Despite modest growth in Fiji’s two largest tourism source markets, Australia and New Zealand, visitor arrivals have seen remarkable success in the first half of 2024.
According to Shamal Chand, Senior Economist at Westpac Banking Corporation, Fiji’s tourism sector is on track to record another year of unprecedented arrivals based on current trends.
To date, Fiji has welcomed 354,584 visitors, marking an 8.3 percent increase compared to the 327,392 arrivals during the same period last year.
In May 2024, visitor arrivals surged by 10.3 percent year-on-year and 7.3 percent month-on-month to reach 82,901, setting a new monthly record. Fiji saw 38,944 Australian visitors in May, a 12.2 percent year-on-year increase, likely driven by supporters of two Australian Super Rugby Pacific teams. Historically, May tends to experience a slight decline in arrivals, indicating that sports tourism is contributing to this growth in 2024.
Year-to-date, arrivals from Australia have risen by 2.3 percent, from New Zealand by 11.3 percent, and from the United States by 13.3 percent.
Chand also highlighted an increase in the number of rooms sold and the occupancy rate during the first quarter of 2024, propelled by the record year-to-date arrivals.
In the March quarter of 2024, the room occupancy rate rose to 49.1 percent, up from 48.2 percent in March 2023, with an additional 75,600 rooms available during the quarter.
The tourism sector is poised for significant growth over the next decade with plans to upgrade Nadi International Airport. The upgrade will boost international passenger capacity to 5 million from the current 2.1 million, and domestic capacity to 0.5 million from 0.3 million.
Currently operating at full capacity, the Nadi International Airport is gearing up to handle 1 million visitors this year. The planned upgrade will alleviate supply constraints, supported by various infrastructure development initiatives.