos. Tahiti is one of the 118 islands belonging to one of those archipelagos, along with Bora Bora and Moorea. It is a territory that belongs to France. Located in the Pacific Ocean, the island covers an area of 1043 km2^[1]. The island is divided into 2 parts: Tahiti Nui (the larger part) and Tahiti Iti (the smaller part). These two parts are linked by a strip of land called the Isthmus of Taravao. The capital of Tahiti is Papeete.

Tahiti is formed from 2 now-extinct volcanoes, making its topography very rugged (mountainous). There are beaches, lagoons and coral reefs on the island.

The island has a tropical climate. Temperatures are mild and warm throughout the year. Summer and the rainy season last from December to March.

In 2017, 275 918 people were living in French Polynesia^[2], the majority in Tahiti. In the same year, the archipelagos welcomed 198 959 tourists^[3].

Tahiti's diverse landscape allows tourists to practise different forms of tourism:

• The many mountains, valleys and caves in the interior of the island make Tahiti a perfect place for nature tourism.

• Black sand or white sand beaches allow visitors to enjoy beach tourism.

• Surfing, paragliding, catamaran sailing and scuba-diving are activities that attract adventure tourism enthusiasts.

The island of Tahiti has several infrastructures to welcome tourists. One particularly important tourist infrastructure is Faa'a International Airport, located near Papeete. It is the country's only international airport, so all tourists land there.

The tourism department has also installed new signage at a dozen tourist sites to make them more easily accessible to tourists.

There are many ways to get around Tahiti.

• Some areas can be visited on foot. This is the case in Papeete, where the seaside, market and restaurants are all relatively close by.

• To visit the surrounding islands, tourists can hire a motorboat or yacht (private boats).

• There is also a public transport network with some twenty bus routes connecting Papeete to neighboring towns.

While the public transport network is relatively well organized in urban areas, remote areas have little or no service. This is why many tourists decide to rent their own means of transport to get around the island.

There is a wide variety of accommodation available to tourists visiting Tahiti.

Tourism is one of the most important sectors in the economy of French Polynesia, including Tahiti. It accounts for around 20% of jobs^[10]. In 2022, the region welcomed approximately 218 750 tourists^[3].

French Polynesia welcomes a large number of tourists every year, requiring the construction of infrastructure to accommodate them. However, building infrastructure sometimes means destroying the environment. For example, when the government decided to extend the airport runway and widen the port of Papeete, 20% of the coral reefs around Tahiti were destroyed to make this development possible^[11].

Marine pollution is another issue linked to tourism. Although there are regulations for tourists and residents that serve to mitigate the risks associated with waste from sailboats, these are not always respected. This pollution has a disastrous impact on coral reefs. The accumulation of waste, particularly plastic waste, increases the risk of coral reefs disappearing.

Lack of suitable infrastructure

Despite the fact that Tahiti already has several infrastructures to welcome tourists, they remain insufficient. More infrastructure is needed to accommodate cruise ships and yachts. The capacity of Tahiti airport could be increased to accommodate more flights.

During the busier seasons, the island is short on accommodation, which limits the number of tourists who can come and stay. The authorities therefore want to increase the number of hotels, youth hostels, furnished accommodation and campsites. They also want to train staff in the accommodation sector so that tourists can enjoy an experience that lives up to their expectations, wherever they choose to stay.

Encouraging tourists to come at different times of the year, and not just during high season, is another potential solution. This way, accommodations are used all year round, not just for a few months. Tahiti can therefore welcome more tourists if they are spread out during the year.

In 2022, the government of French Polynesia tabled a new tourism development strategy named Fāri'ira'a Manihini, which covers tourism development until 2027. Through this strategy, the country aims to become a more inclusive and sustainable tourism destination. The objective of this approach is to avoid the negative impacts of mass tourism while encouraging tourism activity in the territory. More specifically, the strategy seeks:

• environmental protection

• cultural preservation

• economic development to meet the needs of the population

One of the measures put forward is to limit the number of tourists in order to minimize the environmental and cultural impacts caused by overcrowding. The target limit is 280 000 tourists per year across French Polynesia^[17]. This ensures that in any given year, the country will not receive more tourists than its number of inhabitants.

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