The French Polynesian president Edouard Fritch says more than 600 people were refused boarding in Paris and Los Angeles in the past month for failing to meet the requirements to enter Tahiti.
French Polynesia reopened the border to boost tourism at the beginning of last month and then also abolished a mandatory quarantine for approved passengers.
French Polynesia President Edouard Fritch updating response to Covid-19 outbreak Photo: Supplied
Fritch told the assembly more than 10000 travellers applied to fly to Tahiti, including 7000 tourists who all needed to prove to be coronavirus-free no more than three days before departure.
He said some Americans, who he described as VIPs, were prevented from traveling despite lobbying by the US consul.
Fritch said among the 190 Covid-19 recorded this month 11 were tourists.
He said about 250 tourists arrive each day, which was about a third of the number recorded at the same time last year.
He defended the revival of tourism as essential for the economy and noted that a vast majority of children were back at school.
Photo: RNZ