Ara Mana Cruise
Client: Compagnie Polynésienne de Transport Maritime (CPTM)
Naval Architect: Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute (SDARI)
Services: Exterior Design Consultation, Interior Design
Location: Tahiti, French Polynesia
Status: In-development
French Polynesia is composed of 5 groups of archipelagos: the Society Islands, the Austral Islands, the Tuamotu Islands, the Marquesas Islands, and the Gambier Islands. Only the Society and the Marquesas islands are known and traveled by people from outside of French Polynesia. These islands frequented by tourists are well developed with luxury hotels, and other tourist activities. The Austral, the Tuamotu, and the Gambier islands are not visited by tourists due to the lack of transport, lack of infrastructure, and are not developed to receive outside visitors. Company Polynesienne de Transport Maritime, owners of the Aranui cruise, have successfully developed the Marquesas Islands for international tourists for the last 3 decades. With experience and a world wide marketing structure in place, it sees the need to bring in a new passenger vessel for the other islands: Ara Mana. Ara Mana will be a cruise vessel with Polynesian crews, authentic Polynesia designs, offering a genuine Polynesian experience, and visiting the remote beaten path where no other cruise vessels call.
Renderings provided by: HBM