The Employers' Organisation in New Caledonia has left it up to its members to decide whether to close their businesses on Friday when Nicolas Sarkozy arrives for his first presidential visit to the Pacific.
The public sector has already been granted the day off for the occasion.
Mr Sarkozy will arrive in Noumea from Beijing where he will have a stop-over for talks with the Chinese president, Hu Jintao, reportedly about the economic problems in Europe.
He will meet New Caledonian politicians and open the Pacific Games on Saturday before flying back to Paris on Sunday.
When he was elected president four years ago, Mr Sarkozy scored his best result in New Caledonia.
