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Paul Gaugin Cruises’ namesake ship serves Tahiti year-round. |
North American traffic to Tahiti is on the rise and 2014 is off to a good start. So says Nicholas Panza, vice president for the Americas at Air Tahiti Nui, who recently stopped by Travel Agent’s New York offices to bring us up to speed on both the airline and how the island’s tourism scene is growing.
In 2009, Tahiti had 45,000 North American visitors. By 2013, that number had risen to 61,000 with the U.S. share increasing by 32 percent, and Panza says growth of 3 to 5 percent is expected for this year. On average, he says, U.S. guests stay in Tahiti for 10 nights, while Canadians stay for 12.
Three cruise lines serve Tahiti—Paul Gauguin, year-round; Princess, six to 10 turns per year; and Oceania, the newest and largest of the lines, with five to six turns per year and a capacity for 1,250 passengers. This year, the islands are poised to see more sea traffic as Windstar heads to Tahiti for six months and Silversea spends November and December in the area. Panza says that Regent Seven Seas would also be sailing in Tahiti, but that the anticipated growth this year would mostly be from land-based visits rather than cruises.
Flying to Papeete
One of the largest challenges Tahiti faces in terms of growing its visitor traffic is the perception that it is prohibitively far away from the North American mainland. In reality, Panza says, it’s an eight-hour flight from Los Angeles, and is in the same time zone as Hawaii.
Headquartered in Papeete, Tahiti, Air Tahiti Nui operates five A340-300 aircraft from its Tahiti base to Auckland, New Zealand; Tokyo, Japan; Paris, and Los Angeles. From L.A., the airline offers two flights to the island daily from June to October, and a total of 350,000 seats per year. Codeshare agreements with other airlines (including American) have boosted the airline’s reach to 19 U.S. cities, and Panza reports increased interest from the East Coast.
Panza pointed out that excluding cruise line bookings, almost 70 percent of Air Tahiti Nui bookings to Tahiti are through agents and tour operators, and that OTAs cannot create the same experience as an agent who knows the island and what it has to offer.