French Polynesia is introducing a cap on tourists due to a new law.

The Islands of French Polynesia have adopted a new ecotourism development plan, making travel more difficult.

In the new state development program Fariraa Manihini 2027 (FM27), the government has decided to implement a yearly limit of tourists in the country of 1 tourist per 1 citizen.

No more than 290,000 people will be able to visit the islands in a year. In 2019, only about 300,000 tourists visited Polynesia, the highest number of visitors to the country ever.

It is unknown whether the restrictions will affect citizens of France - by law they are not considered foreign tourists.

According to the FM27 program, tourism is considered an important source of revenue for the country and its population. Within the framework of the French Polynesia policy aimed at 'creating conditions for the transition to a model of sustainable tourism development,' the government will strive to create conditions for 'conscious tourism' without harm to the environment and local culture.

Previously, measures to regulate tourism have been adopted in other countries, such as certain regions of Italy and Russia. The most tangible for tourists was the system introduced in Bhutan, where tourists must pay a levy of $200 per day. This tax allows avoiding overload in the tourism sector, and the proceeds from the tax are used by the state to develop infrastructure and economy.