Futureproofing paradise

Boarded up and abandoned . . . it’s a sad sight and one I see more than once during my journey around French Polynesia. From a distance, everything looks nice. A tropical resort with a white beach and rows of thatched roof bungalows by a crystal clear turquoise lagoon. But as I get closer, the harsh reality of post-pandemic life on the picturesque resort island of Moorea becomes apparent. The InterContinental Resort and Spa is boarded up and abandoned, and slowly decaying in the harsh tropical climate. French Polynesia, which includes popular beach getaways such as Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora, relies heavily on tourism for most of its income. It is, like just about everywhere else in the world, open for business. There are no restrictions and daily life appears to be normal. But the combination of the pandemic and the economic downturn has had a devastating impact on the travel and tourism industry around the 118 islands that make up this largely autonomous French overseas territory. A spokesperson for the InterContinental Moorea Resort and Spa is reported to have said: “Due to the scale of disruption faced by the tourism industry in Tahiti and her Islands and unforeseeable market conditions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, we regret to announce that the InterContinental Moorea Resort and Spa will not be reopening after the mandated closure period concludes.” Bam, just like that! The decision, the company said, was made to preserve the other hotels within the Pacific Beachcomber hotel group. Thankfully for French Polynesia, it is not all bad news. Some resorts, such as Le Meridien Bora Bora are taking the opportunity to refurbish their properties. It is also closed at the moment but according to its website they look forward to welcoming guests again in the fourth quarter of 2023. Planning ahead In 2019, French Polynesia welcomed 236,000 tourists and had a target of 300,000 tourists by 2023. However, the French Polynesian Government recently announced a new sustainable tourism strategy called Fari’ira’a Manihini 2027 (or FM27), that seeks to position French Polynesia as one of the leading destinations in the Pacific for inclusive and sustainable tourism. The plan places environmental and cultural preservation of the 118 islands and atolls in the South Pacific and visitor experience as its top priorities. One of the key points is to limit foreign tourists to one per local resident until 2027 which will limit foreign visitor numbers to about 280,000. “The Islands of Tahiti should remain a slow tourism destination — a little corner of paradise with exceptional service focusing on experiences, culture and encounters with the local population,” according to Jean-Marc Mocellin, general director of Tahiti Tourism. The Government’s policy is to favour longer stays and spread the flow of tourists and the financial benefits among the different islands by implementing infrastructure improvements and investments. This will also ease the pressure on the best-known destinations, islands such as Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora, while exposing lesser known, but no less naturally beautiful or enjoyable islands, that make up the islands of Tahiti. Another key objective of FM27 is to place the population of the country at the heart of its tourism development and ensure an equitable distribution of the economic benefits that come from it. Edouard Fritch, the President of French Polynesia expressed his commitment to sustainable growth when said at the strategy launch: “The framework of Fari’ira’a Manihini 2027, is to ensure that an authentic and sincere bond is strengthened between those who come from elsewhere and those who, here, agree to welcome them.” Here’s hoping the FM27 plan succeeds because French Polynesia is a beautiful destination with beautiful people who deserve a fair slice of the tourism spoils. An Australian perspective Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says in a business conditions snapshot paper that the French Polynesian economy has been impacted strongly by the COVID-19 crisis because of its significant reliance on tourism. But it also points out that French Polynesia was able to rebound strongly after being impacted strongly by the previous global financial crisis. COVID-19 in French Polynesia Compared to some other South Pacific islands, French Polynesia has experienced a relatively high rate of infections. According to the World Health Organisation statistics, French Polynesia has had 77,875 (on December 23, 2022) confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 649 deaths since January 2020. These are big numbers for a country with a total population of about 282,000. Compared to Fiji, who has had 68,625 confirmed cases and 878 deaths out of a population of about 900,000, the numbers don’t look good. When the pandemic struck in March 2020, French Polynesia closed to visitors and implemented lockdown and various restrictions in an attempt to keep the infection numbers under control. But it reopened in July 2020 and removed quarantine requirements. As a result the numbers rose quickly again to more than 18,000 cases and a second closure followed in February 2021. The islands of Tahiti officially reopened to international tourism on May 1, 2021.

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Futureproofing paradise