THE AUSSIE INVASION
Figures released this week by Tourism Fiji show a total of 27,531 Australians visited Fiji in October, that figure eclipsing the previous record of 26,342 set in September 2009 by 1189. The October 2009 result brings Fiji’s Australian visitor tally for the year to 189,603, now just 2.3 per cent down on the 194,063 figure achieved for the January – October period last year.

Tourism Fiji regional director Australia Paresh Pant said he was confident this deficit would be fully corrected by year’s end, based on preliminary figures advised by the NTO’s airline partners for November.

All of these, he said, had registered extremely positive load factors on the Australia-Fiji sector throughout the month and into early December.

“In the face of everything that has come our way in 2009, our Australian visitor arrivals figures have continued to build exponentially and are a huge cry from the huge drop we recorded in the first three months of this year,” he said.

“From our side the fact that more than 27,500 Australians have chosen to visit Fiji in the space of just one month represents a huge vote of confidence from this market.”

CHINESE tourist arrivals in Fiji have increased over the last couple of months – rising 14.4 per cent from 8842 people to 10,114.

Tourism Fiji chief executive Jo Tuamoto said for a new market like China, the figures were extremely positive. He said for the month of October last year, Fiji welcomed 53,138 international visitors — a 7.2 per cent increase over the 49,586 achieved the same period in 2008.

He said the figure took the total international numbers for January to October 2009 to 443,703.

Fiji welcomed a total of 53,994 visitors in August just 6.3% per cent short of the 57,609 total achieved in August 2008 , which was a record-breaking month
Tourism Fiji CEO Josefa Tuamoto said in a report in the Fiji Times that this included a new benchmark for Australia with 22,577 Australians visiting Fiji in August.  The record Australian figure comes hot on the heels of a record-breaking July, in which close to 25,000 Australians visited Fiji.

Mr Tuamoto said similarly arrival figures from New Zealand showed continuing strong growth, which helped Fiji’s international visitor arrivals tally for August bounce back strongly, with more than 12,600 Kiwis visiting throughout August, adding, “The Australian and New Zealand figures have again played a major part in helping Fiji to grow its overall international visitor arrivals to the point where they are now just 13.7% of the 387,464 achieved in January-August 2008.”

He also said, “We are experiencing regrowth in many of our other mature and developing markets especially China as the global recession appears to be winding down”, and  “When you take into account that we were almost 27% down in the first three months of the year, to have rebuilt our international market share to come within just 13% of our 2008 total is in itself a remarkable achievement for Tourism Fiji and it’s very hard working industry partners.”

He added, “Based on these figures and the onset of increased Pacific Blue flights ex-Australia, the new Air Pacific services ex-Hong Kong and the recently implemented Continental Airlines Japan-Nadi flights via Guam, Fiji looks to be gathering strength for a very strong finish to the year.”