Sustainable tourism in Tahiti: Choosing a Responsible Stay
‘Ia ora na. I'm Tiare, your guide on this trip. The Islands of Tahiti feel like a dream come true, don't they? I understand how you feel: landing after several hours of flight on the most anticipated trip of your life feels like a priceless reward.
You'll land in Tahiti, the main island of French Polynesia. A jewel set on the ocean, just like the 117 other islands and atolls that make up this oceanic region, far from any continent. With their turquoise lagoons in unreal shades of blue and green, their round hills covered in lush vegetation, and their coral discs set on the ocean, these enchanted paradises may seem protected from any threat.
This is not the case.
In fact, the five Polynesian archipelagos, a “sea of islands” to borrow the expression employed by Tongan writer Epeli Hau’Ofa, are fragile precisely because of their remoteness and the rarity of their ecosystems.
At the heart of Moana Nui, the Great Ocean, these islands and atolls (Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, Rangiroa, and many others) shelter terrestrial and marine life, fauna and flora that are precious, rare, and vulnerable, requiring care in all our daily activities. Sustainable tourism is essential for the future of our beautiful islands.
I therefore invite you to read these few tips to guide you as you plan your trip and as you explore the islands and try the activities you will surely enjoy during your stay.
Before you leave for The Islands of Tahiti
The Polynesian islands are protected from numerous threats and health hazards (viruses, bacteria, fungi, insects, etc.). This requires constant protection of the maritime and air borders of the fenua (country, land, in the Tahitian language, henua in Marquesan).
Looking to improve the sustainability of your trip? As a tourist, you also have a role and a responsibility to ensure this protection:
- Plants: Bringing vegetables, fruits, seeds, or plants is a real health threat. The microbes or viruses they may contain are infinitesimally small, but the damage they can cause could be catastrophic for the local fauna and flora.
- Animals: Bringing charcuterie or meat products whose labels do not clearly identify their origin and composition carries the same risk. Certain cold meat products from Germany or Italy, for example, carry swine fever. They are therefore prohibited from entering the country.
If you have any doubts, take the time to present your product to the health inspection upon arrival at Tahiti international airport: it is better to leave food behind than to threaten the fragile balance of ecosystems.
Any fresh or unidentified food products will be destroyed.
- For the same reasons, any honey from outside the fenua is prohibited from imports: varroa destructor, hive beetles, and other parasites are not present in French Polynesia. Let's preserve this unique situation, especially since you can find very high-quality locally produced honey on almost every island.
- Since we're talking about mā'a (food): even if you have an irresistible urge to bite into a burger or a slice of pizza, I invite you to discover local, endemic, or indigenous products ('uru, sweet potato, taro, fāfā, fē'ī...) or simply locally grown produce to try an authentic travel experience. The former have a wonderful story to tell, while the latter have a very balanced carbon footprint.
- Finally, during your sea outings or hikes in The Islands of Tahiti, remember to buy eco-friendly sunscreen designed to be compatible with coral reefs and the ocean in general.
All these measures may seem trivial to you. However, when multiplied by the hundreds of thousands of travelers that The Islands of Tahiti welcome each year, they are essential to respect and preserve our little paradise.
When you taste a grapefruit from the Marquesas Islands (untreated), a pineapple from Moorea (untreated), a spoonful of local honey from one of the Polynesian islands (among the purest in the world), or admire a coral rose in crystal-clear water, you can be proud of your contribution to protecting the fenua's environment.
Want to go further? Other everyday actions are important for sustainable tourism, whether on land or at sea.
During your trip on land: Fauna and Flora
As you stroll around The Islands of Tahiti, on paths crossing ancient forests or leading to archaeological remains, your eyes will be drawn to the fascinating luxuriance all around you: thousands of fragrant flowers, leaves of extraordinary sizes and shapes, stone sculptures carved by people or time... Nature and culture share space like nowhere else. In this mesmerizing tangle of vegetation rise the trills of brightly colored birds. It is tempting to touch these wonders and take a small piece of this earthly paradise with you. However, there is one rule that must guide all your actions: only your eyes can touch everything around you. The following list of recommendations may seem like a series of restrictions. Their sole purpose is to allow the travelers and population who follow you to enjoy the same unique spectacle.
How to behave?
Sustainable tourism also entails respect for the wildlife at your destination. Forest birds and seabirds, some of which nest on the ground on motu (islets), must be respected. All are fragile wild species. Some are endangered. Getting too close can be fatal for them.
- I therefore advise you to observe the animals in their habitat without disturbing them. Trying to approach or touch them causes stress. Take photos from a distance and avoid using camera flashes when photographing wildlife.
- If you believe that a wild animal (bird or other) is in distress, however fragile or adorable it may appear, please simply contact the town hall of the municipality or island where you're staying.
- During some excursions, feeding is practiced to lure sacred blue-eyed eels, stingrays, blacktip reef sharks, etc. Your tour guide is responsible for this activity.
In some places, such as Motu Tiahura in Moorea, stingrays come to you without being baited. They don't need to be fed. Throwing bread (full of salt and sugar) to fish harms their nutritional balance. The lagoon is rich enough in nutrients for their diet.
To better protect natural sites, here are a few tips:
- For a responsible travel experience, minimize your human footprint during visits in The Islands of Tahiti: leaving marked trails could damage fragile vegetation, ecological restoration areas, or reforestation zones. In the same way, trampling the ground around trees compacts it. This increases runoff and prevents plant roots from breathing.
- Wild plants and flowers must be preserved. Cultivated plants (frangipani, Tahitian tiare, bougainvillea, hibiscus) are abundant everywhere we go, satisfying our desire for floral adornments and exotic fragrances. This means that all wild plants can be left untouched: bark, branches and leaves.
On average, 80% of the islands are free of human presence. Nevertheless, attempting to climb fragile rock formations, establishing camps without permission, or lighting a fire in unauthorized areas are all harmful to the ecosystems. Not to mention that private lands aren't necessarily marked. You must always be vigilant. Asking the local population, your Polynesian friends and hosts for advice is a good reflex.
I also recommend hiring a tour guide to explore the natural riches and discover the local biodiversity, respect your surroundings, and understand Mā'ohi traditions, especially at sacred sites.
And, when possible:
- Plan to use eco-friendly transportation from your hotels to your activities (electric bikes, public transport, etc.);
- Take your trash home with you and pick up others' (beaches, natural sites, etc.);
- Follow the instructions on the recycling bins (they differ from the mainland);
- Avoid non-recyclable plastic packaging as much as possible. Use reusable containers (water bottles, bags). And of course, favor fresh and local products;
- If you smoke, take your cigarette ends with you and travel with a sealed container.
At sea and underwater
What a sight! I've been traveling the roads of islands and atolls for about twenty years now. Everywhere, I'm captivated by such beauty. Everywhere, I marvel at the sights, and yet I've never forgotten my first glimpse of Bora Bora: that lagoon with its mother-of-pearl reflections mesmerized me. Since then, wherever I go, the ocean (Moana Nui) calls to me through its beauty, its infinity, its metallic blues, the whiteness of its foam on the reef (a'au) or the changing turquoise of the lagoon (tairoto).
In these waters, which caress as much as they relax, you will spend idyllic days, where lounging follows gliding, and where snorkeling follows swimming.
However, this marine ecosystem is fragile. Of course, along with awareness campaigns, strong actions are being taken to protect ocean and lagoons:
- the rāhui (interruption of exploitation of an area for a period defined by a community, in agreement with institutions, or voluntarily),
- marine educational areas (AME, small coastal areas sustainably managed by local schoolchildren),
- or marine protected areas (sustainable protection of marine biodiversity, based on binding regulatory measures).
But your presence and your attitude, like those of tens of thousands of other travelers, have a significant impact.
That's why I recommend that you follow these few rules and eco-friendly gestures:
- In the lagoon, whether you are snorkeling (with fins, mask, and snorkel), paddleboarding, or kayaking, always take the utmost care to protect the coral heads. Although they may look like rocks, they are not stones lying in the ocean, but living and very fragile animals: walking on them is prohibited.
- Try to be skillful with your kayak and paddle to avoid hitting these coral heads.
- Breaking pieces of coral, even if they look dead, is also prohibited. They are living organisms, essential to the earth, with complex life cycles.
Let me share a few more sustainable tips to enjoy an exceptional encounter with marine animals and colorful fish:
- Admire them from a distance as they move around in their habitat.
- Be content with the encounter offered, even if fleeting. Turtles, rays, dolphins, and, of course, the dozens of lagoon fish species are more curious when you remain still.
- Wash your snorkeling equipment in your fare (accommodation) or in any facility provided for this purpose. Lagoons and freshwater streams (rivers, brooks) are fragile ecosystems that fear chemicals, detergents, and other cleaning products.
- Your commitment to nature starts when packing your luggage: use beauty products that are as natural and eco-friendly as possible and compatible with the marine environment, such as reef-safe sunscreen.
French Polynesia is a rich shopping destination. You will find a wide variety of crafts made from natural resources in many places (Papeete market, dedicated shops on the islands and in hotels, etc.). This is why any living element derived from biodiversity (shells, mollusks, coral, etc.) or inert elements (sand, pebbles, driftwood, dead shells) must be left in their environment to preserve our resources.
It’s time to plan your sustainable trip to Tahiti and experience the beautiful nature and culture of our islands. Added to all the others, these small gestures are a simple but concrete step towards sustainable tourism. Above all, they illustrate your commitment to preserving the natural but fragile beauty of our islands. For this, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
