Venture Tahiti has been quoted in a recent Forbes Magazine article by Senior Contributor, Christopher Elliot. We have included an excerpt inside. "This Is How To Stay Safe When You Travel After The Pandemic" - "A lot of people who want to stay safe while traveling during the coronavirus pandemic use other criteria to choose their destination — exciting, fun, or cheap. Mostly, cheap. That's a mistake, says Keith Smith, managing director of Venture Tahiti." A great way for travelers to stay safe as they begin traveling again is to be thoughtful and selective about their early destination choices," he told me. "I recommend traveling to destinations that have purpose-built health and safety protocols designed specifically for the resumption of incoming tourism." These protocols consider vaccinated or immune travelers and travelers complying with disciplined testing and entry requirements. If your intended destination has them, you can feel safer. Smith says places like Tahiti have been at the forefront of these purpose-built health and safety protocols, which allows visitors to not just feel safer, but to be safer."
Travelers should not scoff at other people's inflight habits, as the cramped and often undignified nature of flying makes it essential to make the experience more comfortable. Instead of sniggering at someone trying to make their flight comfortable, passengers should emulate them by creating their own version of business class. The author suggests packing a large scarf, all-purpose cream, a temperature-preserving bottle, a foot hammock, an eye mask, and noise-canceling headphones. Passengers should also consider downloading a meditation session or soothing podcast to help them relax.
Air Tahiti Nui will offer year-round flights connecting French Polynesia to Paris via Seattle. The new route provides seamless travel options for passengers traveling between Papeete and Paris, with a stopover in Seattle. The nonstop flights will operate throughout the year, offering travelers convenient access to the idyllic islands of French Polynesia from Paris via Air Tahiti Nui's services.
Business Traveller's Cellars in the Sky Awards 2022, which was sponsored by Whispering Angel, recognizes the best wines served by airlines on their flights. Singapore Airlines was the biggest winner, taking five gold medals, while Qantas, Qatar Airways, British Airways, Oman Air, Air Tahiti Nui, and Oneworld also received awards. The competition, which is in its 37th year, saw 22 airlines entering their best wines for consideration by a panel of expert judges, who selected the winners after a normal judging process following two years of disruptions due to travel restrictions.
Sarah Marshall describes the Farerei Haga Rangiroa festival, which celebrates the culture and traditions of French Polynesia. The festival features evening dance shows, coconut-shelling, va’a racing, and stone-lifting competitions. Her article also provides an overview of French Polynesia, highlighting its remote location, the beauty of its islands and atolls, and its association with exotic travel destinations. Marshall shares their experience of visiting Rangiroa and exploring the Blue Lagoon with their boat captain, Ismael Tixier, who showed them how to weave a plate from palm leaves and served them a lunch of mahi-mahi fish and coconut bread.
Air Tahiti Nui's last Airbus A340 retired in September 2019 and parts have since been upcycled into key tags. The airline now runs Boeing 787s, which are much more fuel-efficient. The upcycled pieces of the fuselage turned key tags are now for sale for €32.95 ($35.78).
Entry Procedures for French Polynesia have been simplified once again. To help clarify these new requirements, Tahiti Tourisme has released, and subsequently updated, an Infographic PDF. As this information is still being refined, we have linked to the source document on Tahiti Tourisme's website below. This document was last updated on August 5, 2022.Please visit our COVID-19 Travel Resources page for more detailed information on the specific requirements and remaining testing protocols to see which apply to you.If you are a Venture Tahiti client and are unable to comply with the new protocols before your travel dates arrive, please contact your Tahiti Specialist to reschedule under our Book with Confidence policy.
The Tahiti Travel Specialists at Venture Tahiti have recently introduced a comprehensive online guide providing resources for travel during the pandemic. In our COVID-19 Travel Resources, you will find a real-time COVID-19 travel update, answers to Frequently Asked Questions, new COVID-19 travel protocols introduced by the United States, French Polynesia and the airlines, and recent news articles related to international travel during the pandemic. You can also find suggestions on what to take with you as well as many health and safety protocols introduced by the hotels and resorts in Tahiti.
The new Entry Requirements have finally been announced for Tahiti's May 1st reopening. The cautious French Government, undoubtedly influenced by the level of infection in Europe, has announced that travel to French Polynesia can commence for fully vaccinated, or immunized, visitors from the United States only. Please visit our COVID-19 Travel Resources page for more detailed information on the specific requirements and testing protocols. The link below also provides more insight as published by the news site "Tahiti Infos". The content is in French, but Google Translate is available. If you are a Venture Tahiti client and are unable to comply with the new protocols before your travel dates arrive, please contact your Tahiti Specialist to reschedule under our Book with Confidence policy.
The government of French Polynesia has just announced that they will accept a specific type of Antigen Test as an alternative to the RT-PCR test for entry into Tahiti. The RT-PCR test has been in place since July 2020. As mentioned in our French Polynesia COVID-19 Entry Protocols, the Antigen test must detect the "N" protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This test should prove to be more widely available, be less expensive, and produce faster results.
In response to the new regulations, requirements and entry protocols updated and clarified by the authorities in French Polynesia on April 22, 2021, Air Tahiti Nui has updated the guidance provided on their website. We have provided a helpful updated summary of Air Tahiti Nui's policies in our Tahiti Travel Tip called, "Air Tahiti Nui | COVID-19 Policies & Protocols". It is also found in our COVID-19 Travel Resources section. Air Tahiti Nui's source documents can be found through the link above or below.
Once again, our friends at Air Tahiti Nui win Gold in the Business Traveler In-Flight Wine Awards. This year it is for Best Business Class White Wine, Best Business Class Sparkling Wine, and Best Business Class Cellar. They also brought home a "Highly Commended" for the Best-Presented Business Class Wine List. Click the link below to learn more.
French Polynesia is open once again and the planes are lining up on the taxi way to get you there. An increasing number of flights are coming online as the opening ramps up. Click below for the full article by Travel Weekly. For more information on flights offered by Air Tahiti Nui, United Airlines, French Bee, and Air France, see our Tahiti Travel Tips article called, "How to Get There | Flights to Bora Bora and Tahiti".
A press conference was held by the President of French Polynesia, Edouard Fritch, and the High Commissioner of the Republic in French Polynesia to reconfirm that The Islands of Tahiti are still on track to resume tourism on May 1st.Tahiti will only allow tourists from the United States for now as France and other European countries are currently exhibiting "High Epidemic Risk." Tahiti Tourisme has not released the new Entry Protocols, yet. But, they are said to be released very soon. There is an indication that vaccinations and/or immunizations will be taken into account in the new procedures. Stay tuned and we will provide an update as soon as more details are released.
Tahiti Tourisme's CEO, Jean-Marc Mocellin issued a statement that borders will remain closed through April, but with the intent to reopen to tourism on May 1st. Tahiti continues its positive trends of reducing COVID-19 numbers within its borders and looks forward to welcoming back tourism very soon.
Given discussions held between French Polynesian leaders and their French counterparts, Tourisme Tahiti expects current border closure, enacted on February 3, 2021, to be "very temporary". Eduoard Fritch, the President of French Polynesia, strenuously requested that the temporary closure of Tahiti be no more than three months in duration. Tahiti has seen much improvement in their COVID trends. However, leaders of France mandated the closure for all of its overseas territories due to fear of new COVID variants they were already seeing in Europe. French Polynesia's economy, and it people, depend on tourism. A closure of more than 2 or 3 months would be a devastating and avoidable mistake. Expectations are that the borders will be open for travel in April or May.
For the latest from Air Tahiti Nui on the recent February 3, 2021 border closure and how it may affect your travel plans, please see the link inside. With the recent suspension of leisure travel, Air Tahiti Nui has a dedicated web page to provide travelers with the latest information. From conditions of entry to rebooking options, you will find everything you need to know related to flights scheduled for February or March.
The President of Tahiti suggests this latest border closure should only last 2-3 months. Tahiti has seen much improvement in their COVID trends and has implemented excellent protocols and standards for tourism during the pandemic. With this latest border closure being mandated for all French Territories, the President of Tahiti is stressing the importance of keeping this closure to no more than 2-3 months. Tahiti depends on tourism to survive. A closure longer in duration than 2-3 months would have a devastating effect on the nation's economy and citizens. Expectations are that the borders will be open for travel in April or early May.
Business Traveller magazine's "Cellars in the Sky" has been ranking the best wine selections among airlines for 35 years. Air Tahiti Nui has been awarded the prestigious "Cellars in the Sky" gold medal by Business Traveller. The airline's selection of Grosset Springvale Riesling 2018, Clare Valley, Australia won the Best Business Class White Wine. Business Traveller magazine's "Cellars in the Sky" has been ranking the best wine selections among airlines for 35 years. Click the link below to see the other winners.
As of February 3, 2021, Tahiti's borders will be closed again, temporarily. We expect borders to open again after 2-3 months. French Polynesia has been welcoming back guests since July, 2020. As of February 3, 2021, their borders will be closed again, temporarily. Despite Tahiti's progress in combatting the COVID virus, other areas under French rule have not fared so well. As a precaution, the leaders of France have mandated that all French Territories close their borders for a two month period. This is due to concerns in France about new COVID variants and is not correlated to the progress made on the ground in Tahiti. In the months preceding this mandate, Tahiti was trending very positively with decline numbers of cases. The leaders of French Polynesia have been very clear that this closure should not last more than 2-3 months.
The CDC has now mandated that all passengers must wear masks on public transportation - Effective Immediately. Most transportation providers were making sure of this already, but now its official.
As of February 3, 2021, French Polynesia will once again close its borders to temporary. This is a mandate passed down from France and is not indicative of the positive trends that Tahiti has been showing with regard to COVID-19. All French Territories must comply. We have been told this is a very temporary measure and expect borders to reopen by May 1st, if not sooner.
Leave it to The Points Guy to give a nice synopsis of the new COVID-19 testing requirements prior to returning to the US. Never fear, the government of Tahiti, Tahiti Tourisme, and Air Tahiti Nui have already taken steps to make this very easy on its American visitors as well.
COVID-19 testing is becoming ubiquitous with international travel. Testing is here to stay, at least for a little while. Now, LAX has made it a bit easier by introducing rapid result PCR testing right at the airport. Results available in 3-5 hours.
For current COVID-19 statistics in French Polynesia, including new cases and trends, check back with this link from time to time. Tahiti Tourisme updates it weekly.
In November of 2020, Travel + Leisure put out a nice article titled, "What It's Like to Travel to Bora Bora During the Pandemic, According to an American Who Went". For those of you wondering what the experience may be like with social distancing and new protocols in place, this is a nice piece to read. Please keep in mind this was prior to the new Entry Requirements that will go into effect on May 1, 2021.
Was your Air Tahiti Nui flight cancelled due to COVID-19? Please click the link below for Air Tahiti Nui's COVID-19 Flight and Rebooking Information. Also visit our COVID-19 Travel Resources page for helpful articles as well.
Ok, we like The Points Guy. They have some excellent writers and usually throw some nice compliments out to Bora Bora and The Islands of Tahiti. In this recent piece, they include French Polynesia as one of the six locations that you really need to book at least a year in advance. We agree. The sooner the better when it comes to a Bora Bora vacation or Tahiti Honeymoon.
COVID-19 has definitely been unprecedented. It has created a lot of new "firsts". Unfortunately, most of them have been negative. We do have a fun "first" to share with you though. Air Tahiti Nui has set the world's record for the longest non-stop flight with paying passengers as they ferried French nationals back home at the onset of the pandemic. This first flight non-stop from Tahiti to Paris covered 9,765 miles in 15 hours and 45 minutes.
Simple Flying provides a deep dive into how Air Tahiti Nui became a business model to envy - a boutique airline that actually makes money!
We happen to be big fans of Air Tahiti Nui's livery (i.e. paint job). It has become one of the most iconic Boeing 787 Dreamliners in service today.Simple Flying dives into the symbolism and heritage behind the incredible designs - Polynesian Tattoos.
Travel Pulse details the steps necessary, including testing and entry requirements, when traveling to French Polynesia during COVID-19.
French Polynesia advances protocols and safety measures to lead to a July 15, 2020 reopening to tourism. This makes Tahiti one of the first countries to reopen to travelers. Forbes lays out the details.