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Tahiti time: why these islands are keen to avoid mass tourism

Luxury
April Hutchinson
1 December 2021

Chasing visitor numbers can be a cyclical trap of reliance and, at its worst, lead to overtourism – but for some destinations, now is the right time to break that model and focus on fewer, more engaged, longer-stay arrivals, especially if you look like paradise and want to preserve it.  

Tahiti is known for its overwater villas and natural beauty (Image: Myles McGuinness)

Imagine if a destination covered an area the size of western Europe, yet only achieved visitor stats of 300,000 a year? You’d wonder what was wrong with the place, right? Or if you were in charge, sack the marketing agency? Venice gets that number of visitors in just a couple of days.

But how refreshing is it to talk to someone who doesn’t want to grow tourism? I know that might also sound weird though, after what the global tourism industry has been through, especially if your destination has waters like you’ve never seen, fascinating culture and history, and overwater villas to watch the sunset from. Surely uou’d want as many people as possible to see it?