For the first time in two and a half years, a cruise ship stopped on October 4 in New Caledonia, but several settlements nevertheless refused to accept again this type of tourism, which was very developed in the archipelago before the Covid health crisis.
that Explorer of the Pacific OceanAn Australian cruise ship docked in Noumea with 1,900 passengers on board as New Caledonia’s government announced the opening of its maritime borders to tourism on September 28. This is the first since 16 March 2020 and the ban on entry of cruise ships into New Caledonian waters due to fears of the spread of Covid-19. The relaunch was marked with a formal ceremony and the presence of Carnival Australia President Margaret Fitzgerald, who noted that 20 of the company’s ships will call in New Caledonia by the end of the year, with 150 stops planned by 2023. Another industry giant, Royal Caribean, is due to offer cruises to New Caledonia again soon.
Isle of Pines is out of the way…for now
The health crisis has raised many questions about cruise tourism, which is considered unsustainable. A debate that New Caledonia does not avoid. The planned reopening of Lifou, the most important stop on the Loyalty Islands, before November at best, at the request of the ordinary authorities.
Another very popular stop, Isle of Pines, in the Southern state, will not receive a ship until 2023 and at a much smaller rate than before the health crisis, where between 150,000 and 200,000 cruise passengers disembarked each year on this island of 1,500 residents. However, cruise passengers are an opportunity for these islands far from economic centers. “We will have to solve the complex equation between environmental protection and development for the benefit of our people”the traditional official emphasized during the welcoming ceremony Explorer of the Pacific Ocean. Cruise tourism has boomed in New Caledonia over the past ten years, welcoming up to 200 ships and 500,000 tourists a year.
Source: Le Figaro
