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Like everywhere else in the world, the two-year-long pandemic has had a marked effect on the tourist industry in New Caledonia. Now, in order to prepare for its recovery, the local government has overhauled “New Caledonia Tourism” to form a distinct international tourism promotion agency covering the whole country. This new agency’s priority is to promote the destination on the international stage while coordinating the tourism strategy with all local stakeholders to facilitate the forthcoming recovery of international tourism.
After a period of uncertainty triggered by the health crisis and local institutional changes, the EIG “Nouvelle-Calédonie Tourisme Point Sud” (NCTPS) has been renamed “New Caledonia Tourism” (NCT), the international tourism promotion agency for the whole country. On 3 February this year, changes to the articles of association were approved by its members at the General Assembly to broaden the agency’s international missions and to validate its strategy for the gradual recovery of tourist activity in 2022.
Working together with the provinces and municipalities, which retain their respective responsibilities, especially domestic promotion, NCT has been bolstered in its role, which involves:
- Promoting the destination on the international stage
- Coordinating the country’s tourism and cruise strategy
- Observing tourist trends with access to more statistical indicators
- Advising and sharing its expertise with project backers
- Facilitating the search for investors
As a result, NCT is now gearing up for a coordinated revival of international tourism in 2022, after two years of the COVID crisis. The recovery plan is broken down into multiple actions which will be implemented in the months to come, and covers three main areas:
- REMOBILISING and supporting all stakeholders through the recovery
- RESTORING the destination’s appeal
- RECONNECTING with lost tourist flows
With a strategic steering committee, destination recovery contract, health labelling and training, international promotional campaigns, and search for European and national funding, there is no shortage of collaborative projects. They are quite simply necessary if we are to gradually return to the record levels of growth in New Caledonian tourism seen before the crisis (22% growth in foreign tourists between 2014 and 2019).
A powerful ambition fully endorsed by Mr Mickaël Forrest, member of the New Caledonian government and, since his election on 27 December last year, head of NCT. He declares: ”I have been tasked with the key role of promoting international tourism and, in this respect, I intend to generate renewed momentum by consulting and bringing together all the local stakeholders in preparation for the expected recovery in international tourism. The aim is to coordinate a real sustainable tourism policy for the whole country by facilitating collaboration between the various partners (provinces and municipalities), the consular chambers and tourism professionals. To this end, the overhaul of the EIG NCT and its international tourist promotion activity is a first, necessary step, awaited by professionals in the tourist sector. We can now move on to the most critical task, recreating the conditions required to attract foreign tourists and offer them a quality welcome that reflects all the authenticity and diversity of New Caledonia, as soon as the health situation is fully under control, both here and in their home countries.”
About New Caledonia Tourism
New Caledonia Tourism (NCT), the New Caledonia tourist promotion agency, is an economic interest group (EIG) that serves as an interface between its institutional and professional partners in the sector to promote the destination on the international stage under the brand “New Caledonia Pacific Heart”. First founded in 2001 and funded by the New Caledonian Government and by local professional members’ contributions, the organisation is based in Nouméa but also has representation in Australia, Japan, Mainland France and New Zealand.
