Japan has surpassed the United States in flight searches for Fiji, according to Tourism Fiji. Additionally, India has emerged as one of the countries experiencing a rise in flight inquiries. Traditional travel partners Australia and New Zealand remain the top nations searching for flights to Fiji.
Brent Hill, the CEO of Tourism Fiji, expressed optimism about the data, noting that core countries are utilizing the Tourism Fiji website for flight searches, which is encouraging. He highlighted the significance of Japan’s growing interest in Fiji, indicating an increase in the number of Japanese tourists looking for flights and activities in the destination.
Hill mentioned that hotel occupancy rates remain strong, with July expected to be a robust month, and future bookings indicate positive numbers ahead. He pointed out that Australia, New Zealand, and the United States are Fiji’s three largest markets. While a decline in flight searches from New Zealand was anticipated due to well-known economic challenges such as inflation and high interest rates, overall figures from New Zealand are holding steady.
Recent data reflects an uptick in flight searches from Australia, up by 1.9 percent, and India, up by 0.6 percent, while searches from New Zealand saw a drop of 1.2 percent and Japan by 0.4 percent.
In terms of accommodation, Fiji reported an average occupancy of 86 percent in July, with projections indicating 79 percent for August and 66 percent for October. The leading countries searching for accommodation are Australia (35 percent), New Zealand (31 percent), and the United States (9.6 percent). There has been a decrease in accommodation searches from Canada by 1.0 percent and New Zealand by 0.9 percent.