VISITOR ARRIVALS UP BY 5.5 PER CENT
Japan recorded the highest percentage visitor arrival for the month of July.
It recorded a 207.8 per cent rise in visitor arrival, from 1,172 to 1,736. This increase was due to the resumption of direct flights between Nadi and Narita three times a week.
Visitor arrival numbers confirmed by the Bureau of Statistics show a significant increase of 5.5 per cent in visitor numbers from Fiji’s major key markets.
In the provisional numbers released by the Fiji Bureau of Statistics, Fiji’s visitor arrival number has reached 95,061. Compared to the same period last year 90,108 visitors arrived in Fiji. The most significant increases from specific markets were arrivals from New Zealand, which grew from 2121 to 28572 (8 per cent). This was followed closely by Australia which saw a growth from 1024 to 35608 (three per cent). Other key markets which saw a healthy growth in visitor arrival numbers was Canada which grew from 356 to 1675 or 27 per cent. Continental Europe rose from 386 to 3,392 (12.8 per cent), Rest of Asia rose from 358 to 2,626 (15.8 per cent).
China rose from 53 to 4,887 (1.1 per cent) and South Korea rose from 9 to 712 (1.3 per cent).
There were decreases in the num-
ber of visitors from the following countries; the United States of America down from 9,104 to 421 (4.4 per cent), Pacific islands down from 4,403 to 144 (3.2 per cent) and the United Kingdom down from 1871 to 90 (4.6 per cent).
Visitors arriving for holiday purposes accounted for 76.8 per cent, 10.0 per cent came to visit their friends or relatives, 3.0 per cent came for business purposes, while 10.2 per cent visited Fiji for other reasons.
The total number of visitors to Fiji in the last 12 months increased by 4.8 per cent.
From January to July 2018 the visitor arrivals increased by 3.5 per cent over a parallel period in 2017, up from 462,794 to 479,043. A decrease was recorded for visitors from the United Kingdom (3.8 per cent) and China (0.6 per cent).
The majority of visitors to Fiji in July 2018 were in the age range of 25-64 (61.0 per cent), which accounts for the vast majority of the working age population. Children aged 14 and below accounted for 19.2 per cent of the July visitor arrivals.
12.0 per cent were youths aged 1524 with the remaining 7.8 per cent comprising those in the predominantly retirement age group of 65 and over.