Fiji is on track to achieve a major tourism milestone next year, with visitor arrivals projected to surpass the one-million mark for the first time in the country’s history.
According to the Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Update released by the Ministry of Finance on June 7, visitor arrivals are forecast to reach 1,003,283 in 2026, up from an estimated 986,367 visitors in 2025.
The projections highlight the continued strength of Fiji’s tourism sector, which remains one of the country’s most important economic drivers and largest sources of foreign exchange earnings.
The Ministry’s forecasts show visitor arrivals are expected to continue rising beyond 2026, reaching 1,023,349 in 2027 and 1,043,816 in 2028.
The tourism industry has recorded a remarkable recovery since the reopening of international borders following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Visitor arrivals surged from just 31,618 visitors in 2021 to 636,312 in 2022, before climbing to 929,740 in 2023 and 982,938 in 2024.
While growth in visitor numbers has moderated in recent years, the report notes that tourism earnings have continued to expand at a faster pace due to higher visitor spending.
Tourism earnings increased by 10.9 per cent in 2025 to $2.81 billion, supported by stronger expenditure from visitors arriving from Fiji’s major source markets, including Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Europe.
The Ministry said higher accommodation rates and increased spending by tourists helped boost industry revenue despite only a modest increase in arrivals.
The report also revealed that although the average holiday stay declined from 8.5 days to 7.9 days, daily visitor spending increased significantly.
Average daily expenditure rose by 10.8 per cent to $412.90, helping offset the shorter average stay and lifting overall tourism receipts.
Tourism earnings are forecast to rise further to $2.92 billion in 2026, before exceeding $3 billion in 2027 and reaching $3.19 billion by 2028.
The projected one-million-visitor milestone is expected to provide a significant boost to employment, business activity and government revenue, while reinforcing tourism’s position as the backbone of Fiji’s economic growth strategy.
The figures suggest that Fiji’s tourism recovery has now shifted from rebuilding visitor numbers to maximising visitor spending and sustaining long-term growth in the sector.
