Mr. Mayor of the City of Papeete
Ladies and gentlemen the Ministers Ladies and gentlemen, dear partners, hello.

Welcome to this 10th edition of the Tahiti Moorea Sailing that I am particularly honored to inaugurate. The Moorea Sailing event pleasantly sets the rhythm for our tourism year, with it’s rallying of regatta aficionados. It is the second nautical event, after the Tahiti Pearl Regatta, in the Leeward Islands. I am happy to see that the events organized by the Archipelagoes team and their partners are continuously growing in popularity and in participation. The Tahiti Moorea Sailing has become more than just a rendez-vous, it is a legitimate international success. This year, there are no fewer than 60 sailboats registered, sometimes coming from far away, to participate.

The government is supportive of all the tourism stakeholders, of which the nautical industry is an integral part. Without a doubt, we have in our heart the desire to develop local tourism; we don’t believe that we should be aiming at mass tourism centered around all-out development. We have made the choice of sustainable and responsible tourism that respects our nature, and our people. We want to offer our guests the best of Polynesia. To achieve this, we are working on improving our infrastructure on land in order to offer visiting sailors from around the world, the best accomodations and conditions.

Let us join our energies and our efforts so that our visitors benefit from a unique experience, in an authentic environment of quality. You, nautical tourism professionals and sailing lovers, are our partners and the essential cast in the discovery, sharing and valorization of our Fenua. It’s thanks to you that we can affirm our values and our differences with other destinations. You are vectors of our culture, of our authenticity, and stewards of our biodiversity and our environment.

If nautical tourism is a lever for the tourism economy in our country, we must also acknowledge the work of Tahiti Tourism and Air Tahiti Nui, in their marketing support these last several months, within the strategy of demarcation and valorization of our destination.

Finally, I would like to again thank the organisers of this event for all their work, Archipelagoes and Stephanie BETZ. I wish you a great race and fair winds.
Mauruuru maita’i ‘e `ia ora na !