PRESS RELEASE – SOUTH PACIFIC CRUISE FORUM

Only just 5 years ago, the South Pacific insular countries decided to gather into a regional organisation: the South Pacific Cruise Alliance, to create and promote a cruising area with a strong and remarkable identity.

This ‘maritime continent’ is located in a large triangle connecting Fiji, New Zealand and Tahiti.

In 2015, it will welcome more than 50 cruise ships, 454 different cruises, 486 000 passengers, 2 668 calls for more than a hundred possible ports of calls. The region is at the beginning of a new growth with new itineraries and new cruise ships calling, while preserving its own innate qualities; protected and secluded areas, a safe and secure navigation, a warm and friendly welcome, genuine shore experiences, true, authentic and strong cultures, easy lifestyles, with a traceability and environment concern always prevailing.

Less than 2 hours from Australia, 6 from Hawaii, 8 from Los Angeles, 10 from China and Japan, the South Pacific is ideally placed in the heart of the Pacific Ocean, served by direct flights from the most important source markets.

On October 16th & 17th 2015, in Tahiti, will be organised the very first South Pacific Cruise Forum, intended to bring the Tourism Ministers of the region, the destination managers (NTOs), the Ports and Airports Authorities, the cruise shipping companies, airlines, tour operators, suppliers and other private actors of each destination together. These 2 days of high-level meetings, discussions and conferences (in English) will help highlight the main development, structuring, and consistency or coherence strategies of the cruise sector in the whole South Pacific region.

The aim is to strengthen and extend the visibility of the region and help the cruise ship-owners to include the destinations in their commercial and operational plans for the next decade.