Fiji’s tourism accommodation sector posted a strong performance in 2025, with annual turnover reaching $1.63 billion — a 6.3 percent increase year-on-year, provisional data from the Fiji Bureau of Statistics (FBoS) shows. The rise was driven by higher visitor demand and stronger service earnings across hotels and other tourist accommodation providers, underscoring the continued recovery of the sector after pandemic disruptions.
The December quarter delivered a particularly sharp gain, with takings from accommodation, food, liquor and related services totalling $414.1 million — up 9.4 percent compared with the same period in 2024. Employment in the sector also expanded, with paid jobs rising 5.0 percent over the year, reflecting heightened operational activity and demand for staff in hotels, resorts and ancillary services.
Operational indicators point to steady capacity use: the number of rooms available edged up 0.2 percent while rooms sold rose 0.4 percent, lifting the room occupancy rate to 56.6 percent. Bed occupancy improved to 52.5 percent. Regionally, the Coral Coast recorded the highest occupancy rates in the December quarter, and increased guest activity was also reported across the Yasawa and Mamanuca island groups as well as in Lautoka.
Visitor origin patterns in the fourth quarter show a continued concentration of Australian arrivals to the Coral Coast and Nadi areas, while the Northern Division drew a notable number of visitors from the United States. Suva’s visitors in the period were mainly from Japan and other Pacific Island countries, indicating a degree of market diversification across Fiji’s tourism geography.
The latest figures arrive against a backdrop of government measures to stimulate hotel investment introduced in 2024. Policies such as the Short Life Investment Package (SLIP), extended to cover purchases of existing hotels and large-scale refurbishments, were aimed at encouraging capital inflows and capacity upgrades — factors that may be supporting the modest rise in rooms available. Broader economic indicators, including a period of easing inflation, provide additional context for the sector’s performance, though FBoS labels the 2025 accommodation numbers provisional.
Industry stakeholders say the combination of rising occupancy, higher takings and employment growth points to resilience in Fiji’s tourism-led recovery. The data will be scrutinised by operators and policymakers alike as they plan for maintenance of service standards, workforce training and infrastructure needs ahead of the next peak visitor season. Finalised figures from FBoS later in the year will confirm whether the upward trends observed in 2025 have solidified into longer-term growth.
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