With 262,000 tourists in 2023, French Polynesia is breaking an attendance record, a few months before Tahiti hosts the surfing event of the Olympic Games.
According to a report from the local Statistics Institute (ISPF), the overseas community, very affected by the Covid-19 pandemic between 2020 and 2022, exceeds the pre-crisis figures and the previous record of 2019, which stood at 236,642 tourists.
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The progression is even more marked at the end of the year: it saw a jump of 23% in December compared to 2019. High-end tourism, mainly from North America and France.
If we add the 43,887 day trippers, who came aboard 63 cruise ships, the number of visitors reaches 305,700 people in 2023.
Build and diversify to accommodate more
Tourism is the engine of the economy of French Polynesia, which President Moetai Brotherson estimates could receive 600,000 visitors per year.
To achieve this goal, it will be necessary to build, because the hotels in the community are full.
But also diversify the offer: a majority of tourists stay in renowned islands like Bora Bora or Moorea, while the five archipelagos of French Polynesia have 118. Each has assets, such as exceptional marine fauna in the Tuamotus, or wild valleys in the Marquesas.
The surfing competitions for the 2024 Olympics, which will take place in the Teahupo'o lagoon in Tahiti at the end of July, should contribute to the notoriety of French Polynesia and the development of tourism focused on this board sport and nature.
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