A New President at the Helm of the Tahiti Cruise Club
Since 2012, cruise activity in French Polynesia has tripled. The sector now generates more than XPF 20 billion of annual economic impact for the territory, with a very strong increase in both numbers of port calls and passengers expected this year — a growth trend that has been anticipated and announced for the past two years.
Last week, the General Meeting of the Tahiti Cruise Club (TCC), held at the Presidency of French Polynesia, provided an opportunity to take stock of the progress made since the creation of this industry association, officially established in January 2010, to clarify the challenges facing the sector today, and to appoint its new captain.
A Busy and Growing Industry
Despite the many difficulties and challenges encountered over the past 15 years, the sector’s growth objectives are met while preserving the destination’s fundamental characteristics:
• 87% of the port calls scheduled for 2026 will be operated by homeporting vessels;
• 89% of port calls will be operated by ships carrying fewer than 600 passengers;
• 73% of port calls will take place outside the Society Islands’ Windward Islands.
The destination is continuing to consolidate its model, based on small ships for 9 out of 10 port calls, while giving preference to vessels operating from Papeete. These vessels embark passengers arriving by air and ensure that 35.7% — more than one visitor in three — spend their stay in French Polynesia primarily in floating accommodation, aboard cruise ships.
A New Generation
The new President, Edouard Gaide, elected unanimously, is fully aware of the coordination and collective organisation challenges that this growth entails.
A graduate of the ENSM (École nationale supérieure maritime), he has been a maritime pilot with the Te Ara Tai Pilot Station since 2024. Since 2011, he has served as an officer with several shipping companies, including five years in French Polynesia aboard the Aranui, as well as experience aboard cruise ships operated by Scenic and Swan Hellenic.
Edouard Gaide will initially be supported by Ororiki Rickenbach, Head of the Cruise Department at Tahiti Nui Travel, who was elected Secretary of the association. She brings extensive hands-on experience in organising activities across the various ports of call, as well as several years of professional relationships with senior representatives of international cruise companies.
The team is completed by Torea Colas, Marketing Manager at Air Tahiti Nui, who continues as Treasurer of the Tahiti Cruise Club, a position he has held for more than ten years.
In addition to the Ministry of Tourism and the President of French Polynesia, who personally attended the General Meeting, the main institutional and private-sector stakeholders have been members or partners of the association for the past 15 years: Tahiti Tourisme, the Tourism Department, the French Polynesian Maritime Affairs Department, the Papeete Port Authorities, the Chamber of Commerce, several municipalities (Papeete, Moorea, Huahine and Uturoa), and Air Tahiti Nui.
Record Levels of Activity and Visitor Numbers
Overall, cruise ships are expected to make nearly 1,300 port calls this year, with almost 90% operated by ships carrying fewer than 600 passengers. This figure is complemented by the calls of Panorama 2, operated by Variety Cruises.
This includes more than 150 homeporting calls in Tahiti, whereby passengers arrive by air, begin their cruise through the Papeete Cruise Terminal, complete their cruise itinerary, and depart again by air. This represents a truly remarkable record for the destination.
Homeporting vessels will account for 87% of all 2026 port calls, meaning that only 13% of calls will be operated by trans-Pacific vessels. Cruise ships carrying more than 2,000 passengers are expected to account for only 3% of all port calls this year.
(A New President at the Helm of the Tahiti Cruise Club)
