New international promotion highlights French Polynesia’s cruise options as Windstar and Aranui prepare to expand operations in 2027.
Tahiti Tourisme has launched A New Feeling Every Island, an international campaign promoting small-ship cruising to explore French Polynesia beyond its best-known resort islands.
The campaign features Paul Gauguin Cruises, Aranui Cruises, Windstar Cruises and Variety Cruises, highlighting itineraries that extend beyond Bora Bora and Moorea to the Tuamotu, Marquesas and Austral archipelagos. Campaign reporting says more than 80 per cent of cruise operations in the destination use vessels carrying fewer than 600 passengers.
The promotion presents island-hopping cruises as an alternative to a single-island stay, allowing passengers to visit several destinations without changing accommodation or repeatedly unpacking. Tahiti Tourisme’s cruise information emphasises departures from Papeete, combining familiar Society Islands ports with less-frequented destinations and opportunities to encounter local communities.
The participating operators offer substantially different experiences. The 330-guest Paul Gauguin operates a 14-night round-trip itinerary from Tahiti through the Marquesas, Tuamotus and Society Islands, providing a longer option for travellers seeking to venture beyond the main tourism centres.
Aranui combines tourism with an essential freight service. Its Aranui 5 carries passengers and supplies between Tahiti and the Marquesas, with its regular 12-day itinerary also visiting the Tuamotu and Society Islands. Cargo handling and island visits give passengers an insight into the communities that depend on these maritime connections.
At the smaller end of the market, Variety Cruises operates the 49-passenger, two-masted motorsailer Panorama II. Its seven-night Society Islands itinerary sails round-trip from Papeete, with optional excursions including archaeological sites, vanilla plantations, pearl farming and snorkelling.
Additional capacity is scheduled for 2027. Windstar’s 148-guest sailing yacht Wind Star will join the 312-guest Star Breeze in March, giving the company two ships operating year-round in French Polynesia. Wind Star will concentrate on the seven-night “Dreams of Tahiti” itinerary, visiting Moorea, Bora Bora, Raiatea and Huahine.
Aranui’s new 198-passenger Aranoa will also begin operating in 2027, extending its passenger-freighter model to the Austral Islands while Aranui 5 continues serving the Marquesas. The company advertises 13-day voyages, with selected departures reaching Rapa, alongside calls in the Society Islands. The new vessel will have 91 cabins, including 62 with private balconies.
Together, the planned deployments will broaden the choice of ships and itineraries available to travellers, while giving Tahiti Tourisme’s campaign a practical focus: access to islands beyond French Polynesia’s established resort circuit.
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