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> Tahiti [French Polynesia]
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Business Profile
Economy: The traditional Polynesian economy was agricultural, but that sector now accounts for less than five per cent of total output and employment. Coconuts are the principal cash crop and vanilla, coffee and citrus fruit are also produced in quantity. There is a substantial fishing industry, based on tuna, most of the income of which is derived from licences granted to foreign fleets. Manufacturing industry is mainly devoted to processing agricultural products; a mining industry has emerged following the recent discovery of phosphate and cobalt deposits. Polynesia was used repeatedly as a nuclear testing zone by the French, and the end of the nuclear programme (and the construction and service jobs which it brought with it) has led, in the short term, to high local unemployment and consequently a heavy dependence on migratory labour. The Government believes that tourism offers the best, and perhaps the only, prospect for a self-supporting economy. Tourist arrivals had been steadily rising during the early 1990s, but fell sharply following the resumption of nuclear testing in 1995 and have yet to recover to their pre-test level. At present, French Polynesia as a whole receives around 200,000 visitors annually. The territory suffers from a serious trade deficit – imports exceed exports by a factor of ten – so that considerable aid is needed from the French to balance the country’s finances. France dominates the islands’ trade; the USA is the other important trade partner.
Business: Informal in atmosphere. Literature will be in French, but English is understood in some business circles, particularly those connected with tourism. Office hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1200 and 1330-1730, Sat 0800-1200.
Commercial Information: The following organisation can offer advice: Chambre de Commerce, d’Industrie, des Services et des Métiers Polynésie Française (CCISM), 41 rue du Docteur Cassiau, BP 118 – 98713, Papeete (tel: 540 700; fax: 540 701; e-mail: cci.tahiti@mail.pf; website: www.ccism.pf).
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