PAPEETE (Tahitipresse/PINA) — The cruise ship Wind Song has returned to Tahiti for 19 months of cruising in French Polynesian waters.
This arrival was like a homecoming since the ship had already cruised in the Leeward islands—Huahine, Raiatea and Bora Bora—from 1987 to 1997.
During the previous stay, the 74 cabins of the ship welcomed 7,000 passengers each year with a 92 percent occupancy rate.
“Each year, the company was spending about $4 million and I am confident that the Wind Song will again be successful in Tahiti,” French Polynesia’s President Gaston Flosse.
French Polynesia and the company owning the ship signed an agreement in January. This agreement provides “tax exemptions” and French Polynesia has also been “less demanding” on issues such as local employment, said Flosse.
After the 19 months devoted to the Wind Song, a bigger ship from Holland America Line, the Wind Surf, will offer cruises in French Polynesia.
The Wind Surf is the former Club Med 1 and can carry 308 passengers.
