QUARTERLY REVIEW OF TOURIST ARRIVALS IN PACIFIC ISLAND … · 2018-07-19 · V PREFACE The...

QUARTERLY REVIEW OF TOURIST ARRIVALS IN

PACIFIC ISLAND COUNTRIES

QUARTER 1 2018

March, 2018

II

Report prepared by : Research & Statistics Division

Contacts : Jennifer Butukoro ([email protected])

: Elizabeth Ragimana ([email protected])

Published by the:

South Pacific Tourism Organization (SPTO)

GPO Box 13119

Suva, FIJI

Telephone : (679) 3304177

Facsimile : (679) 3301995

Telex : 2306 FJ

Email : [email protected]

© Copyright 2018 South Pacific Tourism Organization

March 2018

mailto:[email protected]



III

Table of Contents

Contents Pages

Preface V

Definition and Concepts VI

Sources of Information VI

1. World Overview 1

Tourist Arrivals in the Pacific ACP & SPTO Member Countries 2

3. Market Performances 5

Australian Market 5

New Zealand Market 6

United States of America Market 8

United Kingdom Market 9

Europe Market 11

Japan Market 12

China Market 14

India Market 15

Other Asia Market 16

Pacific Islands Market 18

Other Countries Market 19

4. Destination Analysis 21

(Only countries with complete Quarter 1 2018 data)

Cook Islands 21

Fiji 22

French Polynesia 23

Palau 24

PNG 25

Samoa 26

Solomon Islands 27

Timor Leste 29

Tuvalu 29

Vanuatu 31

IV

Tables & Figures

Figure W1: World Tourist Arrivals by % Growth, Quarter 1, 2018 .............................................................................. 1

Table R1: Tourist Arrivals to Pacific ACP and SPTO Member Countries, Quarter 1, 2018 ......................................... 2

Figure R1: Tourist Arrivals in Pacific ACP and SPTO Member Countries, Quarter 1, 2018 ....................................... 3

Table R2:Tourist Arrivals in Pacific ACP and SPTO Member Countries by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2018 ............ 4

Figure R2: Tourist Arrivals in Pacific ACP and SPTO Member Countries by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2018 .......... 4

Table R3: Australian Market by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2018 ..................................................................... 5

Figure R3: Destination Share (%) of the Australian Market, Quarter 1, 2018............................................................... 6

Table R4: New Zealand Market by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2018 ................................................................ 7

Figure R4: Destination Share (%) of the New Zealand Market, Quarter 1, 2018 .......................................................... 7

Table R5: USA Market by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2018 .............................................................................. 8

Figure R5: Destination Share (%) of the USA Market, Quarter 1, 2018 ....................................................................... 9

Table R6: UK Market by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2018 .............................................................................. 10

Figure R6: Destination Share (%) of the UK Market, Quarter 1, 2018 ....................................................................... 10

Table R7: Europe Market by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2018 ........................................................................ 11

Figure R7: Destination Share (%) of the Europe Market, Quarter 1, 2018.................................................................. 12

Table R8: Japanese Market by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2018 ...................................................................... 13

Figure R8: Destination Share (%) of the Japanese Market, Quarter 1, 2018 ............................................................... 13

Table R9: Chinese Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2018 .................................................................... 14

Figure R9: Destination Share (%) of the Chinese Market, Quarter 1, 2018 ................................................................ 15

Table R10: India Market by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2018 .......................................................................... 17

Figure R10: Destination Share (%) of India Market, Quarter 1, 2018 ......................................................................... 17

Table R11: Other Asia Market by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2018 ................................................................ 17

Figure R11: Destination Share (%) of Other Asia Market, Quarter 1, 2018 ................................................................ 17

Table R12; Pacific Islands by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2018 ....................................................................... 18

Figure R12; Destination Share (%) of the Pacific Islands Market, Quarter 1, 2018 .................................................... 19

Table R13; Other Countries by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2018 ..................................................................... 20

Figure R13; Destination Share (%) of Other Countries Market, Quarter 1, 2018 ....................................................... 20

Figure C1: Tourist Arrivals in Cook Islands by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2018 ...................................................... 21

Figure C2: Tourist Arrivals in Cook Islands by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2018 .................................................... 22

Figure C3: Tourist Arrivals in Fiji by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2018 ...................................................................... 22

Figure C4: Tourist Arrivals in Fiji by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2018 .................................................................... 23

Figure C5: Tourist Arrivals in French Polynesia by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2018 ................................................ 24

Figure C6: Tourist Arrivals in Palau by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2018 ................................................................... 24

Figure C7: Tourist Arrivals in Papua New Guinea by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2018 ............................................. 25

Figure C8: Tourist Arrivals in Papua New Guinea by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2018 ........................................... 26

Figure C9: Tourist Arrivals in Samoa by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2018 ................................................................. 26

Figure C10: Tourist Arrivals in Samoa by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2018 ............................................................. 27

Figure C11: Tourist Arrivals in Solomon Islands by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2018 ............................................... 28

Figure C12: Tourist Arrivals in Solomon Islands by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2018 ............................................. 28

Figure C13: Tourist Arrivals in Timor Leste by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2018 ...................................................... 29

Figure C14: Tourist Arrivals in Tuvalu by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2018 ............................................................... 30

Figure C15: Tourist Arrivals in Tuvalu by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2018 ............................................................ 30

Figure C16: Tourist Arrivals in Vanuatu by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2018............................................................. 31

Figure C17: Tourist Arrivals in Vanuatu by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2018 .......................................................... 32

V

PREFACE

The Quarterly Review of Tourist Arrivals in Pacific Island Countries for the First Quarter of

2018 is published by the South Pacific Tourism Organization (SPTO). This report presents a

review of tourist arrivals in Pacific Island countries in the First Quarter of 2018 with comparative

analysis over the preceding quarter and the corresponding period of the prior year.

Of the eighteen Pacific Island countries, ten responded with the required data. The remaining

countries either submitted partial or no data at all. SPTO will continue its efforts to collect timely

data from all member countries for inclusion in the next Quarter Review.

In addition to this regular publication, SPTO also produces:

the pocket-sized SPTO Facts & Figures

Air and Cruise Visitor Survey reports that have been implemented in some selected

Pacific Island countries

Monthly Market Intelligence Newsletter

Annual Visitor Arrivals Review Report

Key highlights of Tourist Arrivals in Q1 2018

Global tourist arrivals recorded 6.9% growth in the First Quarter of 2018, outstripping the

4.9% gain in the December Quarter of 2017.

International visitor arrivals (IVA) to the Asia and the Pacific region registered a strong

growth of 8.2%, up from 7.3% in the December Quarter.

Tourist arrivals to the Pacific ACP and SPTO member countries decelerated by 16.5% in

the March Quarter of 2018, but outperformed the corresponding quarter in 2017 by 6.2%.

Fiji and French Polynesia, the two leading Pacific destinations in the First Quarter of 2018

accounted for arrival shares of 36.9% and 9.7%, respectively.

The Pacific region major source markets weakened by 16.5% in the First Quarter of 2018,

but surpassed the March Quarter of 2017 by 6.1%.

Australia and New Zealand remained the region’s two leading markets with shares of

26.7% and 16%, respectively.

This edition has expanded market analysis to India market.

VI

DEFINITION AND CONCEPTS

The Regional Conference on Measuring Tourism held in Nadi in March 2014 under the auspices

of the South Pacific Tourism Organization (SPTO) agreed to adopt the following definitions and

terms recommended by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and United

Nations Statistical Office in the compilation of tourism statistics:

The term ‘tourist’ describes a person visiting a country other than that in which he/she has

his/her usual place of residence for any reason other than following an occupation remunerated

from within the country visited.

The definition covers two categories of tourists, namely,

Tourist: Tourist staying in the country visited for at least one night and not more than one

year. However, the term ‘tourist’ is also used in the text of this report

interchangeably for better reading but with the same meaning.

Excursionist: Tourist who does not stay overnight in the country visited – this report does not

include this.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

All sources of statistical information contained in this publication are acknowledged at the foot

of each table – mainly the national statistical offices and national tourism offices.

The source of information for tourist arrival statistics in all member countries is the

E/D(Embarkation/Disembarkation) immigration arrival card. All 18 Pacific Island Countries

have different E/D arrival card containing the required categories of information, which help

distinguish tourists from other passengers and compile statistics according to the internationally

accepted definitions and concepts to facilitate inter-country comparisons. The Regional

Conference on Measuring Tourism held in Nadi in 2014 proposed the introduction of standard

E/D Cards for African Caribbean Pacific (ACP)s and SPTO Member Countries, however, these

introductions have yet to be made.

1

1. World Overview

International tourism remained strong in the First Quarter of 2018. According to the UNWTO

World Tourism Barometer report, growth in international tourist arrivals strengthened further by

6.9% in the March Quarter. This inched a little from the 6.7% gain in the prior quarter and

outperformed the 4.0% growth seen in March Quarter last year1. The positive trend reflected a

continuation of the solid trend witnessed in 2017 triggered by strong confidence in global tourism.

By UNWTO regions, all enjoyed an increase in international arrivals led by the Asia and the Pacific

at 8.2% in the March Quarter. The positive performance was triggered by robust growth in arrivals

from the South Asia and South-East Asia by 10.6% each. Europe, the world’s largest tourism

region rallied behind with a strong growth of 7.9%, led by destinations in Southern, Mediterranean

Europe and Western Europe. Africa the third fastest growing region recorded 5.2% whilst the

Middle East registered growth of 4.6%. The Americas grew by 3.7%, outstripping the 2.4% rise in

the December Quarter and 2.0% fall in the March Quarter of 2017. See Figure W1 for details.

Figure W1: World Tourist Arrivals by Percent (%) Growth, March Quarter 2018

Source: UNWTO World Tourism Barometer

The UNWTO panel of experts projected that the current strong momentum will continue with

growth to April at 6.2%, exceeding UNWTO’s earlier forecast of 4% to 5% for the year 2018.

Growth is expected to be supported by both the advanced and the emerging economies with year to

date, growth in international arrivals by 5.3% and 7.1%, respectively.

1 Source, UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, June 2018

-4

-2

0

2

4

6

8

10

Global Africa Europe Asia & Pacific Middle East Americas

Inte

rnat

ion

al T

rave

ls

Q1 2017 Q4 2017 Q1 2018

2

2. Tourist Arrivals in the Pacific ACP & SPTO Member Countries2

Tourist arrivals to the Pacific ACP and SPTO member countries² reached a provisional 464,593 in

the March Quarter of 2018. This marked a 16.5% fall against the quarter before, but outstripped the

March Quarter of 2017 by 6.2%. The dip against the December Quarter reflected the low travel

seasonality demand coupled with the unfavourable weather conditions that disrupted flight

schedules and travel bookings to the region over the period. The double digit slump in tourist

arrivals to Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu with similar estimated

drop from New Caledonia and Tonga also attributed to the decline. This outweighed the gain in

arrivals to Palau and Papua New Guinea (PNG) by 19.5% and 7.8%, respectively. Meanwhile, the

positive performance against March Quarter last year was boosted by rising arrivals in all the

destinations except Timor Leste, Kiribati and PNG. A remarkeable increase in arrivals were

recorded for Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, Palau and Vanuatu whilst Fiji, French Polynesia and Samoa

each with less than 10% growth. All other remaining destinations showed estimated gains over the

period.

Table R1: Tourist Arrivals to Pacific ACP and SPTO Member Countries, Quarter 1, 2018

2017

2018 Absolute Change

% change

% share

Q1 Q4(r) Q1(p) Q1 2018/

Q4 2017

Q1 2018/

Q1 2017

Q1 2018/

Q4 2017

Q1 2018/

Q1 2017

Q1 2018

America Samoa 4622 4289 4806 517 184 12.0 4.0 1.0

Cook Islands 28661 42389 29949 -12440 1288 -29.3 4.5 6.4

FSM 7317 7026 7712 686 395 9.8 5.4 1.7

Fiji 163226 220745 171504 -49241 8278 -22.3 5.1 36.9

French Polynesia 41755 48750 45109 -3641 3354 -7.5 8.0 9.7

Kiribati 1360 1383 1358 -25 -2 -1.8 -0.1 0.3

Marshall Islands 1335 1192 1437 245 102 20.5 7.6 0.3

Nauru 3002 0 3008 3008 6 0.2 0.6

New Caledonia 25950 37016 27379 -9637 1429 -26.0 5.5 5.9

Niue 1229 2339 1895 -444 666 -19.0 54.1 0.4

Palau 30261 28378 33906 5528 3645 19.5 12.0 7.3

PNG 36385 31102 33541 2439 -2844 7.8 -7.8 7.2

Samoa 29133 45102 31774 -13328 2641 -29.6 9.1 6.8

Solomon Islands 4881 7113 6296 -817 1415 -11.5 29.0 1.4

Timor Leste 28201 28638 27637 -1001 -564 -3.5 -2.0 5.9

Tonga 8847 18585 13065 -5520 4218 -29.7 47.7 2.8

Tuvalu 529 807 706 -101 177 -12.5 33.5 0.2

Vanuatu 20875 31338 23512 -7826 2637 -25.0 12.6 5.1

Total 437568 556192 464593 -91599 27024 -16.5 6.2 100.0

Source: NTOs, NSOs & SPTO

Notes: Data in red are SPTO estimates based on average of the past four months.

[p] Provisional, [r] revised

2American Samoa, Peoples’ Republic of China, Cook Islands, Fiji, FSM, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Marshall islands, Nauru, New

Caledonia, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tuvalu and Vanuatu

3

On market shares, Fiji continued to dominate the number of arrivals in the region with 36.9% share

in March Quarter of 2018. However, this was below the 40% share witnessed in December Quarter

of 2017. The second highest, French Polynesia with shares of 9.7% followed by Palau at 7.3%,

PNG edged closely at 7.2%, Samoa 6.8%, Cook Islands 6.5%, Timor Leste 6.0%, New Caledonia

at an estimated 5.9% and Vanuatu with 5.1%. The remaining 8.7% was shared among all the other

destinations in the region. The summary is presented in Table R1 and Figure R1.

Figure R1: Tourist Arrivals to Pacific ACP and SPTO Member Countries, Quarter 1, 2018


The First Quarter of 2018 witnessed tourist arrivals from the region’s major source markets

dropped by 16.5%, but outshined the corresponding quarter last year by 6.1%. The deceleration

against the December Quarter was underlined by the decline in tourist arrivals from the top three

leading markets Australia, New Zealand, and USA. Arrivals from United Kingdom, Europe, Other

Asia and Pacific Islands also fell during the quarter. Meanwhile, the increase over March quarter of

2017 was fuelled by rising arrivals from all the major source markets except for Japan and Other

Asia which fell by 3.3% and 0.1%, respectively.

Australia and New Zealand the traditional leading markets for the region in the first quarter,

recorded shares of 26.7% and 16.0%, respectively. USA the third highest source market registered

11.2%, followed by Europe and Other Asia at 9.2% each, China at 8.6% and Pacific Islands with

shares of 8.1%. The other source markets made up the remaining 11% at the end of the quarter.

Details are clearly shown in Table R2 and Figure R2.

AmericaSamoa

CookIslands

FSM FijiFrench

Polynesia

KiribatiMarshallIslands

NewCaledoni

aNiue Palau PNG Samoa

SolomonIslands

TimoLeste

Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu

2017 Q1 4622 28661 7317 163226 41755 1360 1335 25950 1229 30261 36385 29133 4881 28201 8847 529 20875

2017 Q4 4289 42389 7026 220745 48750 1383 1192 37016 2339 28378 31102 45102 7113 28638 18585 807 31338

2018 Q1 4806 29949 7712 171504 45109 1358 1437 27379 1895 33906 33541 31774 6296 27637 13065 706 23512

% change Q1 18/Q4 17 12.0 -29.3 9.8 -22.3 -7.5 -1.8 0.0 -26.0 -19.0 19.5 7.8 -29.6 -11.5 -3.5 -29.7 -12.5 -25.0

% change Q1 18/Q1 17 4.0 4.5 5.4 5.1 8.0 -0.1 7.6 5.5 54.1 12.0 -7.8 9.1 29.0 -2.0 47.7 33.5 12.6

% share Q4 2017 1.0 6.4 1.7 36.9 9.7 0.3 0.3 5.9 0.4 7.3 7.2 6.8 1.4 5.9 2.8 0.2 5.1

-40

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250000

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4

Table R2: Tourist Arrivals to Pacific ACP and SPTO member countries by Source Market, Q1 2018

2017

2018 Absolute Change % change

% share

Q1 Q4 (r) Q1 (p) Q1 2018/

Q4 2017

Q1 2018/

Q1 2017

Q1 2018/

Q4 2017

Q1 2018/

Q1 2017

Q1 2018

Australia 122637 170806 124033 -46772 1396 -27.4 1.1 26.7

NZ 65887 114629 74291 -40338 8404 -35.2 12.8 16.0

USA 47253 53688 52044 -1644 4792 -3.1 10.1 11.2

UK 7836 8226 8148 -78 312 -0.9 4.0 1.8

Europe 38463 53863 42563 -11300 4100 -21.0 10.7 9.2

China 36911 32874 40027 7153 3116 21.8 8.4 8.6

Japan 23375 19579 22597 3018 -777 15.4 -3.3 4.9

India 2726 2396 2936 540 210 22.5 7.7 0.6

Other Asia 42928 43796 42881 -915 -47 -2.1 -0.1 9.2

Pacific Islands 36850 42458 37478 -4980 629 -11.7 1.7 8.1

Other

Countries

12944 13922 17594 3672 4650 26.4 35.9 3.8

Total 437808 556239 464593 -91646 26784 -16.5 6.1 100.0

Source: NTOs, NSOs and SPTO

Notes:[r] revised, [p] provisional

Figure R2: Tourist Arrivals to Pacific ACP and SPTO Member countries by Source Market, Q1, 2018

Australia NZ USA UK Europe China Japan India Other AsiaPacificIslands

OtherCountries

2017 Q1 122637 65887 47253 7836 38463 36911 23375 2726 42928 36850 12944

2017 Q4 170806 114629 53688 8226 53863 32874 19579 2396 43796 42458 13922

2018 Q1 124033 74291 52044 8148 42563 40027 22597 2936 42881 37478 17594

% change Q1 18/Q4 17 -27.4 -35.2 -3.1 -0.9 -21.0 21.8 15.4 22.5 -2.1 -11.7 26.4

% change Q1 18/Q4 17 1.1 12.8 10.1 4.0 10.7 8.4 -3.3 7.7 -0.1 1.7 35.9

% share Q1 2018 26.7 16.0 11.2 1.8 9.2 8.6 4.9 0.6 9.2 8.1 3.8

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60000

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5

3. Market Performance

Australia Market

Australian tourists visited the region slumped by 27.4% to 124033 in the First Quarter of 2018, but

exceeded the March Quarter of 2017 by 1.1%. The deceleration over the previous quarter was

driven by the reduction in arrivals to Australia’s top five Pacific destinations, Fiji by 30.1%, Papua

New Guinea 6.1%, Vanuatu 28.1%, Samoa 40.6% and Cook Islands by 38.6%. Arrivals from this

market to all other destinations also dropped except American Samoa, FSM, Kiribati and Marshall

Islands with estimated positive gain during the quarter. Meanwhile, the favourable performance

against March Quarter last year was boosted by increasing arrivals to Solomon Islands by 17.4%,

Tuvalu 15.7%, Cook Islands 13.4%, Vanuatu 12.2%, Samoa 2.2% and Fiji rising by 1.9%. This

more than offset the fall in Australia arrivals to French Polynesia, Palau, PNG and Timor Leste. All

other remaining countries showed estimated positive and negative movements over the twelve

months.

Table R3: Australian Tourists by Destination and Destination Share, Quarter 1, 2018 2017


% share

Q1 Q4(r) Q1(p) Q1 2018/

Q4 2017

Q1 2018/

Q1 2017

Q1 2018/

Q4 2017

Q1 2018/

Q1 2017

Q1 2018

American Samoa 205 169 199 30 -6 17.9 -2.8 0.2

Cook Islands 4473 8266 5074 -3192 601 -38.6 13.4 4.1

FSM 178 193 210 17 32 8.6 18.3 0.2

Fiji 69220 100831 70523 -30308 1303 -30.1 1.9 56.9

French Polynesia 1849 2652 1810 -842 -39 -31.7 -2.1 1.5

Kiribati 216 213 230 17 14 8.1 6.6 0.2


Nauru 2171 0 2168 2168 -3 1.7

New Caledonia 3783 6339 4118 -2221 335 -35.0 8.8 3.3

Niue 86 455 186 -270 100 -59.2 115.7 0.1

Palau 163 156 135 -21 -28 -13.5 -17.2 0.1

PNG 16297 15498 14545 -953 -1752 -6.1 -10.8 11.7

Samoa 5949 10267 6097 -4170 148 -40.6 2.5 4.9

Solomon Islands 1867 2844 2195 -649 328 -22.8 17.6 1.8

Timo Leste 4006 2644 2114 -530 -1892 -20.0 -47.2 1.7

Tonga 1670 3911 2640 -1271 970 -32.5 58.1 2.1

Tuvalu 70 100 81 -19 11 -19.0 15.7 0.1

Vanuatu 10370 16203 11631 -4572 1261 -28.2 12.2 9.4

Total 122637 170806 124033 -46772 1396 -27.4 1.1 100.0


Note: Data in red are SPTO estimates based on averages of the past four months

[p]provisional, [r] revised

On market shares, Fiji continued to dominate and fared the highest number of Australian arrivals

with more than half of the total arrivals at 56.9% share. However, this was below the 60.1%

recorded in the December quarter. Papua New Guinea maintained the second highest share at

11.7%, up from 9.2% in the prior quarter and Vanuatu the third highest at 9.4% share. Samoa

6

registered share of 4.9% while Cook Islands recorded 4.1%. All the other destinations accounted

for the remaining 9.7% share. Details are shown in Table R3 and Figure R3.

Figure R3: Destination Share (%) of the Australian Market, Quarter 1, 2018

New Zealand Market

In the First Quarter of 2018, tourist arrivals from New Zealand slumped by 35.2% to 74291

following the deceleration in the previous quarter. The backdrop was triggered by the double digit

reduction in arrivals from New Zealand top three Pacific destinations, Fiji by 40.2%, Cook Islands

35.1% and Samoa by 32.4%. Double digit fall were also recorded for French Polynesia, Palau,

Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu whilst PNG and Timor Leste registered positive growth over

the quarter. The fall in arrivals from this market partly reflected the significant 42% deceleration in

outbound New Zealand residents to PICs during the first quarter of the year. Compared to March

Quarter of 2017, arrivals from the New Zealand market was well above by 13.2%. This was

triggered by increasing New Zealand tourists to Cook Islands, Fiji, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands,

Tuvalu and Vanuatu over the period. Estimated gain were also seen in New Zealand arrivals to

FMS, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Nauru, Niue and Tonga.

On market shares, Fiji received the highest from this market at 36.5%. However, this was below the

39.5% share in the preceding quarter. The second highest Cook Islands maintained shares of

23..3%, followed by Samoa at 19.9%, and Tonga at an estimated 8.1%. The remaining 12.2% was

shared among all the other countries. Table R4 and Figure R4 illustrates more details.

American Samoa 0.2%

Cook Islands 4.1%

FSM 0.2%

Fiji 56.9%

French Polynesia 1.5%

Kiribati 0.2%

Marshall Islands 0.1%

New Caledonia 3.3%

Niue 0.1%

Palau 0.1%

PNG 11.7%

Samoa 4.9%

Solomon Islands 1.8%

Timor Leste 1.7%

Tonga 2.1%

Tuvalu 0.1%

Vanuatu 9.4%

7

Table R4:– New Zealand Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2018

2017


% share

Q1 Q4(r) Q1(p) Q1 2018/

Q4 2017

Q1 2018/

Q1 2017

Q1 2018/

Q4 2017

Q1 2018/

Q1 2017

Q1 2018

American Samoa 793 627 720 93 -73 14.8 -9.2 1.0

Cook Islands 16657 26673 17313 -9360 656 -35.1 3.9 23.3

FMS 63 46 68 22 5 48.3 8.7 0.1

Fiji 23732 45351 27121 -18230 3389 -40.2 14.3 36.5


Kiribati 75 134 104 -31 29 -22.8 38.0 0.1


Nauru 303 0 305 305 2 0.8 0.4

New Caledonia 1190 2871 1177 -1693 -13 -59.0 -1.1 1.6

Niue 977 1704 1482 -222 505 -13.0 51.7 2.0

Palau 34 47 39 -8 5 -17.0 14.7 0.1

PNG 1787 1541 1601 60 -186 3.9 -10.4 2.2

Samoa 12670 21899 14758 -7141 2088 -32.6 16.5 19.9

Solomon Islands 301 408 356 -52 55 -12.7 18.3 0.5

Timor Leste 265 162 187 25 -78 15.4 -29.4 0.3

Tonga 4214 8146 6030 -2117 1816 -26.0 43.1 8.1

Tuvalu 45 70 55 -15 10 -21.4 22.2 0.1

Vanuatu 1346 3115 1708 -1407 362 -45.2 26.9 2.3

Total 65887 114629 74291 -40338 8404 -35.2 12.8 100.0



[p] provisional, [r] revised

Figure R4: Destination Share (%) of the New Zealand Market, Quarter 1, 2018

American Samoa 1.0%

Cook Islands 23.3%

FSM 0.09%

Fiji 36.5%


Kiribati 0.1%


New Caledonia 1.6%

Niue 2.0%

Palau 0.05%

PNG 2.2%

Samoa 19.9%


Timo Leste 0.3%

Tonga 8.1%

Tuvalu 0.07%

Vanuatu 2.3%

8

USA Market

Tourist arrivals from the USA market dipped by 2.9% to 52,044 in the March Quarter from 53688

arrivals in the preceding quarter. The deceleration was triggered by the decline in arrivals from

USA to Cook Islands by 18.1%, Vanuatu 13.9%, Solomon Islands 12.3%, Fiji 8.1%, Tuvalu 2.9%,

Samoa 1.4% and PNG by 0.6%. Declining arrivals from this source market were also estimated for

American Samoa, New Caledonia, and Tonga. Compared to March Quarter of 2017, arrivals from

the USA market however rose by 10.1%. The positive performance was driven by increasing

arrivals from the USA four leading Pacific destinations, Fiji by 9.9%, French Polynesia 10.4%,

Palau 7.6% and Samoa at 6%. Double digit growth were also recorded for Solomon Islands, Tuvalu

and Vanuatu whilst estimated gains for American Samoa, FSM, Marshall Islands, Niue, Tonga and

Tuvalu. Details are clearly shown in Table R5.

Table R5: USA Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2018

2017 2018 Absolute Change % change % share

Q1 Q4 Q1 Q1 2018/

Q4 2017

Q1 2018/

Q1 2017

Q1 2018/

Q4 2017

Q1 2018/

Q1 2017

Q1 2018

American Samoa 1050 1118 1093 -25 43 -2.2 4.1 2.1

Cook Islands 1973 2270 1858 -412 -115 -18.1 -5.8 3.6

FSM 1659 1596 1741 145 82 9.1 5.0 3.3

Fiji 17139 20483 18832 -1651 1693 -8.1 9.9 36.2

French Polynesia 16185 17115 17874 759 1689 4.4 10.4 34.3

Kiribati 526 241 389 148 -138 61.2 -26.1 0.7


New Caledonia 166 179 88 -91 -78 -51.0 -47.2 0.2

Niue 21 27 32 5 11 16.7 50.0 0.1

Palau 1988 1590 2140 550 152 34.6 7.6 4.1

PNG 1567 1264 1256 -8 -311 -0.6 -19.8 2.4

Samoa 2178 3184 3138 -46 960 -1.4 44.1 6.0

Solomon Islands 237 365 320 -45 83 -12.3 35.0 0.6

Timor Leste 492 519 489 -30 -3 -5.8 -0.6 0.9

Tonga 1105 2604 1706 -897 601 -34.5 54.4 3.3

Tuvalu 29 35 34 -1 5 -2.9 17.2 0.1

Vanuatu 601 812 699 -113 98 -13.9 16.3 1.3

Total 47253 53688 52044 -1644 4792 -3.1 10.1 100.0

Source: NTOs, NSOs and SPTO.



In terms of destination share, Fiji and French Polynesia, the two leading USA markets accounted

for the majority of the total tourist arrivals at 70.5%. Fiji represented 36.2%, whilst French

Polynesia scooped 34.4%. Samoa the third highest recorded share of 6.0%, Palau 4.1% and Cook

Islands at 3.6% share. All the other countries accounted for the remaining 15.8% share over the

quarter. Details are clearly shown in Table R5 and Figure R5.

9

Figure R5: Destination Share (%) of the USA Market

United Kingdom Market

Tourist arrivals from the United Kingdom (UK) fell mildly by 0.9% to 8,148 in March Quarter,

following the decline in the quarter before. The reduction was driven by falling arrivals to Fiji, the

top leading destination for this market by 2.6%, PNG 17.1%, Solomon Islands 13.1% and Tuvalu

by 21.1%. Estimated decline were also noted for UK arrivals to Kiribati, New Caledonia, Tonga.

Meanwhile, Timor Leste, Palau and Cook Islands recorded double digit growth by 67.8%, 13.2%

and 13.5% respectively. Compared to March Quarter of 2017, arrivals from the UK however, rose

by 4%. Growth was underlined by increasing arrivals to Timor Leste by 43.8%, French Polynesia,

32.1%, Solomon Islands 29.3%, Palau 14.7%, Samoa 11.6% and Cook Islands rising by 6.9%.

Estimated growth were also seen for American Samoa, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Niue and Tonga.

Disaggregating by shares, almost half of the total UK visitors at 49.7% visited Fiji. Cook Islands

followed at 12.2%, French Polynesia edged closely at 12.0%, whilst PNG and Timor Leste

recorded shares of 7.5% and 4.8%, respectively. The remaining 13.9% was shared among all other

destinations in the region. Details are illustrated in Table R6 and Figure R6.

American Samoa 2.1%

Cook Islands 3.6%

FSM 3.3%

Fiji 36.2%


Kiribati 0.7%


New Caledonia 0.2%

Niue 0.06%

Palau 4.1%

PNG 2.4%

Samoa 6.0%


Timor Leste 0.9%

Tonga 3.3%

Tuvalu 0.1%

Vanuatu 1.3%

10

Table R6: United Kingdom Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2018 2017


% share

Q1 Q4(r) Q1(p) Q1 2018/

Q4 2017

Q1 2018/

Q1 2017

Q1 2018/

Q4 2017

Q1 2018/

Q1 2017

Q1 2018

American Samoa 23 20 29 9 6 43.8 25.0 0.4

Cook Islands 926 872 990 118 64 13.5 6.9 12.2

Fiji 4227 4155 4047 -108 -180 -2.6 -4.3 49.7


Kiribati 37 50 39 -12 2 -23.0 4.1 0.5


New Caledonia 139 228 174 -54 35 -23.8 25.2 2.1

Niue 11 18 28 10 17 55.6 154.5 0.3

Palau 150 152 172 20 22 13.2 14.7 2.1

PNG 767 737 611 -126 -156 -17.1 -20.3 7.5

Samoa 275 304 307 3 32 1.0 11.6 3.8

Solomon Islands 92 137 119 -18 27 -13.1 29.3 1.5

Timor Leste 272 233 391 158 119 67.8 43.8 4.8

Tonga 138 359 224 -135 86 -37.6 62.6 2.8

Tuvalu 15 19 15 -4 0 -21.1 0.0 0.2

Total 7836 8226 8148 -78 312 -0.9 4.0 100.0

Source: NTOs, NSOs and SPTO,



Figure R6: Destination Share (%) of the UK Market

American Samoa 0.4%

Cook Islands 12.2%

Fiji 49.7%


Kiribati 0.5%


New Caledonia 2.1%

Niue 0.3%

Palau 2.1%

PNG 7.5%

Samoa 3.8%


Timo Leste 4.8%

Tonga 2.8%

Tuvalu 0.2%

11

Europe Market

Tourist arrivals from Europe to the region deteriorated considerably by 21% to 42563 in the First

Quarter of 2018, following the 5.5% decline in the prior quarter. The downward trend was triggered

the reduction in arrivals from Europe to French Polynesia the top destination for this market by

35.7%, Vanuatu 19%, Fiji 14%, Samoa 13.2%, PNG 11.2% and Solomon Islands by 5.9%.

Estimated fall were also recorded for American Samoa, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Tonga and

Tuvalu. Against the corresponding quarter in 2017, arrivals from the European market however,

rose by 10.7%. This was boosted by the remarkable maximum 69.8% and 67.9% gains in arrivals to

Samoa and Timor Leste respectively. Positive growth in European arrivals to Solomon by 31.5%,

Tuvalu 19.5%, French Polynesia 5.1% and Fiji by 4.9% also attributed to favourable performance.

Estimated positive movements were also noted for European arrivals to American Samoa, Kiribati,

Niue, New Caledonia, Nauru and Tonga.

In terms of shares, New Caledonia received majority of the European tourists at an estimated

24.1%%. French Polynesia the second highest edged closely at 23.8%, whilst Fiji and Timor Leste

represented 19.5% and 10.8%, respectively. Cook Islands followed at 5.8% and Vanuatu at 3.6%

share. The remaining share of 12.5% was shared among all the other destinations. See Table R7 and

Figure R7 for details.

Table R7: European Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2018 2017 2018 Absolute Change %

change

% share

Q1 Q4(r) Q1(p) Q1 2018/

Q4 2017

Q1 2018/

Q1 2017

Q1 2018/

Q4 2017

Q1 2018/

Q1 2017

Q1 2018

American Samoa 68 95 79 -16 11 -16.6 16.5 0.2

Cook Islands 2508 2293 2460 167 -48 7.3 -1.9 5.8

FSM 534 536 516 -20 -18 -3.8 -3.5 1.2

Fiji 7898 9632 8282 -1350 384 -14.0 4.9 19.5


Kiribati 54 65 61 -4 7 -6.2 13.0 0.1

Marshall Islands 49 15 43 28 -6 186.7 -12.2 0.1

Nauru 25 0 25 25 1 2.9 0.1

New Caledonia 8960 15084 10257 -4827 1297 -32.0 14.5 24.1

Niue 35 57 59 2 24 3.1 67.9 0.1

Palau 1443 1313 1370 57 -73 4.3 -5.1 3.2

PNG 1636 1275 1132 -143 -504 -11.2 -30.8 2.7

Samoa 649 1269 1102 -167 453 -13.2 69.8 2.6

Solomon Islands 181 253 238 -15 57 -5.9 31.5 0.6

Timor Leste 2762 3264 4584 1320 1822 40.4 66.0 10.8

Tonga 414 1026 653 -374 239 -36.4 57.7 1.5

Tuvalu 41 44 49 5 8 11.4 19.5 0.1

Vanuatu 1567 1883 1525 -358 -42 -19.0 -2.7 3.6

Total 38463 53863 42563 -11300 4100 -21.0 10.7 100.0




12

Figure R7; Destination Share (%) of the European Market

Japan Market

Japanese tourists to the region rebounded by 15.4% to 22,597 in the First Quarter of 2018 against

the December Quarter. The upturn was underscored by increasing arrivals to the Japanese two

leading destinations Palau by 22.2% and French Polynesia by 6.2%. Growth was also boosted by

rising Japanese arrivals to Timor Leste, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Samoa and PNG with estimated

growth from Kiribati, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia and Niue. Compared to the December

Quarter in 2017, arrivals from the Japanese market however dropped by 3.3% with Fiji, French

Polynesia, PNG and Vanuatu driving the deceleration. Meanwhile, Japanese arrivals to Cook

Islands, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste and Tuvalu increased over the period.

On market shares, majority of the Japanese tourists visited Palau at 36.8% in the First Quarter. This

outstripped the 34.9% share in the December Quarter, reflecting the increase in both the scheduled

and charter flights to Palau from Japan during the quarter. New Caledonia followed at an estimated

27.6%, French Polynesia at 13.6%, Fiji 6.4%, Timor Leste 3.9% and PNG with 3.7% share. All the

other countries accounted for the remaining 8.1% share. See details in Table R8 and Figure R8.

American Samoa 0.2%

Cook Islands 5.8%

FSM 1.2%

Fiji 19.5%


Kiribati 0.1%


New Caledonia 24.1%

Niue 0.1%

Palau 3.2%

PNG 2.7%

Samoa 2.6%


Timo Leste 10.8%

Tonga 1.5%

Tuvalu 0.1%

Vanuatu 3.6%

13

Table R8: Japanese Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2018

2017


% share

Q1 Q4(r) Q1(p) Q1 2018/

Q4 2017

Q1 2018/

Q1 2017

Q1 2018/

Q4 2017

Q1 2018/

Q1 2017

Q1 2018

American Samoa 12 19 15 -4 3 -22.4 22.9 0.1

Cook Islands 91 155 118 -37 27 -23.9 29.7 0.5

FSM 675 673 661 -12 -13 -1.7 -2.0 2.9

Fiji 1767 1213 1442 229 -325 18.9 -18.4 6.4

French Polynesia 3749 2860 3036 176 -713 6.2 -19.0 13.4

Kiribati 51 36 48 12 -3 34.0 -5.4 0.2


New Caledonia 7341 5662 6242 581 -1099 10.3 -15.0 27.6

Niue 19 5 29 24 10 485.0 53.9 0.1

Palau 7490 6809 8321 1512 831 22.2 11.1 36.8

PNG 881 720 835 115 -46 16.0 -5.2 3.7

Samoa 178 165 193 28 15 17.0 8.4 0.9

Solomon Islands 154 180 220 40 66 22.2 42.9 1.0

Timor Leste 445 384 883 499 438 129.9 98.4 3.9

Tonga 185 314 226 -88 41 -28.1 22.2 1.0

Tuvalu 27 47 40 -7 13 -14.9 48.1 0.2

Vanuatu 206 265 186 -79 -20 -29.8 -9.7 0.8

Total 23375 19579 22597 3018 -777 15.4 -3.3 100.0




Figure R8: Destination Share (%) of the Japanese Market

American Samoa 0.1%

Cook Islands 0.5%

FSM 2.9%

Fiji 6.4%


Kiribati 0.2%


New Caledonia 27.6%

Niue 0.13%

Palau 36.8%

PNG 3.7%

Samoa 0.9%


Timo Leste 3.9%

Tonga 1.0%

Tuvalu 0.2%

Vanuatu 0.8%

14

China Market

The First Quarter of 2018 saw Chinese arrivals to the region bounced back by 21.8% to 40027

following the 17.6% slump in the previous quarter. The solid outcome was triggered by a

remarkable maximum surge in Chinese arrivals to French Polynesia by more than three fold.

Double digit growth in Chinese arrivals to Fiji by 29.4%, Cook Islands 29.3%, and PNG at 26.8%

with moderate rise from Timor Leste, Vanuatu, Palau and Samoa also attributed to this favourable

performance. Estimated positive gains were also seen in Chinese arrivals to American Samoa,

FSM, Marshall Islands and New Caledonia. The upturn partly reflected the high Chinese

international outbound travel demand boosted by China’s strong and solid economic growth of

6.8% in the First Quarter. Year-on-year comparision, Chinese arrivals to the region outperformed

by 7.5% over March Quarter last year. The acceleration arises from the solid maximum gain in

Chinese arrivals to Solomon Islands by 52.7%, French Polynesia 36.4%, Palau 11%, Vanuatu 7%

and Fiji rising by 5.7%. Estimated growth were also seen for Chinese arrivals to FSM, Kiribati,

Marshall Islands, New Caledonia and Tonga during the quarter.

On market shares, the two top Chinese destinations, Palau and Fiji accounted for 71% of the total

arrivals from this market, each with 35.5% share. French Polynesia, the runner up accounted for

7.8% whilst PNG represented 7.2%. The remaining 14% share was distributed among all the other

destinations. Details are shown in Table R9 and Figure R9.

Table R9: Chinese Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2018

2017


% share

Q1 Q4(r) Q1(p) Q1 2018/

Q4 2017

Q1 2018/

Q1 2017

Q1 2018/

Q4 2017

Q1 2018/

Q1 2017

Q1 2018

American Samoa 91 25 70 45 -21 180.0 -23.1 0.2

Cook Islands 262 167 216 49 -46 29.3 -17.6 0.5

FSM 726 703 769 66 43 9.4 5.9 1.9

Fiji 13460 10950 14221 3271 761 29.9 5.7 35.5


Kiribati 19 27 27 0 8 0.0 42.1 0.1


New Caledonia 55 89 409 320 354 357.8 643.8 1.0

Palau 12787 13712 14196 484 1409 3.5 11.0 35.5

PNG 2666 2270 2879 609 213 26.8 8.0 7.2

Samoa 660 541 545 4 -115 0.7 -17.4 1.4

Solomon Islands 207 348 316 -32 109 -9.2 52.7 0.8

Timor Leste 2335 1566 1713 147 -622 9.4 -26.6 4.3

Tonga 321 625 443 -182 122 -29.1 38.0 1.1

Tuvalu 25 18 18 0 -7 0.0 -28.0 0.0

Vanuatu 956 858 1023 165 67 19.2 7.0 2.6

Total 36911 32874 40027 7153 3116 21.8 8.4 100.0


Note: Data in red are SPTO estimates based on averages of the past four months.

[p] Provisional, [r] revised

15

Figure R9: Destination Share (%) of the Chinese Market

India Market

Tourist arrivals from India posted a 22.5% surge to 2,936 in the First Quarter of 2018. The solid

growth was boosted by India’s two leading destinations, Fiji and PNG by 2.1% and 46.4%

respectively. Double digit growth in India’s arrivals to Cook Islands and Palau, and two-fold

increase to Tuvalu albeit from a low base with solid arrivals to Timor Leste also attributed to the

positive performance.

Table R10: India Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2018

2017


% share

Q1 Q4 Q1(p) Q1 2018/

Q4 2017

Q1 2018/

Q1 2017

Q1 2018/

Q4 2017

Q1 2018/

Q1 2017

Q1 2018

American Samoa 13 0 6 6 -7 -53.8 0.2

Cook Islands 10 8 14 6 4 75.0 40.0 0.5

Fiji 1188 1487 1518 31 330 2.1 27.8 51.7


Kiribati 0 15 4 -11 4 -73.3 0.1

New Caledonia 8 22 29 7 21 32.6 265.9 1.0

Palau 12 10 18 8 6 80.0 50.0 0.6

PNG 1052 623 912 289 -140 46.4 -13.3 31.1

Timor Leste 206 0 203 203 -3 -1.5 6.9

Tonga 13 18 17 -1 4 -7.0 31.5 0.6

Tuvalu 4 9 19 10 15 111.1 375.0 0.6

Total 2726 2396 2936 540 210 22.5 7.7 100.0


Note: Data in red are SPTO estimates based on averages of the past four months.

Data unavailable for countries not listed.

American Samoa 0.2%

Cook Islands 0.5%

FSM 1.9%

Fiji 35.5%

French Polynesia 7.8% Kiribati

0.1% Marshall Islands 0.1%

New Caledonia 1.0%

Niue 0.00%

Palau 35.5%

PNG 7.2%

Samoa 1.4%


Timor Leste 4.3%

Tonga 1.1%

Tuvalu 0.04%

Vanuatu 2.6%

16

Compared to the same quarter last year, tourist arrivals from India exceeded by 7.7% with arrivals

from Fiji, Cook Islands, Palau and Tuvalu driving the outcome. Estimated positive growth were

also noted for India arrivals to New Caledonia and Tonga whilst French Polynesia, PNG and Timor

Leste plummented over the period.

Disaggregating by shares, Fiji and Papua New Guinea accounted for 82.8% of the total India

arrivals to the region. Fiji alone accounted for more than half of the total Indian arrivals to the

region at 51.7% whilst PNG at 31.1%. Timor Leste followed at 6.9% and French Polynesia at 6.7%.

All the other countries, accounted for the remaining 16.6% share. See details in Table R10 and

Figure R10.

Figure R10: Destination Share (%) of the India Market

Other Asia Market

Tourist Arrivals from Other Asia Market to the region weakned by 2.1% to 42,881 compared to the

preceding quarter. The fall stemmed by the reduction in arrivals from Other Asia to Cook Islands

by 30.7%, Timor Leste 26.1%, Tuvalu 16.3%, Fiji 11.6%, French Polynesia 11.3%, and Samoa by

0.4%. Estimated drop in arrivals from this market were also recorded for Kiribati, Marshall Islands,

New Caledonia and Tonga. Year-on-year comparisons, arrivals from Other Asia to the region fell

mildly at 0.1% with Timor Leste the leading destination driving the fall at 17.1%. Estimated decline

to Marshall Islands, Nauru and New Caledonia also attributed to the slowed growth for this market.

On market shares, Timor Leste received the highest arrivals from Other Asia by 33% with

Indonesia accounting for 80.2% of this market due to its proximity. PNG, the runner up received

share of 17.9%, followed by Palau at 16.4%, and Fiji with shares of 15.9%. The remaining 16.8%

was shared among all the other destinations in the region. Details are shown in Table R11 and

Figure R11.

American Samoa 0.2%

Cook Islands 0.5%

Fiji 51.7%


Kiribati 0.1%

New Caledonia 1.0%

Palau 0.6%

PNG 31.1%

Timor Leste 6.9%

Tonga 0.6%

Tuvalu 0.6%

17

Table R11: Other Asia Market Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2018

2017


% share

Q1 Q4(r) Q1(p) Q1 2018/

Q4 2017

Q1 2018/

Q1 2017

Q1 2018/

Q4 2017

Q1 2018/

Q1 2017

Q1 2018

American Samoa 112 123 141 18 29 14.6 25.9 0.3

Cook Islands 137 212 147 -65 10 -30.7 7.3 0.3

FSM 2782 2560 2954 394 171 15.4 6.2 6.9

Fiji 6398 7697 6807 -890 409 -11.6 6.4 15.9


Kiribati 55 84 72 -12 17 -14.6 30.5 0.2

Marshall Islands 292 292 271 -21 -21 -7.3 -7.3 0.6

Nauru 176 0 173 173 -2 -1.3 0.4

New Caledonia 514 658 411 -247 -103 -37.5 -20.0 1.0

Palau 5804 4227 7056 2829 1252 66.9 21.6 16.5

PNG 7340 5376 7680 2304 340 42.9 4.6 17.9

Samoa 692 842 839 -3 147 -0.4 21.2 2.0

Solomon Islands 727 899 1001 102 274 11.3 37.7 2.3

Timor Leste 17072 19360 14156 -5204 -2916 -26.9 -17.1 33.0

Tonga 104 389 226 -162 122 -41.8 117.7 0.5

Tuvalu 71 178 149 -29 78 -16.3 109.9 0.3

Total 42928 43796 42881 -915 -47 -2.1 -0.1 100.0

Source: NTOs, NSOs and SPTO Note: Data in red are SPTO estimates based on averages of the past four months

Data unavailable for countries not listed


Figure R11: Destination Share (%) of Other Asia Market

American Samoa 0.3%

Cook Islands 0.3%

FSM 6.9%

Fiji 15.9%


Kiribati 0.2%


New Caledonia 1.2%

Palau 16.4%

PNG 17.9%

Samoa 2.0%


Timor Leste 33.0%

Tonga 0.5%

Tuvalu 0.2%

18

Pacific Islands

Tourist arrivals within the Pacific region slumped by 11.7% in the First Quarter of 2018 to 37,126

reversing the 1% gain in the preceding quarter. This was dragged down by falling arrivals within

the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) to Timor Leste by 75%, Samoa 32.5%, French Polynesia 31.3%,

Cook Islands 26.6%, Vanuatu 12.5%, Solomon Islands 10.1%, and Fiji falling by 2.7%. Year-on

year comparison, tourist arrivals within the PICs went up slighty by 1.7%. Growth was largely

driven by the double digit increase in PIC arrivals to Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu by

43%, 18.3% and 14%, respectively. Estimated positive growth were also recorded for American

Samoa, Marshall Islands, Niue, New Caledonia and Tonga. See details in Table R12 and Figure

R12.

On shares, Fiji remained dominant for this market at 37.5%. Vanuatu the second highest recorded

share of 15.8%, overtaking Samoa which reduced to 10.9%. New Caledonia and American Samoa

at an estimated 10.3% and 6.4% each, Solomon Islands 3.8%, and PNG edged closely at 3.7%. The

remaining 11.6% was shared among all the other destinations, of which French Polynesia

represented 3.1%.

Table R12: Pacific Islands Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2018

2017


% share

Q1 Q4(r) Q1(p) Q1 2018/

Q4 2017

Q1 2018/

Q1 2017

Q1 2018/

Q4 2017

Q1 2018/

Q1 2017

Q1 2018

American Samoa 2189 2046 2407 361 218 17.6 9.9 6.4

Cook Islands 352 357 262 -95 -90 -26.6 -25.6 0.7

FSM 577 594 660 66 84 11.2 14.5 1.8

Fiji 14028 14444 14057 -387 29 -2.7 0.2 37.5


Kiribati 281 480 337 -144 56 -29.9 19.8 0.9


Nauru 272 0 280 280 8 3.1 0.7

New Caledonia 3279 5021 3878 -1143 599 -22.8 18.3 10.3

Niue 80 73 79 6 -1 8.9 -0.9 0.2

Palau 195 187 153 -34 -42 -18.2 -21.5 0.4

PNG 1605 1056 1372 316 -233 29.9 -14.5 3.7

Samoa 5282 6049 4083 -1966 -1199 -32.5 -22.7 10.9

Solomon Islands 992 1577 1419 -158 427 -10.0 43.0 3.8

Timor Leste 51 48 12 -36 -39 -75.0 -76.5 0.0

Tonga 581 898 738 -160 157 -17.9 27.0 2.0

Tuvalu 183 210 223 13 40 6.2 21.9 0.6

Vanuatu 5199 7372 5925 -1447 726 -19.6 14.0 15.8

Total 36850 42458 37478 -4980 629 -11.7 1.7 100.0

Source: NSOs, NTOs & SPTO

Note Data in red are SPTO estimates based on averages of the past four months


19

Figure R11: Destination Share (%) of Pacific Island Countries Market

Other Countries

Visitor arrivals from Other Countries strengthened further by 26.4% in the First Quarter to 17,594.

The solid growth over the December Quarter was boosted by a remarkable surge in arrivals to

Timor Leste by more than six-fold, Palau by 35.9%, Cook Islands 34.1%, French Polynesia 22.4%,

Samoa 22.3%, Solomon Islands 9.8% and Fiji by 3.4%. Estimated positive growth were also

witnessed in Other Countries arrivals to FSM, Kiribati and Niue. Meanwhile, arrivals elsewhere to

Palau, PNG, Tuvalu and Vanuatu dropped over the quarter. Compared to March Quarter of 2017,

arrivals from Other Countries outshined by 35.1%. This was triggered by the rising arrivals to Cook

Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Palau, Samoa, Tuvalu and Timor Leste with maximum rise of more

than five-fold over the period.

By shares, French Polynesia registered 27% of the total arrivals elsewhere surpassed Fiji which

reduced slightly to 26.5%. Timor Leste followed at 16.5%, Cook Islands with shares of 8.5%

Vanuatu 4.6%, PNG 4.1% and Samoa edged closely at 4% share. All other countries accounted for

the remaining 12.8% share of which New Caledonia represented an estimated share of 3.4% during

the quarter. See Table R13 and Figure R13 for details.

American Samoa 6.4%

Cook Islands 0.7%

FSM 1.8%

Fiji 37.5%


Kiribati 0.9%


Nauru 0.7%

New Caledonia

10.3% Niue 0.2%

Palau 0.4%

PNG 3.7%

Samoa 10.9%


Timor Leste 0.0%

Tonga 2.0%

Tuvalu 0.6%

Vanuatu 15.8%

20

Table R13: Other Countries Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2018

2017 2018 Absolute Change % change % share

Q1 Q4(r) Q1(p) Q1 2018/

Q4 2017

Q1 2018/

Q1 2017

Q1 2018/

Q4 2017

Q1 2018/

Q1 2017

Q1 2018

American Samoa 66 47 47 0 -19 -0.5 -29.2 0.3

Cook Islands 1272 1116 1497 381 225 34.1 17.7 8.5

FSM 125 126 133 7 9 5.8 7.0 0.8

Fiji 4169 4502 4654 152 485 3.4 11.6 26.5


Kiribati 46 38 49 11 3 28.9 6.5 0.3


Nauru 56 0 56 56 0 -0.6 0.3

New Caledonia 515 863 595 -268 80 -31.1 15.5 3.4

Niue 1 0 0 0 0 119.6 -3.6 0.0

Palau 229 222 306 84 77 37.8 33.6 1.7

PNG 787 742 718 -24 -69 -3.2 -8.8 4.1

Samoa 600 582 712 130 112 22.3 18.7 4.0

Solomon Islands 123 102 112 10 -11 9.8 -8.9 0.6

Timor Leste 501 458 2905 2447 2404 534.3 479.8 16.5

Tonga 102 293 161 -132 59 -44.9 58.0 0.9

Tuvalu 19 77 23 -54 4 -70.1 21.1 0.1

Vanuatu 630 830 815 -15 185 -1.8 29.4 4.6

Total 12944 13922 17594 3672 4650 26.4 35.9 100.0

Source: NSOs, NTOs & SPC



Figure R13: Destination Share (%) of Other Countries Market

American Samoa 0.3%

Cook Islands 8.5%

FSM 0.8%

Fiji 26.5%


Kiribati 0.3%


Nauru 0.3%

New Caledonia 3.4%

Niue 0.0%

Palau 1.7%

PNG 4.1%

Samoa 4.0%


Timor Leste 16.5%

Tonga 0.9%

Tuvalu 0.1%

Vanuatu 4.6%

21

4. Destination Analysis

Cook Islands

In the First Quarter of 2018, tourists visited Cook Islands reached 29,949, a marked fall of 29.3%

against the previous quarter, but outperformed by 4.5% over the corresponding quarter in 2017. The

backdrop against the quarter before was dragged down by the decline in arrivals from Australia by

38.6%, Other Asia 30.7%, Pacific Islands 26.6%, Japan 23.9%, USA 18.1% and New Zealand by

35.1%. The dip in the latter was driven mainly by the reduction in outbound New Zealand residents

to Cook Islands by 35.4% over the quarter. Meanwhile, arrivals from India, Canada, China, Other

countries, UK and Europe recorded positive movement over the quarter. Compared to the same

period in 2017, arrivals from majority of the markets increased except for Pacific Islands, China,

USA and Europe which slumped by 25.6%, 17.6%, 5.8% and 1.9% respectively.

Figure C1: Tourist Arrivals in Cook Islands by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2018

Source: Cook Islands Statistics Office

In terms of shares, New Zealand continued to be the dominant source market for Cook Islands with

a share of 57.8% to 17,313 while Australia recorded 16.9%. All other destinations shared the

remaining 25.3% of which Europe and USA accounted for 8.2% and 6.2%, respectively during the

quarter. Details are illustrated in Figure C1.

When analyzing tourist arrivals to Cook Islands by purpose of visit, all segments slumped by more

than 20% compared to the preceding quarter. Against the same period in 2017, all segments

registered positive growth. Business recorded 5.8%, purposes 5.3%, leisure 4.6% and VFR 2.9%.

On shares, majority of tourists to this destination in the March Quarter of 2018 were visiting for

leisure recording a share of 86.6% which was higher than the 81.6% registered in the December

Quarter of 2017.VFR, the second highest represented share of 8.1%, followed by Business segment

with 3.2% whilst the remaining 2.2% was for other purposes. See Figure C2 for more details.

Australia NZ USA Canada UK Europe China Japan India Other AsiaPacificIslands

OtherCountries

Total

2017 Q1 4,473 16,657 1,973 1,070 926 2,508 262 91 10 137 352 202 28,661

2017 Q4 8,266 26,673 2,270 902 872 2,293 167 155 8 212 357 214 42,389

2018 Q1 5,074 17,313 1,858 1,228 990 2,460 216 118 14 147 262 269 29,949

% change Q1 18/Q4 17 -38.6 -35.1 -18.1 36.1 13.5 7.3 29.3 -23.9 75.0 -30.7 -26.6 25.7 -29.3

% change Q1 18/Q1 17 13.4 3.9 -5.8 14.8 6.9 -1.9 -17.6 29.7 40.0 7.3 -25.6 33.2 4.5

% share Q1 2018 16.9 57.8 6.2 4.1 3.3 8.2 0.7 0.4 0.0 0.5 0.9 0.9 100.0

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Figure C2: Tourist Arrivals in Cook Islands by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2018

Source: Cook Islands Statistics Office

Fiji

Tourist arrivals to Fiji weakened further by 22.3% to 171,504 in the March Quarter, following the

11.5% drop in the quarter before. This was pushed down by the reduction in arrivals from Fiji’s

three leading markets New Zealand by 40.2% Australia 30.1% and USA by 8.1%. The backdrop

reflected the low seasonality travel demand with outbound New Zealand and Australian residents to

Fiji sliding by 44.2% and 23.3%, respectively. Notable falls were also recorded for France, Other

Asia, USA, Europe, Pacific Islands and the UK. Against the March Quarter of 2017, tourist arrivals

to Fiji however outperformed by 5.1% with India showing the fastest growth by 27.8%. Growth

was further boosted by increasing arrivals from Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, Europe,

China, Pacific Islands, Other Asia and other countries over the twelve months.

Figure C3: Tourist Arrivals in Fiji by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2018

Source: Fiji Bureau of Statistics

Leisure VFR Business Others Total

2017 Q1 24,789 2,350 904 618 28,661

2017 Q4 34,586 5,281 1,352 1,170 42,389

2018 Q1 25,923 2,419 956 651 29,949

% change Q1 18/Q4 17 -25.0 -54.2 -29.3 -44.4 -29.3

% change Q1 18/Q1 17 4.6 2.9 5.8 5.3 4.5

% share Q1 2018 86.6 8.1 3.2 2.2 100.0

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Total

2017 Q1 69220 23732 17139 2968 1152 4227 6746 13460 1767 1188 6398 14028 1201 163226

2017 Q4 100831 45351 20483 3034 1973 4155 7659 10950 1213 1487 7697 14444 1468 220745

2018 Q1 70523 27121 18832 3189 1098 4047 7184 14221 1442 1518 6807 14057 1465 171504

% change Q1 18/Q4 17 -30.1 -40.2 -8.1 5.1 -44.3 -2.6 -6.2 29.9 18.9 2.1 -11.6 -2.7 -0.2 -22.3

% change Q1 18/Q1 17 1.9 14.3 9.9 7.4 -4.7 -4.3 6.5 5.7 -18.4 27.8 6.4 0.2 22.0 5.1

% share Q1 2018 41.1 15.8 11.0 1.9 0.6 2.4 4.2 8.3 0.8 0.9 4.0 8.2 0.9 100.0

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In terms of shares, Australia and New Zealand continued to dominate arrivals to Fiji with 41.1%

and 15.8% shares respectively. USA rallied behind at 11% with China at 8.3% whilst Pacific

Islands edged closely at 8.2%. All the other destinations shared the remaining 15.6% of which

Europe accounted for 4.2% and Other Asia 4%. See Figure C3 above for details.

Figure C4: Tourist Arrivals in Fiji by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2018

Source: Fiji Bureau of Statistics

Analysis by purpose of visit shows all segments fell in the March Quarter of 2018 with VFR

recording 36.8% decline, Leisure 24%, Business 9.7% and Other purposes 1.1%. Compared to the

First Quarter of 2017, all segments weakened except Leisure which strengthened by 9.5%. In terms

of shares, leisure continued to dominate with 73.4% to 125,842 while Other purposes registered

11.3%. VFR accounted for 7.9% and Business at 7.5%. Details provided in Figure C4.

French Polynesia

In March Quarter, tourists visited French Polynesia reached 45,109, a decline of 7.5% against the

preceding quarter but outshined the corresponding quarter in 2017 by 8%. The fall against the

December Quarter was driven by the reduction in arrivals from France, Australia, Pacific Islands

and Other Asia. Against March Quarter last year, growth was attributed to the double digit increase

in arrivals from Canada, China, UK, Other Asia, Europe, Other countries and USA. This

outweighed the decline in arrivals from Japan by 19%, Pacific Islands 15.1%, New Zealand 12.4%,

India 10.9% and Australia 2.1%.

On shares, USA dominated arrivals to French Polynesia in the March Quarter with 39.6% followed

by France at 14.2%. Europe represented 8.2% share while China and Japan accounted for 7% and

6.7% each. The remaining 24.3% was shared among all the other markets. See details in Figure C5.


2017 Q1 114,894 15,107 13,660 19,565 163,226

2017 Q4 165,613 21,362 14,184 19,586 220,745

2018 Q1 125,842 13,497 12,804 19,361 171,504

% change Q1 18/Q4 17 -24.0 -36.8 -9.7 -1.1 -22.3

% change Q1 18/Q1 17 9.5 -10.7 -6.3 -1.0 5.1

% share Q1 2018 73.4 7.9 7.5 11.3 100.0

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Figure C5: Tourist Arrivals in French Polynesia by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2018

Source: Institut de la Statistique de la Polynesie Francaise

Palau

In March Quarter of 2018, Palau received 33,906 tourists to its shores, a rise of 19.3% against the

quarter before and 11.9% up over the March Quarter last year. Growth against the December

Quarter was boosted by the remarkable upswing in arrivals from Other Asia and South Korea each

rising by more than two fold. Double digit surge from India by 80%, Other Countries 41% and

USA by 34.6% with firm gain from UK, Europe, China, Japan and Taiwan further boost arrivals to

Palau. Meanwhile, the positive performance over the March Quarter in 2017 was attributed to solid

rise in arrivals from all markets except for Other Countries, Pacific Islands, Australia and Europe.

Figure C6: Tourist Arrivals in Palau by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2018

Source: Palau Visitors Authority

AustraliaNew

ZealandUSA Canada UK France Europe China Japan India

OtherAsia

PacificIslands

OtherCountries

Total

2017 Q1 1,849 1,395 16,185 2,061 742 6,410 3,229 2,304 3,749 220 652 1,373 1,586 41,755

2017 Q4 2,652 1,798 17,115 1,986 928 10,490 5,269 951 2,860 204 900 1,697 1,900 48,750

2018 Q1 1,810 1,222 17,874 2,946 980 6,414 3,714 3,142 3,036 196 798 1,166 1,811 45,109

% change Q1 18/Q4 17 -31.7 -32.0 4.4 48.3 5.6 -38.9 -29.5 230.4 6.2 -3.9 -11.3 -31.3 -4.7 -7.5

% change Q1 18/Q1 17 -2.1 -12.4 10.4 42.9 32.1 0.1 15.0 36.4 -19.0 -10.9 22.4 -15.1 14.2 8.0

% share Q1 2018 4.0 2.7 39.6 6.5 2.2 14.2 8.2 7.0 6.7 0.4 1.8 2.6 4.0 100.0

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IndiaOtherAsia

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OtherCountrie

sTotal

2017 Q1 163 34 1,988 150 1,443 12,787 7,490 2,266 3,298 12 240 195 229 30,295

2017 Q4 156 47 1,590 152 1,313 13,712 6,809 2,296 1,735 10 196 187 222 28,425

2018 Q1 135 39 2,140 172 1,370 14,196 8,321 2,645 3,924 18 487 146 313 33,906

% change Q1 18/Q4 17 -13.5 -17.0 34.6 13.2 4.3 3.5 22.2 15.2 126.2 80.0 148.5 -21.9 41.0 19.3

% change Q1 18/Q1 17 -17.2 14.7 7.6 14.7 -5.1 11.0 11.1 16.7 19.0 50.0 102.9 -25.1 36.7 11.9

% share Q1 2018 0.4 0.1 6.3 0.5 4.0 41.9 24.5 7.8 11.6 0.1 1.4 0.4 0.9 100.0

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In terms of shares, China continued to dominate arrivals in Palau with 41.9% down from the 47.7%

shares recorded in the preceding quarter. Japan rallied behind at 24.5% while South Korea

registered 11.6%. The remaining 16.2% was shared amongst all the other markets. Details are

illustrated in Figure C6.

Papua New Guinea

In March Quarter, Papua New Guinea received 33,541 tourists to its shores, a marked 7.8% gain

against the preceding quarter. Growth was driven by the double digit increase in arrivals from

Philippines at 58.1%, India 46.4%, Pacific Islands 29.9%, Other Asia 27.1%, China 26.8% and

Japan rising by 16%. The favourable performance partly reflected the increased air connectivity

between PNG and the Asia and the Pacific region. Compared to the corresponding period in 2017,

there was a decline of 7.8%, due mainly to the deceleration in arrivals from all source markets

except for China, Other Asia and Philippines.

In terms of shares, Australia continued its dominance as the major source market with 43.4% while

Philippines represented 11.4%. Other Asia followed closely at 11.2% and China with 8.6% share.

The remaining 25.4% was shared by the remaining source markets. Details in Figure C7.

Figure C7: Tourist Arrivals in Papua New Guinea by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2018

Source: Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority

Analysis by purpose of visit reveals that Business and Other purposes grew by 18.1% and 43.7%,

respectively against the preceding quarter while VFR and Leisure slumped by 39.7% and 20.6%

each. In contrast to the March Quarter in 2017, all segments registered declines. On shares,

Business represented the largest share of 79% followed by Leisure at 12.3%. VFR and Other

Purposes accounted for 4.5% and 4.3% shares, respectively. Details in Figure C8.

AustraliaNew

ZealandUSA Canada UK Europe China Japan Philipine

sIndia

OtherAsia

PacificIslands

OtherCountrie

s

Total(ExcludeCruise)

2017 Q1 16297 1787 1567 337 767 1636 2666 881 3801 1052 3539 1605 450 36385

2017 Q4 15498 1541 1264 344 737 1275 2270 720 2428 623 2948 1056 398 31102

2018 Q1 14545 1601 1256 231 611 1329 2879 835 3839 912 3747 1372 384 33541

% change Q1 18/Q4 17 -6.1 3.9 -0.6 -32.8 -17.1 4.2 26.8 16.0 58.1 46.4 27.1 29.9 -3.5 7.8

% change Q1 18/Q1 17 -10.8 -10.4 -19.8 -31.5 -20.3 -18.8 8.0 -5.2 1.0 -13.3 5.9 -14.5 -14.7 -7.8

% share Q1 2018 43.4 4.8 3.7 0.7 1.8 4.0 8.6 2.5 11.4 2.7 11.2 4.1 1.1 100.0

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Figure C8: Tourist Arrivals in Papua New Guinea by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2018

Source: Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority

Samoa

In March Quarter of 2018, Samoa received 31,774 tourists, a marked fall of 29.6% against the

preceding quarter. The deceleration was triggered by the decline in arrivals from Australia by

40.6%, New Zealand 32.6%, Pacific Islands 32.5%, Europe 13.2%, USA 1.4% and Other Asia

0.4%. Compared to March Quarter in 2017, arrivals to Samoa however outshined by 9.1%. The

positive outcome was boosted by the double digit increase in arrivals from Europe by 69.8%, USA

44.1%, Other Asia 21.2%, Other Countries 19.2%, Canada 16.2% and UK by 11.6%. Moderate

growth were also seen in arrivals from Japan and Australia. Meanwhile, arrivals from Pacific

Islands and China slumped by 22.7% and 17.4% respectively over the period.

Figure C9. Tourist Arrivals in Samoa by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2018

Source: Samoa Tourism Authority


2017 Q1 4501 2057 28371 1456 36385

2017 Q4 5183 2495 22430 994 31102

2018 Q1 4116 1504 26493 1428 33541

% change Q1 18/Q4 17 -20.6 -39.7 18.1 43.7 7.8

% change Q1 18/Q1 17 -8.6 -26.9 -6.6 -1.9 -7.8

% share Q1 2018 12.3 4.5 79.0 4.3 100.0

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Total

2017 Q1 5949 12670 2178 99 275 649 660 178 692 5282 501 29133

2017 Q4 10267 21899 3184 80 304 1269 541 165 842 6049 502 45102

2018 Q1 6097 14758 3138 115 307 1102 545 193 839 4083 597 31774

% change Q1 18/Q4 17 -40.6 -32.6 -1.4 43.8 1.0 -13.2 0.7 17.0 -0.4 -32.5 18.9 -29.6

% change Q1 18/Q1 17 2.5 16.5 44.1 16.2 11.6 69.8 -17.4 8.4 21.2 -22.7 19.2 9.1

% share Q1 2018 19.2 46.4 9.9 0.4 1.0 3.5 1.7 0.6 2.6 12.9 1.9 100.0

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Disaggregating by shares, New Zealand continued to dominate tourist arrivals in Samoa in March

Quarter with a remarkable share of 46.4% to 14,758 while Australia represented 19.2%. Pacific

Islands recorded a share of 12.9%, followed by USA at 9.9%. The remaining 11.4% was shared

among all the other markets. See details in Figure C9.

Figure C10: Tourist Arrivals in Samoa by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2018

Source: Samoa Tourism Authority

Analysis by purpose of visit shows that compared to the preceding quarter, all segments declined

with Leisure recording a dip of 53.4%, Business 41.6%, VFR 6.8% and Other purposes 0.6%.

Against the March Quarter of 2017, VFR rose by 38.1%, leisure showed a rather flat growth of

0.7% while the two remaining segments declined. In terms of shares, VFR dominated arrivals with

47.5%, followed by Leisure at 29%, other purposes 16.3% and business with 7.2%. Details are

illustrated in Figure C10.

Solomon Islands

Tourist arrivals to the Solomon Islands weakened by 11.5% to 6,296 in the March Quarter. This

was pushed down by the double digit reduction in arrivals from Canada by 25%, Australia 22.8%,

New Zealand 12.7%, USA 12.3% and Pacific Islands by 10%. Compared to the corresponding

quarter in 2017, arrivals to this destination went up by 29%. The positive outcome was boosted by

the remarkable surge in arrivals from China by 52.7%, Pacific Islands 43%, Japan 42.9%, Other

Asia 37.7%, USA 35%, Europe 31.5%, UK 29.3%, New Zealand 18.3% and Australia rising by

17.6%. This more than offset the fall in arrivals from Canada and Other countries.

Disaggregating by shares, Australia dominated arrivals at 34.9% followed by Pacific Islands at

22.5%. Other Asia recorded a share of 15.9%, New Zealand accounted for 5.7%, USA 5.1%, whilst

China represented 5%. The remaining 10.9% was shared among all the other source markets. See

details in Figure C11.


2017 Q1 9,141 10,935 2,501 6,556 29,133

2017 Q4 19,762 16,201 3,942 5,197 45,102

2018 Q1 9,209 15,097 2,302 5,166 31,774

% change Q1 18/Q4 17 -53.4 -6.8 -41.6 -0.6 -29.6

% change Q1 18/Q1 17 0.7 38.1 -8.0 -21.2 9.1

% share Q1 2018 29.0 47.5 7.2 16.3 100.0

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Figure C11: Tourist Arrivals in Solomon Islands by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2018

Source: Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau

Analysis by purpose of visit reveals, all segments against the previous quarter declined except for

Business which recorded a slight growth of 0.9%. Compared to March Quarter of 2017, Other

purposes rose by 64.2%, Leisure up 23.6%, VFR 15.8% and Business outshined by 11.8%.

On shares, other purposes dominated arrivals to Solomon Islands at 32.2%, Leisure with 27%,

Business edged closely at 26.1% whilst VFR represented the remaining share of 14.7%. See details

in Figure C12.

Figure C12: Tourist Arrivals in Solomon Islands by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2018

Source: Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau

Australia NZ USA Canada UK Europe China JapanOtherAsia

PacificIslands

OtherCountries

Total

2017 Q1 1,867 301 237 40 92 181 207 154 727 992 83 4,881

2017 Q4 2,844 408 365 44 137 253 348 180 899 1,577 58 7,113

2018 Q1 2,195 356 320 33 119 238 316 220 1,001 1,419 79 6,296

% change Q1 18/Q4 17 -22.8 -12.7 -12.3 -25.0 -13.1 -5.9 -9.2 22.2 11.3 -10.0 36.2 -11.5

% change Q1 18/Q1 17 17.6 18.3 35.0 -17.5 29.3 31.5 52.7 42.9 37.7 43.0 -4.8 29.0

% share Q1 2018 34.9 5.7 5.1 0.5 1.9 3.8 5.0 3.5 15.9 22.5 1.3 100.0

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2017 Q1 1,375 800 1,472 1,234 4,881

2017 Q4 2,732 1,207 1,630 1,544 7,113

2018 Q1 1,699 926 1,645 2,026 6,296

% change Q1 18/Q4 17 -37.8 -23.3 0.9 31.2 -11.5

% change Q1 18/Q1 17 23.6 15.8 11.8 64.2 29.0

% share Q1 2018 27.0 14.7 26.1 32.2 100.0

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Timor Leste

At the end of the First Quarter, 27,637 tourists visited Timor Leste recording a fall of 3.5% over the

preceding quarter. The backdrop reflected the deceleration in arrivals from Pacific Islands by 75%,

Indonesia 31.6%, Portugal 27.9%, Australia 20% and USA by 5.8%. Compared to March Quarter

of 2017, arrivals to Timor Leste fell slightly by 2.7%. The dip was mainly attributed to the

reduction in arrivals from Pacific Islands by 76.5%, Australia 47.2%, New Zealand 29.4%,

Indonesia 19.1% and USA by 0.6%. This more than offset the significant surge in arrivals from

Other Countries, Europe, Japan, UK and Other Asia during the period.

Figure C13: Tourist Arrivals in Timor Leste by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2018

Source: Ministry of Tourism, Timor Leste

On shares, this destination’s neighbor, Indonesia recorded the highest at 41.1% with Europe and

Other countries surpassing Other Asia and taking second place at 10.5% each. Other Asia followed

closely behind at 10.1% share while Australia scooped 7.6%. All other markets shared the

remaining 20.2%. See Details in Figure C13.

Tuvalu

In March Quarter, Tuvalu received 706 tourists, a marked decline of 12.5% against the December

Quarter, but outperformed the corresponding quarter of 2017 by 33.5%. The deceleration over the

previous quarter was mainly attributed to the reduction in arrivals from all the key markets except

Europe, India and Pacific Islands. Double digit reduction were recorded in arrivals from Australia

by 19%, New Zealand 21.4%, Canada 37.5%, UK 21.1%, Japan 14.9%, Other Asia 16% and Other

Countries with the highest drop by 73.9%. Meanwhile, the surge against the March Quarter of 2017

was boosted by the remarkable gain in arrivals from all the key markets except for China which

reduced by 28% and UK which remained flat over the period.

Australia NZ USA UK Europe China Japan Indonesia Portugal IndiaOtherAsia

PacificIslands

OtherCountries

Total

2017 Q1 4,006 265 492 272 684 2,335 445 14,633 2,078 206 2,439 51 501 28,407

2017 Q4 2,644 162 519 233 931 1,566 384 16,596 2,333 - 2,764 48 458 28,638

2018 Q1 2,114 187 489 391 2,903 1,713 883 11,357 1,681 203 2,799 12 2,905 27,637

% change Q1 18/Q4 17 -20.0 15.4 -5.8 67.8 211.8 9.4 129.9 -31.6 -27.9 0.0 1.3 -75.0 534.3 -3.5

% change Q1 18/Q1 17 -47.2 -29.4 -0.6 43.8 324.4 -26.6 98.4 -22.4 -19.1 -1.5 14.8 -76.5 479.8 -2.7

% share Q1 2018 7.6 0.7 1.8 1.4 10.5 6.2 3.2 41.1 6.1 0.7 10.1 0.0 10.5 100.0

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Figure C14: Tourist Arrivals in Tuvalu by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2018

On market shares, other Pacific Islands continued to account for the majority of the arrivals to

Tuvalu at 31.6% to 223. Other Asia followed at 21.1%, Australia represented 11.5% , New Zeland

7.8% whilst Europe and Japan at 6.9% and 5.7% share, respectively. All other countries accounted

for the remaining 15% share during the quarter. Details are shown in Figure C14.

Figure C15: Tourist Arrivals in Tuvalu by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2018

Analysis by purpose of visit reveals that Other segment rose by 31.6% whilst Leisure and Business

slumped by 10.5% and 22.4% respectively against the quarter prior. Compared to March Quarter of

2017, all segments increased with Other segment recording the highest growth.

On shares, Business dominated arrivals to Tuvalu at 52.8%, Leisure 28.9% and Other segment

represented the remaining share of 18.3%. See details in Figure C15.

Australia NZ USA Canada UK Europe China Japan IndiaOtherAsia

PacificIslands

OtherCountries

Total

2017 Q1 70 45 29 2 15 41 25 27 4 71 183 17 529

2017 Q4 100 70 35 8 19 44 18 47 9 178 210 69 807

2018 Q1 81 55 34 5 15 49 18 40 19 149 223 18 706

% change Q1 18/Q4 17 -19.0 -21.4 -2.9 -37.5 -21.1 11.4 0.0 -14.9 111.1 -16.3 6.2 -73.9 -12.5

% change Q1 18/Q1 17 15.7 22.2 17.2 150.0 0.0 19.5 -28.0 48.1 375.0 109.9 21.9 5.9 33.5

% share Q1 2018 11.5 7.8 4.8 0.7 2.1 6.9 2.5 5.7 2.7 21.1 31.6 2.5 100.0

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2017 Q1 137 333 51 521

2017 Q4 228 481 98 807

2018 Q1 204 373 129 706

% change Q1 18/Q4 17 -10.53 -22.45 31.63 -12.52

% change Q1 18/Q1 17 48.91 12.01 152.94 35.51

% share Q1 2018 28.90 52.83 18.27 100.00

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Vanuatu

In March Quarter of 2018, Vanuatu welcomed 23,512 tourists to its shores marking a fall of 25%

against the quarter before. The dip was owed to the reduction in arrivals from all source markets

except China recording a solid 19.2% surge over the period. Double digit fall were recorded for

New Zealand by 45.2%, Japan 29.8%, Australia 28.2%, Pacific Islands 19.6%, Europe 19.2% and

USA by 13.9%. Compared to the corresponding quarter in 2017, tourist arrivals to Vanuatu,

however, outperformed by 12.4%. This was boosted by increasing arrivals from all source markets

except for Japan and Europe which dropped by 9.7% and 2.7% respectively. Arrivals from New

Zealand recorded a maximum gain of 26.9%, Other countries rose by 20.2%. USA up 16.3%,

Pacific Islands 14%, Australia 12.2% and China rising by 7%.

On shares, Australia continued to dominate arrivals to this destination with 49.5% while Pacific

Islands represented 25.2%. New Zealand and Europe registered shares of 7.3% and 6.5%

respectively whilst the remaining 11.5% was shared by all the other markets. Details in Figure C16.

Figure C16: Tourist Arrivals in Vanuatu by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2018

Source: Vanuatu National Statistics Office

Analysis by purpose of visit reveals that all segments declined against the preceding quarter. Other

purposes fell by 37.8%, Business dipped by 32.7%, VFR down by 28.3% while Leisure declined by

22.3%. Compared to March Quarter of 2017, Leisure and VFR rose by 18.8% and 3.2% each while

Business and Other purposes dropped by 18.9% and 1.1% respectively.

On shares, Leisure dominated arrivals by 77.9% shares while VFR recorded 8.2%. Other purposes

followed at 7.5% and Business with 6.5% share. Details in Figure C17.

AustraliaNew

ZealandUSA Europe China Japan

PacificIslands

OtherCountries

Total

2017 Q1 10,370 1,346 601 1,567 956 206 5,199 678 20,923

2017 Q4 16,203 3,115 812 1,883 858 265 7,372 830 31,338

2018 Q1 11,631 1,708 699 1,525 1,023 186 5,925 815 23,512

% change Q1 18/Q4 17 -28.2 -45.2 -13.9 -19.0 19.2 -29.8 -19.6 -1.8 -25.0

% change Q1 18/Q1 17 12.2 26.9 16.3 -2.7 7.0 -9.7 14.0 20.2 12.4

% share Q1 2018 49.5 7.3 3.0 6.5 4.4 0.8 25.2 3.5 100.0

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Figure C17: Tourist Arrivals in Vanuatu by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2018

Source: Vanuatu National Statistics Office


2017 Q1 15,404 1,859 1,875 1,785 20,923

2017 Q4 23,563 2,677 2,257 2,841 31,338

2018 Q1 18,307 1,919 1,520 1,766 23,512

% change Q1 18/Q4 17 -22.3 -28.3 -32.7 -37.8 -25.0

% change Q1 18/Q1 17 18.8 3.2 -18.9 -1.1 12.4

% share Q1 2018 77.9 8.2 6.5 7.5 100.0

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Report obtainable from:

South Pacific Tourism Organisation

P.O. Box 13119

Suva

Fiji

Telephone: (679) 3304177

Fax: (679) 3301995

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.southpacificislands.travel


http://www.southpacificislands.travel/

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South Pacific Tourism Organisation Level 3, FNPF Place, 343-359 Victoria Parade

P.O. Box 13119, Suva, Fiji Islands. Phone: +679 3304177 | Fax: +679 3301995

Email: [email protected] Website: www.southpacificislands.travel

‘Marketing and Developing Tourism in the South Pacific’

QUARTERLY REVIEW OF TOURIST ARRIVALS IN PACIFIC ISLAND … · 2018-07-19 · V PREFACE The...

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