By
Alex Smith |
French Polynesia saw record levels of cruise tourism in 2024, helping to boost the overall tourism in the country to its busiest ever year despite a slight drop in visitors staying in hotels.
In 2024, 52,000 passengers embarked on a cruise from the island of Tahiti, sailing itineraries of between seven to 10 days through the country’s five archipelagos. This represents a 20 per cent increase in passenger numbers compared to 2023 and a 15 per cent increase over the pre-pandemic record set in 2019. 62,000 passengers also visited the islands on a transit call, 45 per cent more than 2023.
‘Overall, more than a third of people visiting French Polynesia took a cruise during their stay,” said Bud Gilroy, president of the Tahiti Cruise Club. “Our country is maritime by excellence, and it is only natural that the best way to discover it is by sea.”
Moetai Brotherson, president of French Polynesia, inaugurated the new Papeete cruise terminal
Cruise lines including Aranui Cruises, Windstar Cruises, Ponant, Silversea and Oceania Cruises have also announced additional ships to be deployed in the region over the next two years. Tahiti Cruise Club expects cruise business to grow by a further 25 per cent by 2026.
To accommodate further growth, a new cruise terminal has been built in the capital city, Tahiti by the Port Autonome de Papeete. The facility was inaugurated on 17 February 2025 by Moetai Brotherson, president of French Polynesia. The terminal is currently providing basic operations and will be fully equipped and operational for the second half of the year, with capacity to handle turn arounds for up to three ships simultaneously.
The Tahiti Cruise Club celebrated it’s 15th anniversary in February, having been founded in 2010 to support the development of the cruise sector in French Polynesia. Cruise activity in the country has grown by over 300 per cent during this time.
“It's the consistency of our actions that made these results possible, as well as the cohesion of the players and the coherence of their choices over 15 years,” said Stéphane Renard, coordinator of the Tahiti Cruise Club.