Tahiti Tourisme and the Port of Papeete are embarking on an $8 million cruise international cruise terminal project due for completion in 2020. The project is financed by the Port of Papeete.

The terminal will be located in the center of Papeete and will accommodate up to three ships simultaneously and 2,000 turnaround passengers.

According to Paul Sloan, CEO with Tahiti Tourisme, who spoke with Cruise Industry News at a cruise event in Ft. Lauderdale in March, there are no cabotage rules governing Tahiti.

Thus, cruise ships can sail a more varied itinerary among Tahiti’s 118 islands.

Planned amenities include an aerial walk, luggage room, check-in counters, waiting room, duty free, snack bar/café and reservations facilities.

Concurrently, Papeete is planning a $12 million upgrade of its airport which is 3 km from the cruise port.

Airport capacity is presently 2.5 million passengers per year.

Upon completion of the upgrade the airport will be able to accommodate three departures (up to 950 passengers) at the same time.