TORONTO — The best word to describe the destination of Tahiti, officially known as French Polynesia, is exclusive. It’s said to be one of the destinations where travellers stay the longest.
Travelweek had the chance to sit down with Jean-Marc Mocellin, CEO of Tahiti Tourisme, in Toronto during his tour of various Canadian locales to raise awareness about this destination of tropical islands.
Views for days in Tahiti (photo credit Grégoire Le Bacon)
For Canadians, Tahiti has traditionally been known as a romantic destination for honeymoons. In the past 10 years, significant steps have been taken to make it popular for other travel segments such as multi-gen, family and adventure travel.
According to Mocellin, the inviting culture is one of the top reasons to visit the country as “people are genuinely friendly with a culture unlike no other.”
One interesting thing that many may not realize about Tahiti is that its 118 islands are spread out over an area as big as Europe. Canadians typically visit three to four islands during a two-week trip when visiting. It would take a month or more to see all of Tahiti, with Mocellin joking this is possible for the French as they have plenty of vacation time.
“I encourage people to do several islands during their stay,” advised Mocellin, and with so much to see there’s “no need to tag on another destination.”
For those set on joining other destinations to a Tahiti trip, Australia and New Zealand are the most common choices.
After the first visit, many travellers realize that they need to stay longer which is why Tahiti sees repeat business from 20% of its visitors within five years. Even with all these travellers coming back, it’s not too crowded as the nation has made a concerted effort to prevent overtourism. “There is no more than one tourist per inhabitant right now,” explained Mocellin.
Another important consideration that Canadians may not realize, is that Tahiti is surprisingly only two or three hours behind Vancouver, depending on daylight saving time. Its summer season, lasting from November to April, also conveniently coincides with Canada’s winter.
Tahiti is an LGBT-friendly destination, with testimonials from visitors attesting they felt very safe as locals don’t take notice of sexual orientation or gender.
Canadians can reach Papeete, the capital of Tahiti, from Seattle, a nine-hour flight, or from Los Angeles and San Franciso which are eight-hour flights. Air Tahiti Nui (AirTahitiNui.com), for example, operates two flights per week from Seattle.
Its increasing popularity as a destination can be seen through the numbers. Last year was a record year for Tahiti with 261,813 total tourist arrivals, a 20% increase versus 2020 and 11% more than 2019, the previous record year. Canada provided 3% of this 2023 total with 9,000 visitors. So far this year, that percentage has increased to 4.6%.
le tikehau by pearl resorts
According to Internet searches this year, Tahiti is seeing the most attention in Canada from Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton and Quebec.
Some 237 additional rooms opened this year amongst the Islands of Tahiti, with another 285 set to open in 2025. Options for all different budgets are available.
Tahiti offers a specialist program for travel advisors, found at TahitiSpecialist.org. For assistance, agents can email specialist@tahititourisme.ca for questions regarding the Tahiti Specialist Program.
“The program is geared to help advisors enhance their knowledge of the destination since, with 118 islands, a bit more attention is needed to learn the diversity and vastness of the destination,” explained Veronica Petcoff, Senior Account Director of Zeno Group Canada, which represents Tahiti in the Canadian market.
The destination was previously represented in Canada out of Los Angeles, but a decision was made to choose a Canadian agency to increase presence in, and proximity to, the Canadian market.
Agents should get their e-learning in now as there are whispers about a fam coming up before the end of this year. “There are so many options and so much diversity that it’s not an easy destination to sell, but its worth it because one package to Tahiti can equal 20 to the Caribbean in terms of revenue and commissions,” added Mocellin.
For more information, visit TahitiTourisme.org.
