Fiji experienced a record high in visitor arrivals for September, reaching a total of 92,591 according to provisional statistics from the Fiji Bureau of Statistics. This figure represents a 2.4 percent increase compared to September 2022 and is 13.8 percent greater than the number of arrivals in September 2019, prior to the pandemic.
However, there was a slight decline in visitors compared to August 2023, which recorded 94,787 arrivals. Australia remained the leading source of visitors, contributing nearly half of the total arrivals at 44,254, or 47.8 percent. New Zealand followed with 22,625 visitors, making up 24.4 percent, while the United States provided 7,923 visitors, representing 8.6 percent. Visitors from China, Continental Europe, Canada, and the UK accounted for the remaining 8.1 percent.
The primary reason for travel among tourists was leisure, with 81.6 percent traveling for holidays, while 8 percent visited friends or relatives. Business travel constituted only 2 percent, and the rest, at 8.4 percent, traveled for various other reasons.
Demographic data indicated that the majority of arrivals were between the ages of 25 and 64, constituting 64.2 percent of visitors. Children under 14 made up 16.4 percent, while those aged 65 and older accounted for 10.3 percent. The youth group of ages 15 to 24 represented 9.1 percent of total arrivals. Notably, gender differences were observed in certain age groups, with more female visitors than male in categories such as 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 stays of less than three months, mainly for holidays (54.1 percent) or to visit friends and relatives (35 percent). A smaller group, 5 percent, departed for long-term absences of a year or more, primarily for employment, education, or emigration reasons.
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