Fiji will face intense competition from other tourist destinations as travel normalises after the COVID-19 pandemic, states the Asian Development Bank in its April Economic Outlook.
The ADB states Fiji’s dependence on Australian tourists is one-sided.
“It (Fiji) will have to compete with other destinations such as Bali (Indonesia) and Thailand,” stated the ADB.
“Fiji aims to increase arrivals from North America, with the national airline aiming to expand direct flight connections beyond Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as continue to fly the Vancouver route it launched in November.
“For the new routes, the national airline is expected to add two A350s this year to its current fleet.
“Before the pandemic, North Americans and Europeans normally stayed longer and spent more than visitors from other markets.
“Visitor arrivals from Australia in 2022 reached 94 per cent of their numbers in 2019, with December recording Fiji’s highest monthly arrivals ever.”
The ADB said arrivals from New Zealand and North America were more than two-thirds of their 2019 number and that surveys found visitors spending more daily and staying longer than in 2019.
“On average Australian visitors spent 20 per cent more from April to August than in the same period in 2019, while spending by American visitors was 18 per cent higher.”
The ADB says tourism rebound supported economic recovery in 2022 and the reopening of international borders at the end of 2021 revived tourism and contributed to 15 per cent Gross Domestic Product growth in 2022.
