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Island tribal accommodation, to discover the Loyalty Islands from within!

Tourism for you is not just a consumer product but above all a pretext for discovering new horizons, encountering new lifestyles, immersing yourself in your hosts’ traditions and daily reality, for exchange and sharing… To meet this need for authenticity, while providing visitors with a guarantee of quality, the Loyalty Islands have created the "Island tribal accommodation" label.

"Island tribal accommodation" is a tourist accommodation facility typical of the Loyalty Islands, located on custom land. It is a simple and authentic accommodation facility, which is part of the host tribal village. Your hosts will welcome you personally and introduce you to daily life in the tribe and the customs and traditions of people deeply attached to their roots: learning about daily activities (weaving, sculpture, fishing, cooking and so on), visits to the Kanak fields and natural sites, tales and legends, constant discussions with your hosts…The Loyalty Islanders’ human and cultural assets and hospitality are an inexhaustible source of mutual enrichment.

An accommodation facility with the "Island tribal accommodation" label has as a minimum:

• Accommodation in a traditional hut or thatched hut
• A food service and reception shelter, with an adjoining kitchen and possibly a kitchen area equipped for visitor use.
• A toilet and shower block

The "Island tribal accommodation" term guarantees the quality, authenticity and cleanliness of the accommodation, food service and sanitary facilities.

Accommodation:
There are two types of tribal accommodation:

• The traditional Melanesian hut with a roof made of traditional materials, a clean clay floor covered with mats or a cement slab covered with mats, and a traditional hearth.
• The thatched hut. Built in traditional style, it is higher than a traditional hut and paved but has no hearth.

Food service:
Kanak culture is also explored through meals! Your hosts undertake to use as many local products as possible and to introduce you to traditional recipes such as the bougna (a traditional meal cooked under hot stones).

Sanitary facilities:
The toilet and shower block, a permanent building, is located near the accommodation huts to facilitate client access. It consists (for a maximum of eight persons) of a room with a shower and a separate room with a toilet, both with doors that close internally, a space with a wash stand and possibly a water heater.

Classification*:
Depending on the level of comfort and service, island tribal accommodation is classified in three categories, indicated by frangipani flowers**:

Family accommodation: a traditional hut (4 persons maximum), mattresses on the floor, shared shower and toilet facilities.

Comfort accommodation: a traditional hut or thatched hut with freestanding or ceiling fans, a bed raised off the floor, a bedside table and lighting, shared shower and toilet facilities with hot water, a restaurant and leisure activities.

Superior accommodation: a furnished bungalow with a toilet and shower facility and hot water, telephone, additional services.

A Good Conduct Charter*
For both you and your host, choosing "Island tribal accommodation" represents an approach to discovering the other, exchange and sharing, while respecting differences.
This is why you will be invited to sign on arrival, together with your host, a Good Conduct Charter which sets out the main regulations, rights and duties of both host and visitor for a harmonious and enriching stay.

Your host undertakes to:
- Provide a warm professional welcome
- Offer a pleasant and authentic setting
- Ensure that the premises are clean and well maintained
- Share curiosities and local products
- Inform visitors properly
- Comply with the regulatory obligations

As guest, you undertake to:
- Inform your host of your time of arrival and any change in your schedule
- Comply with the rules of tribal life (behaviour, correct dress, respect for privacy etc.)
- Respect the environment
- Inform your host of any dietary restrictions or allergies

*Download the grid showing the full classification criteria and the Good Conduct Charter.
** Classification of island tribal accommodation according to these new criteria by the appropriate authorities will continue throughout 2011. The classification will be officially published in March 2012.