Preliminary findings from Fiji’s International Visitor Survey (IVS) for the period April to August 2022 reveal $805 million in tourism earnings, excluding air component.
The five months of findings show that visitors spent $271 per person per night, which was up considerably (+12%) from the average $242 spent in 2019, over the same five months. The increase in daily spend can be attributed to Australian and US markets spending more in 2022.
Australian visitors increased spending in 2022, with a 20 percent increase in daily spending ($280 per person per night) and total spend up by 18.1 percent ($385 million).
The visitors from United States also increased spending in 2022, with 18 percent increase in daily spending ($386 per person per night) and the total spend up by 17 percent ($157 million).
Following a 2-year lapse due to closure of international borders, the Ministry of Commerce, Trade, Tourism and Transport (MCTTT) resumed IVS air data collection at the Nadi International Airport, in the second quarter of 2022.
This follows a review and update of the 2019 IVS questionnaire and methodology with key stakeholders such as the Reserve Bank of Fiji, Fiji Bureau of Statistics, Fiji Airports Limited, Tourism Fiji, Fiji Airways and Department of Immigration, to ensure the relaunched survey aligns with 2022 sector strategic priorities.
In reporting these findings, Permanent Secretary for Tourism, Shaheen Ali, says tourism data and trends is an important decision-making tool.
“To have access to data is critical for policy and decision making – both medium to long term. These show that our recovery is on track, in addition to providing us a baseline of what to work towards.
We can see our recovery has been fuelled by loyal, return visitors, a growing family market and visitors staying longer. These are the types of insights that can assist us in identifying opportunities,” said Permanent Secretary Ali.
The Fijian tourism industry’s recovery is being driven by repeat visitors, who make half (52%) of visitor arrivals compared to 45 percent pre-pandemic.
Fiji’s market segment also saw an increase in couples and family or group travel. Additionally, the Average Length of Stay in Fiji was 9.7 nights, a slightly longer stay than (+1.4%) in 2019.
Booking patterns show half of all visitors come on a package (50%), highlighting the importance of maintaining modern booking channels and the value of relationships with longstanding industry wholesale and aggregating partners.
A majority of visitors travel for holiday or vacation (84%) compared to 78 percent in 2019. There were less visitors in Fiji for business, conference, and convention (3%) than in 2019 (6%) during this period – a market Fiji intends to strengthen.
“Very happy to see the results of this survey point to the resilience of this vital industry and confirm a strong recovery is already underway,” said Judith Green, IFC Country Manager for Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands. “A healthy tourism industry is critical to Fiji’s economic growth. Having accurate data on the state of this important sector industry is essential for mapping the way forward so that we can build back and continue to support job creation which boosts prosperity for the people of Fiji.”
IFC’s assistance to the Fijian Government on the IVS is supported by the Australian Government through the IFC Fiji Private Sector Development Partnership (FPSDP).
ENDS.