Japan has surpassed the United States in flight searches to Fiji, according to data from Tourism Fiji. Additionally, India is emerging as one of the top two countries showing an increased interest in booking flights to the island.
While Australia and New Zealand remain traditional partners and lead the search rankings for flights to Fiji, Brent Hill, CEO of Tourism Fiji, expressed satisfaction with the growing interest from Japan. He noted that an increase in online searches from Japanese tourists signifies their rising interest in Fiji and its activities.
Hill highlighted that occupancy rates are still robust, with July expected to perform well and positive indicators for future bookings. He emphasized the importance of attracting as many visitors as possible to Fiji, and the current trends indicate stable numbers ahead.
Australia, New Zealand, and the United States are the top three markets for Fiji, as anticipated. However, New Zealand has seen a slight decline in searches, influenced by economic challenges such as inflation and high interest rates, yet overall results from New Zealand remain stable.
Recent statistics showed an increase in flight searches from Australia (up 1.9%) and India (up 0.6%), while New Zealand (down 1.2%) and Japan (down 0.4%) experienced slight declines.
Regarding accommodation, Fiji achieved an average occupancy of 86% for July, with forward bookings indicating 79% for August and 66% for October. The leading countries searching for accommodation include Australia (35%), New Zealand (31%), and the United States (9.6%). There has also been a decrease in searches for accommodations from Canada (down 1.0%) and New Zealand (down 0.9%).