A report published in French Polynesia says the territory hosts fewer tourists today than it did twenty years ago.
Tourism accounts for 16% of employment in French Polynesia. Photo: RNZ
The report, published by the IEOM, says French Polynesia had just over 172 thousand visitors in 1995, peaking at 230 thousand in 2000, but that fell to only164 thousand in 2013, bucking a trend of growth in the Pacific.
The tourism sector accounts for 16 percent of the territory's employment, and the government is attempting to expand the market through measures such as negotiating direct flights to China to become a hub between South America and Asia.
The government is also pushing for the construction of a large hotel complex on the west coast of Tahiti.
