In September 2024, approximately 16,122 residents from Fiji departed the country, according to the Fiji Bureau of Statistics (FBoS). The data reveals that out of these departures, 14,864 individuals, or 92.2 percent, left for a short-term absence lasting less than three months. In contrast, 451 residents, accounting for 2.8 percent, planned to be away for over three months but less than a year. Additionally, around 807 residents, or 5.0 percent, were absent for a longer term of one year or more.
Among those who left, 835 individuals sought employment opportunities overseas, with expected stays ranging from three months to five years. The primary reasons for short-term departures included holidays, which made up 54.1 percent; visits to friends or relatives at 35.0 percent; business-related trips at 5.5 percent; education or training at 2.0 percent; and other reasons also at 2.0 percent. Employment accounted for 1.4 percent of short-term departures.
On a related note, provisional figures indicate that Fiji welcomed 92,591 visitors in September 2024, setting a new record for that month and marking a 2.4 percent increase compared to the previous year. However, this figure represented a decrease of 2.3 percent from August 2024, which recorded 94,787 arrivals.
Of the 92,591 visitors, 91,679 arrived by air, while 912 came by sea. The majority of sea arrivals consisted of seamen on fishing vessels (798), with 114 arriving by yacht. A significant portion of visitors, 81.6 percent, traveled for holiday purposes, while 8.0 percent visited friends or relatives, 2.0 percent came for business, and 8.4 percent arrived for other reasons.
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