Fiji has achieved its highest number of visitor arrivals for the month of September, totaling 92,591 according to preliminary data from the Fiji Bureau of Statistics. This total represents a 2.4 percent increase compared to September 2022 and exceeds pre-pandemic figures, showing a 13.8 percent rise from September 2019.
However, the arrival numbers saw a slight decrease compared to August 2024, which recorded 94,787 visitors. Australia continued to be the largest market for Fiji, contributing nearly half of the total arrivals in September with 44,254 tourists, accounting for 47.8%. New Zealand followed with 22,625 visitors (24.4%), while the United States contributed 7,923 visitors (8.6%). Meanwhile, visitors from China, Continental Europe, Canada, and the UK collectively represented 8.1% of the total arrivals.
The majority of tourists came for vacation purposes, making up 81.6 percent of total visitors, while 8 percent visited friends or relatives. Business travelers comprised just 2 percent, and the remaining 8.4 percent traveled for other reasons.
Demographically, most visitors were between the ages of 25 and 64, representing 64.2 percent of arrivals. Children under 14 accounted for 16.4 percent, while the 65-plus age group constituted 10.3 percent. Young adults aged 15-24 made up 9.1 percent of arrivals. Notable gender differences were observed, with women outnumbering men in specific age brackets, including those aged 20-24 and 25-29.
In terms of resident departures, 16,122 Fijian residents left the country in September. A significant majority (92.2 percent) were traveling for short-term reasons of less than three months, mostly for vacations (54.1 percent) or visits to friends and family (35 percent). A smaller fraction (5 percent) left for long-term reasons of one year or more, with the primary motivations being employment, education, or emigration.
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