Some resorts seeing record levels of occupancy

Tourists have begun returning to Tahiti in significant numbers and tourist board Tahiti Tourisme is promising that those who do visit will be able to see the same sort of idyllic tropical landscapes that have long lured visitors and were popularized by the likes of French artist Paul Gauguin.

Gina Bunton, international operations officer for Tahiti Tourisme, said during the opening of the recent Tahiti Specialist Conference that tourism authorities hope Tahiti will this year see twice the number of visitors that it did last year.

“We’re happy to say we are we are well on track,” Bunton told her Los Angeles audience.

Hotel occupancy rates for June averaged over 75%, a record for that month.

Bunton said some resorts are reporting “unprecedented levels of occupancy.”

Tourism authorities expect Tahiti will also host some 389,000 cruise passengers this year.

Some of Tahiti’s hotels remain closed but Bunton reported that  others will open for the first time in 2023.

Bunton told those on hand that Tahiti is now working on a 5-year tourism strategy that will work to protect Tahiti’s “pristine” environment and ensure the destination’s different communities all benefit from tourism.

“It is important for us to safeguard the beauty of Tahiti and make it a paradise for all,” she said.

Meanwhile,  Tahiti Tourisme spokeswoman Noel Morrison said Tahiti is suited for the “discerning explorer ” and invited people to “slow down and reconnect after the long pandemic” by vacationing in her destination.

Among airlines serving Tahiti are Air Tahiti Nui, Air France and Hawaiian Airlines.