Tourism numbers recovered 12% higher than pre-pandemic levels from January to March this year - Gavoka

In the first 3 months of the year, tourism numbers have not only recovered from pre-pandemic numbers but are around 12 percent higher.

This has been highlighted by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism, Viliame Gavoka while speaking during the Congress of the Fiji Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Gavoka says in 2023, Fiji received 929,740 visitors, an increase of around 32 percent from 2022.

He says the 929,740 visitors who arrived in 2023 contributed an estimated $3.22 billion to the economy.

The Deputy Prime Minister says approximately 46 percent of the spending occurred prior to arrival while the remaining 54 percent of spending occurred while in the country.

He says by the end of the year, they are projecting to receive a million visitors.

Gavoka further says lodging and accommodations and airfare accounted for most, about 60 percent of the spending in 2023, which was the case in 2022 as well.

He says outside of the airfare and accommodation, visitors spent $491 million at restaurants, bars and other eating places, $265 million for tours and attractions, $131 million at local food markets and $113 million for retail shopping.

He says in 2023, tourists spent a significant amount on tours and attractions, indicating a growing interest in activities beyond lodging and airfare.

Gavoka says this trend suggests that tourism activities have the potential to benefit local communities, especially with increasing visitor numbers and spending on experiences.

He says as tourists seek to explore more during their visits, opportunities arise for local businesses to offer tours, attractions, and other activities, thereby stimulating economic growth in grassroots communities.

The Deputy Prime Minister says the US market is expected to grow significantly with change in aviation policy and as Americans are very active visitors, they will explore Fiji.

He further says on a segment-by-segment basis, Fiji needs to harness the potential of alternative forms of tourism such as retirement tourism, medical tourism, ecotourism, adventure tourism, cruise tourism and sports tourism.

Gavoka adds they need to work on building up activities and help spread the benefits of tourism to the other regions in Fiji.