FIJI (Commonwealth Union)_ Fiji’s International Visitor Survey (IVS) preliminary findings for the period April to August 2022 reveal $805 million in tourism profits, excluding the air component.
The statistics from the first five months reveal that tourists spent $271 per person per night, up significantly (+12%) from the average $242 spent in the same five months of 2019. The rise in daily spending can be ascribed to increased spending in the Australian and US markets in 2022.
Australian visitors boosted their spending in 2022, with a 20% increase in daily expenditure ($280 per person per night) and an 18.1% increase in overall spending ($385 million). Visitors from the United States also boosted their spending in 2022, with an 18% increase in daily expenditure ($386 per person per night) and a 17% increase in overall spending ($157 million).
Following a two-year hiatus due to international border closures, the Ministry of Commerce, Trade, Tourism, and Transport (MCTTT) began IVS air data gathering at Nadi International Airport in the second quarter of 2022. This comes after a review and update of the 2019 IVS questionnaire and methodology with key stakeholders including the Reserve Bank of Fiji, the Fiji Bureau of Statistics, Fiji Airports Limited, Tourism Fiji, Fiji Airways, and the Department of Immigration to ensure the relaunched survey aligns with 2022 sector strategic priorities.
According to Shaheen Ali, Permanent Secretary for Tourism, tourism data and trends are a crucial decision-making tool. “Data availability is crucial for policy and decision making in the medium to long term. These demonstrate that our rehabilitation is on track, as well as providing us with a baseline against which to strive,” he noted
“We can see that our rebound has been powered by repeat tourists, a growing family market, and people who stay longer. These are the kinds of insights that can help us spot chances,” Ali said.
Repeat visitors are driving the resurgence of the Fijian tourism industry, accounting for half (52%) of visitor arrivals compared to 45 percent pre-pandemic. Couples and family or group travel have also increased in Fiji’s market category. Furthermore, the average length of stay in Fiji was 9.7 nights, which was a little longer stay (+1.4%) than in 2019.
Booking patterns suggest that half of all visitors (50%) arrive on a package, emphasising the need of retaining modern booking channels as well as ties with long-standing industry wholesaling and aggregating partners.
The bulk of visitors (84%) travel for holidays or vacations, up from 78 percent in 2019. During this year, there were 3% less visitors to Fiji for business, conferences, and conventions than in 2019 (6%) – a market that Fiji intends to expand.
“I am delighted to see the survey results pointing to the resilience of this crucial business and confirming a robust recovery is already starting,” said Judith Green, IFC Country Manager for Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and the Pacific Islands.
“A thriving tourism industry is important to Fiji’s economic development. Having reliable data on the condition of this major industry sector is critical for charting the path forward so that we can rebuild and continue to support job development, which enhances wealth for the people of Fiji.”
The Australian Government is supporting the IFC’s assistance to the Fijian government on the IVS through the IFC Fiji Private Sector Development Partnership (FPSDP).
