In a lesson for Australia, the COVID-19 lockdown has led Tahiti to take stock of the impact cruise ships have on the environment and infrastructure of French Polynesia.
The result is that a single authority will handle all requests from cruise lines to call at its islands in future.
A strategy to come into effect January 1, 2022, approves year-round turnarounds for small to medium-sized ships carrying up to 700 passengers.
Trans-Pacific turnaround ships calling at Papeete may carry up to 2,500 passengers — the capacity of the future new cruise terminal.
Stopovers by trans-Pacific ships calling at French Polynesia will be limited to a capacity of 3,500 passengers because larger ships put stress on maritime infrastructure and transport, as well as the environment. Tahiti, Moorea, and Raiatea will be the preferred destinations for these ships.
Ships carrying more than 3,500 passengers will be refused entry as they are deemed ‘not suitable’ for the destination.
A report by John Alwyn-Jones, Cruise Editor
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