QUARTERLY REVIEW OF TOURIST ARRIVALS IN …...Fiji, French Polynesia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) were the top three destinations in the March Quarter with arrival shares of 36.9%, 9.4%

I

QUARTERLY REVIEW OF TOURIST ARRIVALS IN

PACIFIC ISLAND COUNTRIES

QUARTER 1, 2017

June, 2017

II

Report prepared by : Research & Statistics Division

Contacts : Elizabeth Ragimana ([email protected])

Jennifer Butukoro ([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 2017 South Pacific Tourism Organization

June 2017

mailto:[email protected]



III

Table of Contents

Contents Pages

Preface V

Definition and Concepts VI

Sources of Information VI

1. World Overview 1

2. 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 10

Japanese Market 12

Chinese Market 13

Other Asia Market 14

Pacific Islands Market 16

Other Countries Market 17

4. Destination Analysis 19

(Only countries with actual data) 19

American Samoa 20

Cook Islands 21

Fiji 23

French Polynesia 23

Kiribati 24

New Caledonia 24

Palau 25

PNG 27

Solomon Islands 28

Timor Leste 30

Tonga 30

Tuvalu 32

Vanuatu 33

IV

Tables & Figures

Figure W1: World Tourist Arrivals by % Growth, Quarter 1 2017 ............................................................................... 1

Table R1: Tourist Arrivals to Pacific ACP and SPTO Member Countries, Quarter 1, 2017 ......................................... 2

Figure R1: Tourist Arrivals in Pacific ACP and SPTO Member Countries, Quarter 1, 2017 ....................................... 3

Table R2:Tourist Arrivals in Pacific ACP and SPTO Member Countries by Source Market, Q1,2017........................ 4

Figure R2: Tourist Arrivals in Pacific ACP and SPTO Member Countries by Source Market, Q1, 2017 .................... 4

Table R3: Australian Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2017 .................................................................... 5

Figure R3: Destination Share (%) of the Australian Market, Quarter 1, 2017............................................................... 6

Table R4: New Zealand Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2017 ............................................................... 7

Figure R4: Destination Share (%) of the New Zealand Market, Quarter 1, 2017 .......................................................... 7

Table R5: USA Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2017 ............................................................................ 8

Figure R5: Destination Share (%) of the USA Market, Quarter 1, 2017 ....................................................................... 9

Table R6: UK Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2017 .............................................................................. 9

Figure R6: Destination Share (%) of the UK Market, Quarter 1, 2017 ....................................................................... 10

Table R7: Europe Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2017 ....................................................................... 11

Figure R7: Destination Share (%) of the Europe Market, Quarter 1, 2017.................................................................. 11

Table R8: Japanese Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2017 .................................................................... 12

Figure R8: Destination Share (%) of the Japanese Market, Quarter 1, 2017 ............................................................... 13

Table R9: Chinese Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2017 .................................................................... 13

Figure R9: Destination Share (%) of the Chinese Market, Quarter 1, 2017 ................................................................ 14

Table R10: Other Asia Market by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2017 ................................................................ 15

Figure R10: Destination Share (%) of Other Asia Market, Quarter 1, 2017 ............................................................... 15

Table R11; Pacific Islands by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2017 ....................................................................... 16

Figure R11; Destination Share (%) of the Pacific Islands Market, Quarter 1, 2017 .................................................... 17

Table R12; Other Countries by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2017 ..................................................................... 17

Figure R12; Destination Share (%) of Other Countries Market, Quarter 1, 2017 ....................................................... 18

Figure C1: Tourist Arrivals in American Samoa by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2017 ............................................... 19

Figure C2: Tourist Arrivals in American Samoa by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2017 ............................................ 20

Figure C3: Tourist Arrivals in Cook Islands by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2017 ....................................................... 20

Figure C4: Tourist Arrivals in Cook Islands by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2017 ..................................................... 21

Figure C5: Tourist Arrivals in Fiji by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2017 ...................................................................... 22

Figure C6: Tourist Arrivals in Fiji by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2017 .................................................................... 23

Figure C7: Tourist Arrivals in French Polynesia by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2017 ................................................ 24

Figure C8: Tourist Arrivals in Kiribati by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2017 ................................................................ 25

Figure C9: Tourist Arrivals in Kiribati by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2017 ............................................................. 25

Figure C10: Tourist Arrivals in New Caledonia by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2017 ................................................. 26

Figure C11: Tourist Arrivals in Palau by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2017 ................................................................. 26

Figure C12: Tourist Arrivals in Papua New Guinea by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2017 ........................................... 28

Figure C13: Tourist Arrivals in Papua New Guinea by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2017 ......................................... 29

Figure C14: Tourist Arrivals in Solomon Islands by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2017 ............................................... 30

Figure C15: Tourist Arrivals in Solomon Islands by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2017 ............................................. 29

Figure C16: Tourist Arrivals in Timor Leste by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2017 ...................................................... 30

Figure C17: Tourist Arrivals in Tonga by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2017 ................................................................ 31

Figure C18: Tourist Arrivals in Tonga by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2017 ............................................................. 31

Figure C19: Tourist Arrivals in Tuvalu by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2017 ............................................................... 32

Figure C19: Tourist Arrivals in Tuvalu by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2017 ............................................................ 33

Figure C20: Tourist Arrivals in Vanuatu by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2017............................................................. 34

V

PREFACE

The Quarterly Review of Tourist Arrivals in Pacific Island Countries for First Quarter of 2017

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 2017 with comparative analysis

over the preceding quarter and the corresponding period of the previous year.

Of the Seventeen Pacific Island countries, thirteen responded with the required data. The

remaining countries either submitted partial data or did not submit data at all. SPTO will

continue its efforts to collect data from all member countries for inclusion in the next quarterly

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

Global Tourism performances remained solid in the first four months of 2017 with

international travels projected at 5.7% growth during the period.

International Visitor Arrivals (IVA) to the Asia and the Pacific region grew by 5.6% in

the First Quarter of 2017 boosted by solid growth in IVA to China and India.

Visitor arrivals to the Pacific ACP and SPTO member countries fell by 13.8% to 442,367

in the First Quarter from 512,931 in the Fourth Quarter of 2016, but up 0.9% over the

same period last year.

Fiji, French Polynesia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) were the top three destinations in

the March Quarter with arrival shares of 36.9%, 9.4% and 8.2%, respectively.

Arrivals from major source markets in March Quarter dropped by 10.6% against the

December Quarter but up 0.8% over the corresponding quarter of 2016.

Australia and New Zealand remained the region’s two lead markets in the First Quarter at

27.8% and 15.4% share, respectively.

In this edition,

o the coverage of tourist arrivals data analysis widened by including Timor Leste

o the source markets analysis expanded with the inclusion of ‘Other Countries’

section.

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 17 PIC member countries of

SPTO 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 Pacific ACPs and SPTO Member Countries, however, these

introductions have yet to be made.

1

1. World Overview

The UNWTO World Tourism Barometer1, pointed to another solid growth in tourism in the first

four months of 2017. Global International travels were projected at rising by 6.7% in January to

April of 2017 compared to the corresponding period in 2016. The positive outturn largely reflected

the strong demand for international travels with reports of international travel reservations rising by

7% during the period.

By UNWTO regions, Europe was projected at recording the highest growth in international travels

by 11.8% in the first four months of 2017. This followed by Africa and Middle East regions with

international travels expected in rising by 5.8% over the period. For the Asia and the Pacific region,

international travels was expected at increasing by 5.6% while the America’s anticipated by gaining

4.2% growth on international travels during the period. See Figure W1 for details.

Figure W1: International Travel by Percent (%) Change over the same period of the previous year.

. Source: UNWTO World Tourism Barometer

By interregional traffic, the Asia and the Pacific anticipated in benefiting from the strong growth in

international travels to the region from the Americas by 12.3%, Europe 7.3% and within the region

by 3.4%. Domestic travel within the Asia and the Pacific region expected to remain strong, fuelled

by India and China, increasing by 25% in the first four months of 2017. Consistent with UNWTO

projections, the Pacific Asia Travel Association Quarterly Tourism Monitor indicated international

visitor arrivals to the 29 Asia Pacific destinations rose by 5.6% to 88.5 million in the first quarter of

2017 over the corresponding quarter last year2.

1 UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, Volume 15 January 2017

2 The PATA Quarterly Tourism Monitor, 1Q 2017

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Global Africa Europe Asia & Pacific Americas

Inte

rnat

ion

al T

rave

ls

(% c

han

ge)

Jan-April 2017

2

2. Tourist Arrivals in the Pacific ACP & SPTO Member Countries3

Tourist arrivals in the Pacific ACP and SPTO member countries² in the First Quarter of 2017 fell by

a further 13.8% (or 70,565) to 442,367 arrivals following the 10.1% decline in the December

Quarter of 2016. The marked fall reflected various factors including low seasonality period and

unfavourable weather conditions arising from cyclones, heavy rain and flooding during the first

three months of the year that disrupted flights and intended travellers to the region. Consequently,

tourist arrivals to the region dropped, dragged down by considerably decline in arrivals to Tonga,

Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Fiji, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands

and to a lesser fall, American Samoa. This outweighed the increasing arrivals to Palau, Papua New

Guinea (PNG) and Timor Leste during the quarter. Compared to the corresponding quarter of 2016,

tourist arrivals to the region rose 0.9% with Kiribati showing the highest growth, albeit at a much

smaller base.

Table R1: Tourist Arrivals to Pacific ACP and SPTO Member Countries, Quarter 1, 2017

2016 2017 Absolute Change % change

%

share

Q1 Q4R Q1 Q12017/

Q4 2016

Q1 2017/

Q1 2016

Q1 2017/

Q4 2016

Q1 2017/

Q1 2016

Q1

2017

America Samoa 4250 4717 4622 -95 372 -2.0 8.8 1.0

Cook Islands 24261 38464 28661 -9803 4400 -25.5 18.1 6.5

FSM 5818 6101 5863 -238 45 -3.9 0.8 1.3

Fiji 158069 208802 163226 -45576 5157 -21.8 3.3 36.9

French Polynesia 41952 46652 41755 -4897 -197 -10.5 -0.5 9.4

Kiribati 514 1614 1360 -254 846 -15.7 164.6 0.3

Marshall Islands 1571 1116 1154 38 -417 3.4 -26.5 0.3

Nauru 3038 0 3002 3002 -36 -1.2 0.7

New Caledonia 26805 34970 26917 -8053 112 -23.0 0.4 6.1

Niue 970 2121 1960 -161 990 -7.6 102.0 0.4

Palau 40569 28244 30566 2322 -10003 8.2 -24.7 6.9

PNG 41727 32402 36385 3983 -5342 12.3 -12.8 8.2

Samoa 30289 38749 34300 -4449 4011 -11.5 13.2 7.8

Solomon Islands 5037 6811 4881 -1930 -156 -28.3 -3.1 1.1

Timor Leste 26107 18226 29350 11124 3243 61.0 12.4 6.6

Tonga 10155 16287 8847 -7440 -1308 -45.7 -12.9 2.0

Tuvalu 477 784 521 -263 44 -33.6 9.2 0.1

Vanuatu 16908 26871 18997 -7874 2089 -29.3 12.4 4.3

Total 438517 512932 442367 -70565 3850 -13.8 0.9 100.0

Source: SPTO, NTOs and NSOs

R denotes Revised. Data in red are SPTO estimates

3American 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 ²Data unavailable for FSM, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue and Samoa

3

On market shares, Fiji maintained its supremacy as the lead tourism destination in the region with

36.9% share in the First Quarter of 2017. However, this was below the 40.3% share recorded in the

December quarter of 2016. The second highest, French Polynesia accounted for 9.4%, followed by

Papua New Guinea at 8.2%, Samoa at an estimated 7.8%, Palau at 6.9%, Timor Leste 6.6%, Cook

Islands 6.5% and New Caledonia at 6.1%. The remaining 11.6% 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 4, 2016

Source: NTOs, NSOs & SPTO

The region’s major source markets following the 10.2% fall in the December Quarter of 2016,

dropped further by 10.6% (or 52,664) to 442,062 in the First Quarter of 2017. The deceleration was

underlined by drastic fall in the Pacific’s two leading source markets, Australia and New Zealand

by 24.5% and 31.7%, respectively. The decline in arrivals from Europe by 21.9%, Other Countries

11%, Pacific Islands 7.5% and USA by 0.1% also attributed to the decline. By contrast, tourist

arrivals from the Asian source market namely China, Japan and other Asian markets rose in the first

quarter over the December Quarter. The positive outturn mirrored the 5.6% growth in international

visitor arrivals to the Asia and the Pacific region during the quarter. Against the same quarter in

2016, arrivals by major source markets to the region however rose by 0.8% or 3329 higher.

Of the total arrivals to the region in the First Quarter, Australia and New Zealand as the leading

markets for the region recorded shares of 27.8% and 15.6%, respectively. USA, the third highest

source market overtaking Europe registered share of 10.8%, followed by Other Asia at 10.4%,

Europe recorded 8.8% while China and Pacific Islands registered shares of 8.3% and 8.2%,

respectively. The other source markets made up the remaining 10.2% at the end of the First quarter.

Details are clearly shown in Table R2 and Figure R2.

AmericaSamoa

CookIslands

FSM FijiFrench

Polynesia

KiribatiMarshallIslands

NauruNew

Caledonia

Niue Palau PNG SamoaSolomonIslands

TimoLeste

Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu

2016 Q1 4250 24261 5818 158069 41952 514 1571 3038 26805 970 40569 41727 30289 5037 26107 10155 477 16908

2016 Q 4 4717 38464 6101 208802 46652 1614 1116 0 34970 2121 28244 32402 38749 6811 18226 16287 784 26871

2017 Q1 4622 28661 5863 163226 41755 1360 1154 3002 26917 1960 30566 36385 34300 4881 29350 8847 521 18997

% change Q1 17/Q4 16 -2.0 -25.5 -3.9 -21.8 -10.5 -15.7 3.4 -23.0 -7.6 8.2 12.3 -11.5 -28.3 61.0 -45.7 -33.6 -29.3

% change Q1 17/ Q1 16 8.8 18.1 0.8 3.3 -0.5 164.6 -26.5 -1.2 0.4 102.0 -24.7 -12.8 13.2 -3.1 12.4 -12.9 9.2 12.4

% share Q1 2017 1.0 6.5 1.3 36.9 9.4 0.3 0.3 0.7 6.1 0.4 6.9 8.2 7.8 1.1 6.6 2.0 0.1 4.3

-100

-50

0

50

100

150

200

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

%

Tou

rist

Arr

ival

s

4

Table R2: Tourist Arrivals to Pacific ACP and SPTO member countries by Source Market, Q1 2017

2016

2017 Absolute Change

% Change

%

share

Q1 Q4 Q1 Q1 2017/

Q4 2016

Q1 2017/

Q1 2016

Q1 2017/

Q4 2016

Q1 2017/

Q1 2016

Q1

2017

Australia 124480 162726 123059 -39667 -1421 -24.4 -1.1 27.8

NZ 62435 101174 69074 -32101 6639 -31.7 10.6 15.6

USA 43486 47562 47505 -57 4019 -0.1 9.2 10.7

UK 10802 7325 8059 734 -2744 10.0 -25.4 1.8

Europe 41967 49556 38712 -10844 -3255 -21.9 -7.8 8.8

China 41927 28980 36722 7743 -5205 26.7 -12.4 8.3

Japan 24447 18906 24096 5189 -352 27.4 -1.4 5.5

Other Asia 45117 25208 46056 20848 939 82.7 2.1 10.4

Pacific Islands 29889 38921 36018 -2904 6128 -7.5 20.5 8.1

Other Countries 13966 14348 12763 -1585 -1203 -11.0 -8.6 2.9

Total 438517 494706 442062 -52644 3545 -10.6 0.8 100

Source: NTOs, NSOs and SPTO

Figure R2: Tourist Arrivals to Pacific ACP and SPTO Member countries by Source Market, Q1, 2017


Australia NZ USA UK Europe China JapanOtherAsia

PacificIslands

OtherCountrie

s

2016 Q1 124480 62435 43486 10802 41967 41927 24447 45117 29889 13966

2016 Q4 162726 101174 47562 7325 49556 28980 18906 25208 38921 14348

2017 Q1 122843 69074 47505 8059 38712 36722 24096 46056 36018 12763

% Change Q1 17/Q4 16 -24.5 -31.7 -0.1 10.0 -21.9 26.7 27.4 82.7 -7.5 -11.0

% Change Q1 17/Q1 16 -1.3 10.6 9.2 -25.4 -7.8 -12.4 -1.4 2.1 20.5 -8.6

% share Q1 2017 27.8 15.6 10.8 1.8 8.8 8.3 5.5 10.4 8.2 2.9

-40

-20

0

20

40

60

80

100

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

140000

160000

180000

%

Tou

rist

Arr

ival

s

5

3. Market Performance

Australian Market

Australian tourists visited the region declined further by 24.4% (or 39,677) to 123,059 in the First

Quarter of 2017 following the 2.0% fall in the December Quarter of 2016. The backdrop against the

previous quarter reflected reports of Australian travellers at 80% opted for long haul destinations

over 18% of short haul trips during the quarter. The devastated tropical cyclone in Australia with

unfavourable weather conditions in the region over the quarter disrupting intended travellers also

attributed to the fall.

On drivers, the deceleration was driven by significant fall in Australian tourist arrivals to Tonga by

54.5%, Cook Islands 42.4%, New Caledonia 38.5%, Vanuatu 33.4%, Solomon Islands 31.5%, Fiji

30.9%, Kiribati 25.3%, Palau 23.8%, French Polynesia 18.8%, and to a lesser extent American

Samoa by 0.5%. Meanwhile, Australian tourist arrivals to PNG and Tuvalu rose by 2% and 21%,

respectively. Compared to the March quarter in 2016, Australian tourist to the region also fell by

1.1% with the highest fall emanating from Palau by 44%.

Table R3: Australian Tourists by Destination and Destination Share, Quarter 1, 2017 2016 2017 Absolute Change

% Change

%

share

Q1 Q4 Q1 Q1 2017/

Q4 2016

Q1 2017/

Q1 2016

Q1 2017/

Q4 2016

Q1 2017/

Q1 2016

Q1

2017

American Samoa 176 206 205 -1 29 -0.5 16.5 0.2

Cook Islands 4299 7762 4473 -3289 174 -42.4 4.0 3.6

FSM 164 266 161 -105 -3 -39.5 -2.1 0.1

Fiji 71636 100165 69220 -30945 -2416 -30.9 -3.4 56.2


Kiribati 101 289 216 -73 115 -25.3 113.9 0.2

Marshall Islands 63 64 65 1 2 1.2 2.6 0.1

Nauru 2154 0 2171 2171 17 0.8 1.8

New Caledonia 3745 6156 3783 -2373 38 -38.5 1.0 3.1

Niue 121 205 151 -54 30 -26.3 24.8 0.1

Palau 291 214 163 -51 -128 -23.8 -44.0 0.1

PNG 18770 15970 16297 327 -2473 2.0 -13.2 13.2

Samoa 6195 8331 7127 -1204 932 -14.5 15.0 5.8

Solomon Islands 2024 2726 1867 -859 -157 -31.5 -7.8 1.5

Timor Leste 2321 0 4006 4006 1685 72.6 3.3

Tonga 2019 3672 1670 -2002 -349 -54.5 -17.3 1.4

Tuvalu 67 58 70 12 3 21.2 4.5 0.1

Vanuatu 8269 14366 9566 -4800 1297 -33.4 15.7 7.8

Total 124480 162726 123059 -39667 -1421 -24.4 -1.1 100.0

Source: NTOs, NSOs and SPTO. Data in red are SPTO estimates

R, denotes 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 56.2% share. Papua New Guinea maintained the second

highest share at 13.2%, up from 10.1% in the previous quarter, and Vanuatu the third highest at

6

7.8%. All the other destinations accounted for the remaining 22.7% share. Details are shown in

Table R3 and Figure R3.

Figure R3: Destination Share (%) of the Australian Market, Quarter 1, 2017

New Zealand Market

The region received 69,074 New Zealand tourists in the March quarter of 2017. This showed a

further 31.7% (32,101) decline against the 101,174 arrivals in December quarter of 2016. The

drastic fall against the previous quarter partly reflected the 34% decline in outbound New Zealand

residents to the region over the period. Driving the fall, was the considerable slid in New Zealand

tourists to Tuvalu by 65.9%, Kiribati 59%, Vanuatu 55%, Tonga 48.4%, New Caledonia 46.5%,

Fiji 40%, Cook Islands 31.2%, Solomon Islands 26.2% and French Polynesia down by 4.4%. This

outweighed the increase in New Zealand arrivals to American Samoa, and PNG. Compared to the

corresponding quarter of 2016, arrivals from this source market was up by 10.6%. Growth was

driven mainly by increasing New Zealand tourists to American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, French

Polynesia, Kiribati, New Caledonia and Timor Leste.

On market shares, Fiji received the highest from this market at 34.4%. However, this was lower

than the 40.0% share registered in the preceding quarter. The second highest Cook Islands received

24.1% of this market share, followed by Samoa at an estimated 22.3%, and Tonga at 6.1%. The

remaining 13.1% was shared among all the other countries. Table R4 and Figure R4 illustrates

more details.

American Samoa 0.2%

Cook Islands 3.6% FSM

0.1%

Fiji 56.2%

French Polynesia 1.5%

Kiribati 0.0%

Marshall Islands 0.1%

Nauru 1.8%

New Caledonia 3.1%

Niue 0.1%

Palau 0.1%

PNG 13.2%

Samoa 5.8%

Solomon Islands 1.5%

Timo Leste 3.3%

Tonga 1.4%

Tuvalu 0.1%

Vanuatu 7.8%

7

Table R4:– New Zealand Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2017

2016 2017 Absolute Change

% Change

%

share

Q1 Q4 Q1 Q1 2017/

Q4 2016

Q1 2017/

Q1 2016

Q1 2017/

Q4 2016

Q1 2017/

Q1 2016

Q1

2017

American Samoa 670 671 793 122 123 18.2 18.4 1.1

Cook Islands 13627 24188 16657 -7531 3030 -31.1 22.2 24.1

FSM 44 55 48 -8 4 -13.7 8.0 0.1

Fiji 21814 39537 23732 -15805 1918 -40.0 8.8 34.4

French Polynesia 1046 1459 1395 -64 349 -4.4 33.4 2.0

Kiribati 53 183 75 -108 22 -59.0 41.5 0.1


Nauru 317 0 303 303 -14 -4.4 0.4

New Caledonia 1148 2224 1190 -1034 42 -46.5 3.7 1.7

Niue 746 1683 1544 -139 798 -8.3 107.0 2.2

Palau 0 0 34 34 34 0.0

PNG 2142 1669 1787 118 -355 7.1 -16.6 2.6

Samoa 13946 17981 15424 -2557 1478 -14.2 10.6 22.3

Solomon Islands 279 408 301 -107 22 -26.2 7.9 0.4

Timor Leste 127 0 265 265 138 108.7 0.4

Tonga 5029 8166 4214 -3952 -815 -48.4 -16.2 6.1

Tuvalu 48 132 45 -87 -3 -65.9 -6.3 0.1

Vanuatu 1359 2794 1242 -1552 -117 -55.5 -8.6 1.8

Total 62435 101174 69074 -32101 6639 -31.7 10.6 100.0

Source: NTOs, NSOs and SPTO. Data in red are SPTO estimates

Figure R4: Destination Share (%) of the New Zealand Market

American Samoa 1.1%

Cook Islands 24.1%

FSM 0.1%

Fiji 34.4%


Kiribati 0.1%


Nauru 0.4%

New Caledonia 1.7%

Niue 2.2%

Palau 0.0%

PNG 2.6%

Samoa 22.3%


Timo Leste 0.4%

Tonga 6.1%

Tuvalu 0.1%

Vanuatu 1.8%

8

USA Market

Tourist arrivals from the USA market fell by 0.1% to 47,505 in March Quarter following

consecutive decline in the past two quarters. The drop against the previous quarter was driven

mainly by reduction in USA tourists to Fiji by 6.6%, Palau 7.3%, PNG 6.8%, Solomon Islands

29.9%, Vanuatu 26.7% and Tonga with the highest slump by 44.7%. This more than offset the

increasing USA arrivals to Kiribati by 83.9%, Cook Islands 12.5%, French Polynesia 8.8%,

American Samoa 6.1%, Tuvalu 3.2% and New Caledonia surging by more than two fold. Against

the March quarter of 2016, USA arrivals to the region increased by 9.2% with Kiribati again

showing the fastest growth, albeit from a much smaller base. Details are clearly shown in Table R5.

Table R5: USA Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2017

2016 2017 Absolute Change

% Change

%

share

Q1 Q4 Q1 Q1 2017/

Q4 2016

Q1 2017/

Q1 2016

Q1 2017/

Q4 2016

Q1 2017/

Q1 2016

Q1

2017

American Samoa 1065 990 1050 60 -15 6.1 -1.4 2.2

Cook Islands 1245 1754 1973 219 728 12.5 58.5 4.2

FSM 1402 1427 1430 3 28 0.2 2.0 3.0

Fiji 14031 18357 17139 -1218 3108 -6.6 22.2 36.1

French Polynesia 15961 14874 16185 1311 224 8.8 1.4 34.1

Kiribati 30 286 526 240 496 83.9 1653.3 1.1


New Caledonia 224 67 166 99 -58 147.8 -25.9 0.3

Niue 7 39 37 -2 30 -5.1 428.6 0.1

Palau 2372 2191 2031 -160 -341 -7.3 -14.4 4.3

PNG 1574 1682 1567 -115 -7 -6.8 -0.4 3.3

Samoa 2483 2378 2572 194 89 8.2 3.6 5.4

Solomon Islands 359 338 237 -101 -122 -29.9 -34.0 0.5

Timor Leste 608 0 492 492 -116 -19.1 1.0

Tonga 1067 1998 1105 -893 38 -44.7 3.6 2.3

Tuvalu 24 28 29 1 5 3.6 20.8 0.1

Vanuatu 624 760 557 -203 -67 -26.7 -10.7 1.2

Total 43486 47562 47505 -57 4019 -0.1 9.2 100.0

Note: Data unavailable for Nauru. Data in red are SPTO estimates.


In terms of share, majority of the USA tourists at 36.1% visited Fiji during the First Quarter of

2017. However, this was below the 38.1% share recorded in the December quarter. The second

highest, French Polynesia recorded shares of 34.1%, followed by Samoa at an estimated 5.4%,

Palau 4.3% and Cook Islands by 4.2%. All the other countries accounted for the remaining 16.0%.

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 rebounded strongly by 10.0% (or 734) in the First

Quarter of 2017 to 8,059 arrivals compared to the 7.5% decline in December Quarter of 2016.

Driving this growth was the increase in UK tourists to Cook Islands by 56.2%, Tuvalu 15.2%,

Solomon Islands 12.2%, PNG 2.5% and Fiji rising by 1.1%. This outweighed the drop in UK

tourists to American Samoa, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Palau and Tonga. Compared to the

corresponding Quarter of 2016, UK tourist arrivals however fell by 25.4% with PNG showing the

highest fall by 73.3%.

Table R6: UK Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2017

2016 2017 Absolute Change % Change %

share

Q1 Q4 Q1 Q1 2017/

Q4 2016

Q1 2017/

Q1 2016

Q1 2017/

Q4 2016

Q1 2017/

Q1 2016

Q1

2017

American Samoa 29 44 23 -21 -6 -47.7 -20.7 0.3

Cook Islands 1102 593 926 333 -176 56.2 -16.0 11.5

Fiji 4267 4185 4227 42 -40 1.0 -0.9 52.5


Kiribati 17 64 37 -27 20 -42.2 117.6 0.5


New Caledonia 309 191 139 -52 -170 -27.2 -55.0 1.7

Niue 7 23 33 10 26 43.5 371.4 0.4

Palau 184 177 150 -27 -34 -15.3 -18.5 1.9

PNG 2868 748 767 19 -2101 2.5 -73.3 9.5

Samoa 442 256 475 219 33 85.4 7.4 5.9

Solomon Islands 93 82 92 10 -1 12.2 -1.1 1.1

American Samoa 2.2%

Cook Islands 4.2%

FSM 3.0%

Fiji 36.1%


Kiribati 1.1%


Nauru 0.0%

New Caledonia 0.3%

Niue 0.1%

Palau 4.3%

PNG 3.3%

Samoa 5.4%


Timor Leste 1.0%

Tonga 2.3%

Tuvalu 0.1%

Vanuatu 1.2%

10

Timor Leste 286 0 272 272 -14 -4.9 3.4

Tonga 162 168 138 -30 -24 -17.9 -14.8 1.7

Tuvalu 8 13 15 2 7 15.4 87.5 0.2

Total 10802 7325 8059 734 -2744 10.0 -25.4 100.0

Note: Data unavailable in all Quarters for unlisted countries. Data in red are SPTO estimates


On market shares, more than half of the total UK tourists at 52.5% visited Fiji during the March

Quarter. However, this was below the 57.7% share registered in the preceding quarter. Cook Islands

the second highest received 11.5%, overtaking PNG and French Polynesia which reduced to shares

of 9.5% and 9.2% respectively during the quarter. The remaining 17.3% was shared among all other

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

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

European Market

Tourist arrivals from the European Market to the region fell further by 21.9% (or 10,848) to 38,712

arrivals in the March Quarter following consecutive drop in the past two quarters. Mirroring, the

fall was reports of outbound European travellers at 55% opted for short haul trips of 0-3 days

during the quarter. On drivers, the backdrop against the December quarter of 2016 stemmed from

significant fall in European tourists to New Caledonia by 40.4%, Vanuatu 39.8%, Solomon Islands

38.2%, French Polynesia 37.9%, Tonga 21.6%, Palau 18.3%, American Samoa 13.9%, Fiji 6.3%

with estimated fall from FSM and Nauru. Meanwhile, European tourists to Cook Islands, Kiribati,

PNG and Tuvalu increased during the First Quarter of 2017. The latter showed the fastest growth

by 59.1% albeit from a much smaller base. Compared to the corresponding quarter of 2016,

European tourists to the region also fell by 7.8% with Vanuatu showing the highest slump at 44.9%

during the quarter.

American Samoa 0.3%

Cook Islands 11.5%

FSM 0.0%

Fiji 52.5%


Kiribati 0.5%


Nauru 0.0%

New Caledonia 1.7%

Niue 0.4%

Palau 1.9% PNG

9.5%

Samoa 5.9%


Timor Leste 3.4%

Tonga 1.7%

Tuvalu 0.2%

Vanuatu 0.0%

11

Table R7: European Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2017


share

Q1 Q4 Q1 Q1 2017/

Q4 2016

Q1 2017/

Q1 2016

Q1 2017/

Q4 2016

Q1 2017/

Q1 2016

Q1

2017

American Samoa 71 79 68 -11 -3 -13.9 -4.2 0.2

Cook Islands 2067 2374 2508 134 441 5.6 21.3 6.5

FSM 490 543 528 -15 38 -2.8 7.7 1.4

Fiji 7789 8425 7898 -527 109 -6.3 1.4 20.4


Kiribati 6 49 54 5 48 10.2 800.0 0.1


Nauru 29 0 25 25 -4 -14.9 0.1

New Caledonia 11394 15040 8960 -6080 -2434 -40.4 -21.4 23.1

Niue 23 56 80 24 57 42.0 245.7 0.2

Palau 1343 1770 1443 -327 100 -18.5 7.4 3.7

PNG 2463 1621 1636 15 -827 0.9 -33.6 4.2

Samoa 694 696 954 258 260 37.0 37.4 2.5

Solomon Islands 222 293 181 -112 -41 -38.2 -18.5 0.5

Timor Leste 2566 0 2762 2762 196 7.6 7.1

Tonga 512 560 414 -146 -98 -26.1 -19.1 1.1

Tuvalu 46 27 41 14 -5 51.9 -10.9 0.1

Vanuatu 2670 2447 1472 -975 -1198 -39.8 -44.9 3.8

Total 41967 49556 38712 -10844 -3255 -21.9 -7.8 100.0


Note: Data in red are SPTO estimates

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

American Samoa 0.2%

Cook Islands 6.5%

FSM 1.4%

Fiji 20.4%


Kiribati 0.1%


Nauru 0.1%

New Caledonia 23.1%

Niue 0.2%

Palau 3.7%

PNG 4.2%

Samoa 2.5%


Timo Leste 7.1%

Tonga 1.1%

Tuvalu 0.1%

Vanuatu 3.8%

12

On market shares, French Polynesia received the highest at 24.9% of the total European tourists,

overtaking New Caledonia which reduced to 23.1% from 27.4% share in the December quarter.

The third highest Fiji accounted for 20.4%, followed by Timor Leste at 7.1% and Cook Islands at

6.5%. The remaining 17.9% was shared amongst all the other countries in the region. See Table R7

and Figure R7 for further details.

Japanese Market

Japanese tourists visited the region rebounded strongly by 27.4% (or 5189) to 24,096 arrivals in the

First Quarter of 2017. The upturn was driven by surge in Japanese tourists to New Caledonia by

54.5%, French Polynesia 33.4%, Fiji 33.4%, Tonga 21.7%, Palau 13.4% and PNG by 10%. By

contrast, Japanese tourists to American Samoa, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Tuvalu and Vanuatu fell

during the quarter. Against the March quarter of 2016, Japanese tourists to the region fell by 1.4%

with Palau recorded the highest fall by 22.9%. See details in Table R8.

Table R8: Japanese Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2017

2016 2017 Absolute Change % Change

%

share

Q1 Q4 Q1 Q1 2017/

Q4 2016

Q1 2017/

Q1 2016

Q1 2017/

Q4 2016

Q1 2017/

Q1 2016

Q1

2017

American Samoa 8 26 12 -14 4 -53.8 50.0 0.0

Cook Islands 61 156 91 -65 30 -41.7 49.2 0.4

FSM 740 828 500 -328 -240 -39.7 -32.5 2.1

Fiji 1636 1385 1767 382 131 27.6 8.0 7.3

French Polynesia 3004 2810 3749 939 745 33.4 24.8 15.6

Kiribati 21 68 51 -17 30 -25.0 142.9 0.2


New Caledonia 7522 5378 8308 2930 786 54.5 10.4 34.5

Niue 17 6 20 14 3 233.3 17.6 0.1

Palau 9712 6607 7490 883 -2222 13.4 -22.9 31.1

PNG 635 801 881 80 246 10.0 38.7 3.7

Samoa 131 155 151 -5 20 -2.9 14.9 0.6

Solomon Islands 122 189 154 -35 32 -18.5 26.2 0.6

Timor Leste 320 0 445 445 125 39.1 1.8

Tonga 199 152 185 33 -14 21.7 -7.0 0.8

Tuvalu 33 42 27 -15 -6 -35.7 -18.2 0.1

Vanuatu 186 223 184 -39 -2 -17.5 -1.1 0.8

Total 24447 18906 24096 5189 -352 27.4 -1.4 100.0


Note: Data unavailable for Nauru. Data in red are SPTO estimates

On market shares, majority of the Japanese tourists visited New Caledonia at 34.5% overtaking

Palau which reduced to 31.1% from 35.5% in the December quarter. The third main destination for

this source market, French Polynesia accounted for 15.4% and Fiji at 7.3%. All the other countries

accounted for the remaining 11.5% share. Details are shown in Table R8 and Figure R8.

13

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

Chinese Market

Chinese tourists, after a weak growth in the December Quarter rebounded strongly by 26.7% (or

7743) to 36,772 arrivals in the March Quarter of 2017. The surge partly reflected reports of million

Chinese taking long-haul vacations in the Southern hemisphere in search for cleaner atmosphere to

escape the thick blanket of smog in Beijing earlier this year. On drivers, the positive performance

against the previous quarter stemmed from increasing Chinese tourists destined to French Polynesia

rising at more than two fold. Growth was also driven by significant increase in Chinese tourists to

Cook Islands by 56.9%, Tuvalu 47.1%, American Samoa 28.2%, PNG 21.9%, Vanuatu 6.2%, and

Fiji and Palau rebounding by 17.5% and 12.8%, respectively. Compared to the corresponding

quarter in 2016, Chinese tourist to the region however fell by 12.4%. The highest drop was New

Caledonia falling by 40.2% while Tonga showed the fastest pace by 43.3%.

Table R9: Chinese Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2017


%

share

Q1 Q4 Q1 Q1 2017/

Q4 2016

Q1 2017/

Q1 2016

Q1 2017/

Q4 2016

Q1 2017/

Q1 2016

Q1

2017

American Samoa 84 71 91 20 7 28.2 8.3 0.2

Cook Islands 207 167 262 95 55 56.9 26.6 0.7

FSM 524 595 500 -96 -24 -16.0 -4.6 1.4

Fiji 13282 11455 13460 2005 178 17.5 1.3 36.7

French Polynesia 2816 965 2304 1339 -512 138.8 -18.2 6.3

Kiribati 0 64 19 -45 19 -70.3 0.1


New Caledonia 92 85 55 -30 -37 -35.3 -40.2 0.1

Niue 0 15 4 -11 4 -75.0 0.0

Palau 18825 11337 12787 1450 -6038 12.8 -32.1 34.8

PNG 2640 2187 2666 479 26 21.9 1.0 7.3

American Samoa 0.0%

Cook Islands 0.4%

FSM 2.1%

Fiji 7.3%

French Polynesia

15.6% Kiribati

0.2%

Marshall Islands 0.3% Nauru

0.0%

New Caledonia 34.5%

Niue 0.1%

Palau 31.1%

PNG 3.7%

Samoa 0.6%


Timo Leste 1.8%

Tonga 0.8%

Tuvalu 0.1%

Vanuatu 0.8%

14

Samoa 673 625 811 186 138 29.8 20.5 2.2

Solomon Islands 166 246 207 -39 41 -15.9 24.7 0.6

Timor Leste 1749 0 2335 2335 586 33.5 6.4

Tonga 224 325 321 -4 97 -1.2 43.3 0.9

Tuvalu 36 17 25 8 -11 47.1 -30.6 0.1

Vanuatu 575 792 841 49 266 6.2 46.3 2.3

Total 41927 28980 36722 7743 -5205 26.7 -12.4 100.0


Note: Data unavailable for Nauru. Data in red are SPTO estimates

On market shares, of the total Chinese tourists, the majority at 36.7% to 13460 arrivals visited Fiji.

Palau the second highest for Chinese market accounted for 34.8% to 12787 arrivals, followed by

Papua New Guinea at 7.3% and Timor Leste at 6.4%. The remaining 14.9% share was distributed

among all the other regional countries. Details are shown in Table R9 and Figure R9.

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

Other Asia Market

Tourist Arrivals from Other Asia Market4 to the region increased significantly by 82.7% to 46,056

arrivals in the First Quarter of 2017 as opposed to the 10.1% fall in the previous quarter. The surge

was boosted by significant increase in Other Asian tourists to Papua New Guinea by 44.8% and

Palau by 9.5%. Improved data coverage with the inclusion of Timor Leste tourist arrivals of 18,221

from Other Asia Market also partly explained the positive movement during the quarter. Compared

to March quarter of 2016, Other Asian tourists to the region also increase by 14.5% with Tuvalu

and Cook Islands showing the fastest growth by 56.3% and 53.1%, respectively.

4 Other Asia Market include India, South Korea, Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore

American Samoa 0.2%

Cook Islands 0.7%

FSM 1.4%

Fiji 36.7%


Kiribati 0.1%

Marshall Islands 0.1% Nauru

0.0% New Caledonia

0.1% Niue 0.0%

Palau 34.8%

PNG 7.3%

Samoa 2.2%


Timor Leste 6.4%

Tonga 0.9%

Tuvalu 0.1%

Vanuatu 2.3%

15

Table R10: Other Asia Market Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2017


%

share

Q1 Q4 Q1 Q1 2017/

Q4 2016

Q1 2017/

Q1 2016

Q1 2017/

Q4 2016

Q1 2017/

Q1 2016

Q1

2017

American Samoa 155 230 125 -105 -30 -45.7 -19.4 0.3

Cook Islands 96 180 147 -33 51 -18.3 53.1 0.3

FSM 1821 1765 1769 4 -52 0.2 -2.9 3.8

Fiji 6559 7610 7586 -24 1027 -0.3 15.7 16.5


Kiribati 0 172 55 -117 55 -68.0 0.1


Nauru 162 0 176 176 14 8.3 0.4

New Caledonia 557 649 522 -127 -35 -19.6 -6.3 1.1

Niue 0 10 3 -8 3 -75.0 0.0

Palau 7331 5550 6076 526 -1255 9.5 -17.1 13.2

PNG 7956 5796 8392 2596 436 44.8 5.5 18.2

Samoa 939 913 1080 167 141 18.2 15.0 2.3

Solomon Islands 741 857 727 -130 -14 -15.2 -1.9 1.6

Timor Leste 17259 0 18221 18221 962 5.6 39.6

Tonga 162 193 117 -76 -45 -39.4 -27.8 0.3

Tuvalu 48 87 75 -12 27 -13.5 56.3 0.2

Total 45117 25208 46056 20848 939 82.7 2.1 100.0



On market shares, Timor Leste received the highest arrivals from the Other Asian Market by 39.6%

to 18,221 with Indonesia arrivals accounting for 85% of this market due to its proximity. PNG the

second highest received 18.2% of the Other Asian market to 8392 arrivals. This followed by Fiji

and Palau with shares of 16.5% and 13.2% respectively. The remaining 12.6% was shared among

all the other destination in the region.

Figure R10: Destination Share (%) of Other Asia Market

American Samoa 0.3%

Cook Islands 0.3%

FSM 3.8% Fiji

16.5%


Kiribati 0.1%


Nauru 0.4%

New Caledonia 1.1%

Niue 0.0%

Palau 13.2%

PNG 18.2%

Samoa 2.3%


Timor Leste 39.6%

Tonga 0.3%

Tuvalu 0.2%

Vanuatu 0.0%

16

Pacific Islands

Tourist arrivals within the Pacific region dropped by 7.5% in the March quarter to 36,018 arrivals

from 38,921 arrivals witnessed in the December quarter. The downturn was driven mainly by slump

within the Pacific arrivals to Tonga by 38.7%, Solomon Islands 36.3%, Tuvalu 33.1%, Kiribati

28.7%, New Caledonia 24.1%, Cook Islands 15.8%, French Polynesia 12.1%, and American Samoa

and Vanuatu each by 6.6%. This more than offset the increasing tourists to Palau, with the fastest

growth by 99%, PNG 37.3%, and Fiji by 5.5% with estimated growth from Marshall Islands and

Niue. Compared to the corresponding quarter of 2016, tourist arrivals within the Pacific Island

countries rose by 23%. Growth in tourist arrivals to American Samoa, Fiji, French Polynesia,

Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tuvalu and Vanuatu attributed to the positive outcome.

Table R11: Pacific Islands Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2017


share

Q1 Q4 Q1 Q1 2017/

Q4 2016

Q1 2017/

Q1 2016

Q1 2017/

Q4 2016

Q1 2017/

Q1 2016

Q1

2017

American Samoa 1947 2343 2189 -154 242 -6.6 12.4 6.1

Cook Islands 442 418 352 -66 -90 -15.8 -20.4 1.0

FSM 510 513 509 -3 -1 -0.7 -0.1 1.4

Fiji 12967 13295 14028 733 1061 5.5 8.2 38.9


Kiribati 154 389 281 -108 127 -27.8 82.5 0.8


Nauru 322 0 272 272 -50 -15.6 0.8

New Caledonia 1362 4172 3279 -893 1917 -21.4 140.7 9.1

Niue 49 69 80 11 31 15.6 62.8 0.2

Palau 129 98 195 97 66 99.0 51.2 0.5

PNG 1664 1169 1605 436 -59 37.3 -3.5 4.5

Samoa 4308 7045 5289 -1756 981 -24.9 22.8 14.7

Solomon Islands 955 1558 992 -566 37 -36.3 3.9 2.8

Timor Leste 43 0 51 51 8 18.6 0.1

Tonga 681 948 581 -367 -100 -38.7 -14.7 1.6

Tuvalu 147 278 186 -92 39 -33.1 26.5 0.5

Vanuatu 2722 4821 4505 -316 1783 -6.6 65.5 12.5

Total 29889 38921 36018 -2904 6128 -7.5 20.5 100.0



With regards to market shares, Fiji continued to dominant this market with 38.9%. Samoa the

second highest represented estimated shares of 14.7%, followed by Vanuatu at 12.5%, New

Caledonia 9.1% and American Samoa at 6.1%. All the other countries represented the remaining

18.7% share of which PNG accounted for 4.5%.

17

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

Other Countries

In March Quarter of 2017, visitor arrivals elsewhere dropped by 11% to 12,763 from the preceding

quarter. Driving the fall was decline in tourists from Other Countries to Fiji, French Polynesia,

Kiribati, New Caledonia, Palau, Tonga, Vanuatu and Tuvalu with the highest fall by 92.2%. This

outweighed the increase in arrivals elsewhere to American Samoa, Cook Islands and PNG.

Compared to the March Quarter of 2016, arrivals from Other Countries around the globe slumped

by 8.6% with Kiribati showing the highest fall by 65.2%.

Table R12: Other Countries Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 1, 2017


%

share

Other Countries Q1 Q4 Q1 Q1 2017/

Q4 2016

Q1 2017/

Q1 2016

Q1 2017/

Q4 2016

Q1 2017/

Q1 2016

Q1

2017

American Samoa 45 57 66 9 21 15.8 46.7 0.5

Cook Islands 1115 872 1272 400 157 45.9 14.1 10.0

FSM 123 110 115 6 -8 5.3 -6.2 0.9

Fiji 4088 4388 4169 -219 81 -5.0 2.0 32.7


Kiribati 132 50 46 -4 -86 -8.0 -65.2 0.4


Nauru 54 0 56 56 2 3.7 0.4

New Caledonia 452 1008 515 -493 63 -48.9 13.9 4.0

Niue 0 15 9 -6 9 -38.3 0.1

Palau 382 300 197 -103 -185 -34.3 -48.4 1.5

PNG 1015 759 787 28 -228 3.7 -22.5 6.2

Samoa 478 369 419 50 -60 13.4 -12.4 3.3

Solomon Islands 76 114 123 9 47 7.9 61.8 1.0

Timor Leste 828 0 501 501 -327 -39.5 3.9

American Samoa 6.1%

Cook Islands 1.0%

FSM 1.4%

Fiji 38.9%


Kiribati 0.8%


Nauru 0.8%

New Caledonia 9.1%

Niue 0.2%

Palau 0.5%

PNG 4.5%

Samoa 14.7%


Timo Leste 0.1%

Tonga 1.6%

Tuvalu 0.5%

Vanuatu 12.5%

18

Tonga 100 105 102 -3 2 -2.9 2.0 0.8

Tuvalu 20 103 8 -95 -12 -92.2 -60.0 0.1

Vanuatu 503 668 630 -38 127 -5.7 25.2 4.9

Total 13966 14348 12763 -1585 -1203 -11.0 -8.6 100.0



Figure R12: Destination Share (%) of Other Countries Market

American Samoa 0.5%

Cook Islands 10.0%

FSM 0.9%

Fiji 32.7%


Kiribati 0.4%


Nauru 0.4%

New Caledonia 4.0%

Niue 0.1%

Palau 1.5%

PNG 6.2%

Samoa 3.3%


Timor Leste 3.9%

Tonga 0.8%

Tuvalu 0.1%

Vanuatu 4.9%

19

4. Destination Analysis

In this section, only regional member countries that provided complete Quarter 1, 2017 data in time

were reported.

American Samoa

In First Quarter of 2017, tourist arrivals to American Samoa declined by 2.2% to 4,622 arrivals

from 4,717 arrivals in Fourth Quarter of 2016. The fall was mainly attributed to decrease in arrivals

from Japan by 53.8%, Other Asia 50.4%, UK 47.7%, Philippines 39.2%, Europe 13.9%, Pacific

Islands 6.6%, Other Countries 4.4% and Australia falling by 0.5%. Meanwhile, in comparison to

Quarter 1, 2016, arrivals to American Samoa grew by 8.8%. Growth was mainly driven by

increasing tourists from Pacific Islands, New Zealand, Australia, Japan and Other Countries with

the highest growth.

In terms of market shares, majority of these tourists were from other Pacific Islands and accounted

for 47.4% to 2,189 of the total tourist arrivals in the First Quarter. The second highest, of 1,050

tourists came from the USA and this made up 22.7% of the market share. New Zealand tourists the

third highest represented 17.2% of the share, while all other countries accounted for the remaining

12.7% share. Details are shown in Figure C1.

Figure C1: Tourist Arrivals in American Samoa by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2017

Source: American Samoa Statistics Division, Dept. of Commerce

Analysis by purpose of visit revealed that majority of tourists to American Samoa in the March

Quarter were visiting friends and relatives (VFR) and this segment registered a share of 52.1%

while 26.4% of tourists were visiting for leisure purposes. Business tourists accounted for 18.4%

while 3% was made up of tourists visiting American Samoa for other purposes. In terms of growth

over the previous quarter, business and other purposes grew by 21.2% and 21.9% respectively

while leisure and VFR declined. Against the March quarter of 2016, only business tourists fell by

5.8% while Leisure, VFR and ‘other’ segments increased. Details are illustrated in Figure C2.

Australia NZ USA Canada UK EuropePhilippine

sChina Japan

OtherAsia

PacificIslands

OtherCountries

Total

2016 Quarter 1 176 670 1065 25 29 71 68 84 8 87 1947 20 4250

2016 Quarter 4 206 671 990 12 44 79 97 71 26 133 2343 45 4717

2017 Quarter 1 205 793 1050 23 23 68 59 91 12 66 2189 43 4622

% change Q1 over Q4 -0.5 18.2 6.1 91.7 -47.7 -13.9 -39.2 28.2 -53.8 -50.4 -6.6 -4.4 -2.0

% change Q1 over Q1 16.5 18.4 -1.4 -8.0 -20.7 -4.2 -13.2 8.3 50.0 -24.1 12.4 115.0 8.8

% share Q1 2017 4.4 17.2 22.7 0.5 0.5 1.5 1.3 2.0 0.3 1.4 47.4 0.9 100.0

-80

-60

-40

-20

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

5000

%

Tou

rist

Arr

ival

s

20

Figure C2: Tourist Arrivals in America Samoa, by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2017

Source: American Samoa Statistics Division, Dept. of Commerce

Cook Islands

In Quarter 1, 2017, Cook Islands received 28,661 tourists to its shores marking a decline of 25.5%

from the previous quarter. The deceleration stemmed from significant fall in inbounds from

Australia by 42.4%, Japan 41.7%, New Zealand 31.1%, Other Asia 18.3%, Pacific Islands 15.8%

and to a lesser extent Other countries falling by 3.8%. Compared to March quarter of 2016, arrivals

to Cook Islands however grew by 18.1% with USA recording the highest growth by 58.5%, Other

Asia 53.7%, Japan 49.2% and Other Countries rising by 42.3%. Arrivals from Australia, New

Zealand, China, Canada and Europe to this destination also grew over the corresponding quarter

last year. On monthly trends, the months of January and February have seen a growth in tourist

arrivals over the same months last year and the year before in 2015. The New Zealand market has

been dominating this growth boosted by changes in travelling habits and competitive airfares

introduced by additional airlines servicing the route during the period.

Figure C3: Tourist Arrivals in Cook Islands by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2017

Source: Cook Islands Statistics Office

Leisure VFR Business Others Total

2016 Quarter 1 1,103 2,171 904 72 4,250

2016 Quarter 4 1,242 2,658 703 114 4,717

2017 Quarter 1 1,222 2,409 852 139 4,622

% Change Q1 over Q4 -1.6 -9.4 21.2 21.9 -2.0

% Change Q1 over Q1 10.8 11.0 -5.8 93.1 8.8

% Share 26.4 52.1 18.4 3.0 100.0

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OtherAsia

PacificIslands

OtherCountrie

sTotal

2016 Quarter 1 4299 13627 1245 973 1102 2067 207 61 96 442 142 24261

2016 Quarter 4 7762 24188 1754 662 593 2374 167 156 180 418 210 38464

2017 Quarter 1 4473 16657 1973 1070 926 2508 262 91 147 352 202 28661

% change Q1 over Q4 -42.4 -31.1 12.5 61.6 56.2 5.6 56.9 -41.7 -18.3 -15.8 -3.8 -25.5

% change Q1 over Q1 4.0 22.2 58.5 10.0 -16.0 21.3 26.6 49.2 53.1 -20.4 42.3 18.1

% share Q1 2017 15.6 58.1 6.9 3.7 3.2 8.8 0.9 0.3 0.5 1.2 0.7 100.0

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With regards to market shares, New Zealand, despite the fall in arrivals during the quarter

continued to be the dominant source market for this destination with a share of 58.1%. Australia

and Europe registered 15.6% and 8.8% shares respectively. All the other source markets accounted

for the remaining 17.5%. Details are illustrated in Figure C3.

Figure C4: Tourist Arrivals in Cook Islands by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2017

Source: Cook Islands Statistics Office

Compared to Quarter 4, 2016, all segments in the First Quarter of 2017 registered decline with VFR

and ‘other purposes’ recorded the highest slump by 51.1% and 41.6% respectively. Arrivals of

leisure visitors dropped by 21% while business visitors dipped by 26.2%. Compared to the

corresponding quarter of 2016, all segments surged with ‘other purposes’ showing the highest

growth by 20.5%. Disaggregating by shares, leisure dominated arrivals with share of 86.5% whilst

‘VFR recorded 8.2%, business 3.2% and ‘Other Purposes’ with 2.2%. Details are illustrated in

Figure C4.

Fiji

During the First Quarter of 2017, Fiji received 163,226 tourists to its shores. This marked a further

21.8% decline following the 10.7% drop in the December Quarter of 2016. The deceleration was

underlined by drastic fall in Fiji’s two leading markets, Australia and New Zealand by 40% and

30.9%, respectively. A couple of reasons partly explained the negative outturn including low

seasonality, particularly in February, Australian travellers preferred for long haul destinations and

unfriendly weather conditions from tropical depressions, heavy rain and flooding that disrupted

flights and intended travellers to Fiji during the quarter. Weak arrivals from France falling by 20%,

Canada 11%, USA 6.6% and Europe by 3.4% also attributed to the decline. Compared to the First

Quarter of 2016, arrivals to Fiji rose by 3.3% driven by significant growths from USA, Other Asia,

France, New Zealand and other Pacific Island countries.


2016 Quarter 1 21,008 1,975 765 513 24,261

2016 Quarter 4 31,376 4,805 1,225 1,058 38,464

2017 Quarter 1 24,789 2,350 904 618 28,661

% Change Q1 over Q4 -21.0 -51.1 -26.2 -41.6 -25.5

% Change Q1 over Q1 18.0 19.0 18.2 20.5 18.1

% Share 86.5 8.2 3.2 2.2 100.0

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With regards to shares, Australia continued its dominance in the March quarter accounting for

42.4% share to 69,220 of the Fiji tourist arrivals. This was lower than the 48% share recorded in the

preceding quarter. New Zealand being the traditional second largest market, recorded share of

14.5% to 23,732, however this was below the 18.9% share in the previous quarter. USA the third

highest market accounted for 10.5% while Pacific Islands registered 8.6%. China one of Fiji’s

fastest growing markets represented 8.2% share, up from 5.5% share in the December Quarter. The

remaining 15.8% was shared among the other source markets. Details are shown in Figure C5.

Figure C5: Tourist Arrivals in Fiji by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2017

Source: Fiji Bureau of Statistics

Disaggregating visitor arrivals by purpose of visit, VFR and business registered growth by 21.6%

and 55.5% respectively when compared to the same period in 2016. Against the preceding quarter,

only business and ‘other purposes’ recorded growth while leisure and VFR declined drastically by

27.4% and 23.7%, respectively. In terms of shares, leisure tourists continued to dominate arrivals

into this destination with 70.4% to 114,894 shares, but below the 75.8% share seen in the previous

quarter. Tourists’ visiting for ‘other purposes’ and those visiting friends and relatives accounted for

12% and 9.3% each while business tourists made up the remaining 8.4%. Details are shown in

Figure C6.

AustraliaNew

ZealandUSA Canada France UK Europe China Japan Other Asia

PacificIslands

OtherCountries

Total

2016 Quarter 1 71636 21814 14031 2867 1031 4267 6758 13282 1636 6559 12967 1221 158069

2016 Quarter 4 100165 39537 18357 3347 1440 4185 6985 11455 1385 7610 13295 1041 208802

2017 Quarter 1 69220 23732 17139 2968 1152 4227 6746 13460 1767 7586 14028 1201 163226

% change Q1 over Q4 -30.9 -40.0 -6.6 -11.3 -20.0 1.0 -3.4 17.5 27.6 -0.3 5.5 15.4 -21.8

% change Q1 over Q1 -3.4 8.8 22.2 3.5 11.7 -0.9 -0.2 1.3 8.0 15.7 8.2 -1.6 3.3

% share Q1 2017 42.4 14.5 10.5 1.8 0.7 2.6 4.1 8.2 1.1 4.6 8.6 0.7 100.0

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Figure C6: Tourist Arrivals in Fiji, by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2017

Source: Fiji Bureau of Statistics

French Polynesia

Tourist arrivals to French Polynesia in the March quarter decreased by 10.5% to 41,755 compared

to the previous quarter. Driving this fall was the significant reduction in arrivals from Other

Countries with the highest drop by 58.8%, Europe 41.7% and France by 35.8%. The reduction in

tourist arrivals from Australia, New Zealand, UK, Other Asia and Other Pacific Islands also

attributed to the negative performance. This outweighed the strong arrival growth from Canada,

China, Japan and USA the major source market for this destination. Against the First Quarter of

2016, there was a slight decrease by 0.5% with United Kingdom and Other Asia showing the

highest fall by 26.2% and 25.3% respectively.

In terms of shares, the USA continues to dominate arrivals in French Polynesia during the quarter

with 38.8% share. France, the second highest represented 15.4%, followed by Japan at 9% Other

European countries 7.7% and China at 5.5%. The remaining 23.6% was shared amongst all the

other source markets with Canada and Australia accounted for 4.9% and 4.4%, respectively. See

details in Figure C7.


2016 Quarter 1 117,282 12,426 8,782 19,579 158,069

2016 Quarter 4 158,256 19,787 12,237 18,522 208,802

2017 Quarter 1 114,894 15,107 13,660 19,565 163,226

% Change Q1 over Q4 -27.4 -23.7 11.6 5.6 -21.8

% Change Q1 over Q1 -2.0 21.6 55.5 -0.1 3.3

% Share 70.4 9.3 8.4 12.0 100.0

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Figure C7: Tourist Arrivals in French Polynesia by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2017

Source: Institut de la Statistique de la Polynesie Francaise

Note : French Polynesia’s data on tourist arrivals by purpose of visit not available.

Kiribati

Tourist arrivals in Kiribati declined by 15.7% to 1,360 in March quarter of 2017 from 1,614 arrivals

in the December quarter of 2016. The deceleration was mainly driven by fall in arrivals from all

the major source markets except for USA and Europe which rose by 83.9% and 10.2%, respectively

during the quarter. Against the corresponding quarter of 2016, tourist arrivals to this destination

rose significantly by more than two folds. Growth was boosted by high inbounds from USA,

Europe, Japan, UK, Australia, Pacific Islands and New Zealand over the period.

Figure C8: Tourist Arrivals in Kiribati by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2017

Source: Kiribati National Tourism Office

Australia

NewZealan

dUSA

Canada

UK France Europe

China JapanOtherAsia

PacificIsland

s

OtherCount

riesTotal

2016 Quarter 1 2,065 1,046 15,961 2,437 1,006 6,451 3,088 2,816 3,004 1,167 900 2,011 41,952

2016 Quarter 4 2,277 1,459 14,874 1,484 758 9,987 5,541 965 2,810 1,085 1,562 3,850 46,652

2017 Quarter 1 1,849 1,395 16,185 2,061 742 6,410 3,229 2,304 3,749 872 1,373 1,586 41,755

% Change Q1 over Q4 -18.8 -4.4 8.8 38.9 -2.1 -35.8 -41.7 138.8 33.4 -19.6 -12.1 -58.8 -10.5

% Change Q1 over Q1 -10.5 33.4 1.4 -15.4 -26.2 -0.6 4.6 -18.2 24.8 -25.3 52.6 -21.1 -0.5

% Share 4.4 3.3 38.8 4.9 1.8 15.4 7.7 5.5 9.0 2.1 3.3 3.8 100.0

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2016 Quarter 1 101 53 30 17 6 0 21 0 154 132 514

2016 Quarter 4 289 183 286 64 49 64 68 172 389 50 1,614

2017 Quarter 1 216 75 526 37 54 19 51 55 281 46 1,360

% Change Q1 over Q4 -25.3 -59.0 83.9 -42.2 10.2 -70.3 -25.0 -68.0 -27.8 -8.0 -15.7

% Change Q1 over Q1 113.9 41.5 1,653.3 117.6 800.0 0.0 142.9 0.0 82.5 -65.2 164.6

% Share 15.9 5.5 38.7 2.7 4.0 1.4 3.8 4.0 20.7 3.4 100.0

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On market shares, the majority of the tourists at 38.7% came from USA overtaking Pacific Islands

and Australia which reduced to share of 20.7% and 15.9% each. New Zealand recorded a share of

5.5% while Other Asia accounted for 4%. The remaining 15.2% was shared among all the other

source markets. Figure C8 clearly illustrates the details.

Analysis by purpose of visit for Kiribati revealed that leisure and business against the preceding

quarter rose by 80.9% and 6.4%, respectively while VFR and ‘other purposes’ each declined by

43.8% and 79%. Compared to the same period in 2016, there was an overall strong positive growth

with all segments increasing except for ‘other purposes’ which fell by 6.2%. In terms of shares,

majority of tourists to Kiribati in the March Quarter were business tourists and accounted for 40.4%

shares. Leisure represented 37% of the total arrivals while VFR and ‘other purposes’ had 16% and

6.7% shares each. Details are shown in Figure C9.

Figure C9: Tourist Arrivals in Kiribati by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2017

Source: Kiribati National Tourism Office

New Caledonia

Tourist arrivals in New Caledonia dropped by 23% in the March quarter to 26,917 arrivals

compared to the previous quarter. The deceleration was underpinned by decline in arrivals from

UK by 62.8%, France 56.1%, China 47.1%, USA 43.2%, Europe 42.4%, Canada 37.7%, New

Zealand 36.4%and Australia falling by 25.2%. Compared to the corresponding quarter last year,

tourist arrivals in New Caledonia inched a little by 0.4%. Growth was originated from strong

arrivals from Other Pacific Islands, Other Countries and Japan with moderate increase from

Australia and New Zealand.

In terms of shares, Japan dominated arrivals and registered share of 30.9%. France which was the

traditional major source market for this destination recorded share of 29.4%, a significant reduction

from 38.5% in the previous quarter. Australia rallied in third with 14.1% while Pacific Islands

represented a share of 12.2%. The remaining 13.4% was shared amongst all the other source

markets. Details are illustrated in Figure C10.


2016 Quarter 1 154 21 242 97 514

2016 Quarter 4 278 386 516 434 1,614

2017 Quarter 1 503 217 549 91 1,360

% Change Q1 over Q4 80.9 -43.8 6.4 -79.0 -15.7

% Change Q1 over Q1 226.6 933.3 126.9 -6.2 164.6

% Share 37.0 16.0 40.4 6.7 100.0

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Figure C10: Tourist Arrivals in New Caledonia by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2017

Source: Institut de la statistique et des etudes economiques Nouvelle-Caledonie

Note; New Caledonia’s analysis by purpose of visit not attempted due to inconsistent with arrivals data by major source markets.

Palau

In March Quarter of 2017, tourist arrivals to Palau rebounded by 8.2% to 30,566 from the 25.6%

dip in the previous quarter. The upturn was boosted mainly by increasing arrivals from other

Pacific Islands by 99%, Other Asia 80.6%, Taiwan 15.9%, Japan 13.4% and China rising by 12.8%.

The acceleration in arrivals from Japan reflected the seasonal charter flights by Japanese Airlines

whilst growth in China was related to Chinese tourists visiting Palau for the Chinese New Year

holiday during the quarter. The rising inbound also partly mirrored the President of Palau’s

inauguration that attracted international guests over the quarter. Against the same quarter in 2016,

tourist arrivals fell by 24.7% from 40,569. The decline was underpinned by Other Countries

arrivals falling by 48.4%, Australia down by 44%, and Taiwan decreasing by 41.2%. Weak arrivals

from USA, UK, Japan and Taiwan also attributed to the fall over the period. See Figure C11

Figure C11: Tourist Arrivals in Palau by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2017

Source: Palau Visitors Authority

Note: Palau’s data on purpose of visit not available.

Australia

NewZealand

USA Canada France UK Europe China JapanOtherAsia

PacificIslands

OtherCountri

esTotal

2016 Quarter 1 3,541 1,096 223 203 11,146 361 1,238 67 7,534 531 666 199 26,805

2016 Quarter 4 5,058 1,870 292 220 18,060 374 1,792 104 5,381 531 1,073 215 34,970

2017 Quarter 1 3,783 1,190 166 137 7,927 139 1,033 55 8,308 522 3,279 378 26,917

% Change Q1 over Q4 -25.2 -36.4 -43.2 -37.7 -56.1 -62.8 -42.4 -47.1 54.4 -1.7 205.6 75.8 -23.0

% Change Q1 over Q1 6.8 8.6 -25.6 -32.5 -28.9 -61.5 -16.6 -17.9 10.3 -1.7 392.3 89.9 0.4

% Share 14.1 4.4 0.6 0.5 29.4 0.5 3.8 0.2 30.9 1.9 12.2 1.4 100.0

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NZ USA UK Europe China Japan TaiwanSouthKorea

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2016 Quarter 1 291 2,372 184 1,343 18,825 9,712 3,853 3,212 266 129 382 40,569

2016 Quarter 4 214 2,191 177 1,770 11,337 6,607 1,955 3,312 283 98 300 28,244

2017 Quarter 1 163 34 2,031 150 1,443 12,787 7,490 2,266 3,299 511 195 197 30,566

% Change Q1 over Q4 -23.8 0.0 -7.3 -15.3 -18.5 12.8 13.4 15.9 -0.4 80.6 99.0 -34.3 8.2

% Change Q1 over Q1 -44.0 0.0 -14.4 -18.5 7.4 -32.1 -22.9 -41.2 2.7 92.1 51.2 -48.4 -24.7

% Share 0.5 0.1 6.6 0.5 4.7 41.8 24.5 7.4 10.8 1.7 0.6 0.6 100.0

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In terms of shares, Asian markets remained dominant during the quarter due to their proximity to

Palau. China continued to be the dominant source market with share of 41.8%, followed by Japan at

24.5% while South Korea recorded 10.8% and Taiwan at 7.4%. The remaining 15.5% was shared

amongst all the other source markets with USA accounted for 6.6%. Details are clearly shown in

Figure C11.

Papua New Guinea

Tourist arrivals in Papua New Guinea grew strongly by 12.3% to 36,385 as opposed to the 13.7%

drop in the preceding quarter. The surge was boosted by increase in arrivals from all the major

source markets except for Canada and USA which fell by 11.1% and 6.8% respectively. Arrivals

from Philippines rose by 66.5%, Pacific Islands 37.3%, Other Asia 30.7%, China 21.9%, Japan

10%, New Zealand 7.1%, UK 2.5% and Australia, PNG’s lead market registered a mere 2% growth

during the quarter. Against the corresponding quarter in 2016, tourist arrivals declined by 12.8%.

Arrivals from all source markets declined except for Japan and China which grew by 38.7% and 1%

respectively.

Of the total tourists received by Papua New Guinea, Australia continued to be the major source

market and accounted for 44.8% share, up from the 38.1% share in December Quarter . Other Asia,

the second highest source market for PNG accounted for 12.6%, Philippines 10.4% and China with

7.3%. New Zealand recorded share of 4.9% while Europe and Pacific Islands represented share of

4.5% and 4.4%, respectively. The remaining 11.1% was shared amongst all the other source

markets during the quarter. See Figure C12 for details.

Figure C12: Tourist Arrivals in Papua New Guinea by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2017

Source: Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority

Analysis by purpose of visit reveals that all segments registered growths against the preceding

quarter except for VFR which declined by 8.8%. Against the corresponding quarter in 2016, ‘Other

Purposes’ recorded 25% growth while the remaining segments declined with leisure led the highest

fall by 51%, VFR 3.5% and business dipping by 3%. In terms of shares, business tourists continued

Australia

NewZeala

ndUSA

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UKEurop

eChina Japan Philipi

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Pacific

Islands

OtherCount

riesTotal

2016 Quarter 1 18770 2142 1574 390 2868 2463 2640 635 0 7956 1664 625 41727

2016 Quarter 4 15970 1669 1682 379 748 1621 2187 801 2283 3513 1169 380 32402

2017 Quarter 1 16297 1787 1567 337 767 1636 2666 881 3801 4591 1605 450 36385

% change Q1 over Q4 2.0 7.1 -6.8 -11.1 2.5 0.9 21.9 10.0 66.5 30.7 37.3 18.4 12.3

% change Q1 over Q1 -13.2 -16.6 -0.4 -13.6 -73.3 -33.6 1.0 38.7 0.0 -42.3 -3.5 -28.0 -12.8

% share Q1 2017 44.8 4.9 4.3 0.9 2.1 4.5 7.3 2.4 10.4 12.6 4.4 1.2 100.0

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to dominate arrivals marking a share of 78%, followed by leisure with 12.4% while VFR and

‘Other Purposes’ recorded shares of 5.7% and 4% respectively. Details are clearly illustrated in

Figure C13 below.

Figure C13: Tourist Arrivals in Papua New Guinea by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2017

Source: Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority

Solomon Islands

Tourist arrivals to Solomon Islands in the March Quarter fell by 29.2% against the previous quarter

to 4881 arrivals and down by 3.3% against the corresponding period in 2016. The decline against

the December quarter stemmed from fall in arrivals from all source markets except for UK which

rose by 12.2%. Significant drop were noticeable from Other Countries by 39%, Europe 38.8%,

other Pacific Islands 36.3%, Canada 35%, Australia 31.5%, USA 29.9%, New Zealand 26.2%,

Japan 18.5%, China 15.9%, and Other Asia dropping by 15.2%. Meanwhile, the decline in the

corresponding quarter in 2016 was underpinned by reduction in arrivals from USA, Europe,

Australia, Europe and UK.

Despite the slump in arrivals from Australia, this market continued to be the dominant source

market recording share of 38.3% while Pacific Islands rallied in second with 20.3%. Other Asia

represented 14.9% while New Zealand recorded share of 6.2%. The remaining 20.3% was shared

amongst all the other markets with USA accounted for 4.9%. Details are shown in Figure C14.

Leisure VFR Business OthersTotal (Exclude

Cruise)

2016 Quarter 1 9,188 2,132 29,242 1,165 41,727

2016 Quarter 4 4398 2256 24476 1272 32402

2017 Quarter 1 4,501 2,057 28,371 1,456 36,385

% Change Q1 over Q4 2.3 -8.8 15.9 14.5 12.3

% Change Q1 over Q1 -51.0 -3.5 -3.0 25.0 -12.8

% Share 12.4 5.7 78.0 4.0 100.0

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Figure C14: Tourist Arrivals in Solomon Islands by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2017

Source: Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau and Solomon Islands Statistics Office

In comparison to Fourth Quarter of 2016, all segments registered declines with leisure and VFR

recording the highest fall 38.6% and 33.6% respectively. Arrivals of business tourists dropped by

16.4% while ’Other Purposes’ dipped by 23.3%. When compared to the corresponding Quarter of

2016, all segments recorded growth except for ‘Other Purposes’ dropping by 18.7%. On shares, the

business segment dominated arrivals with share of 30.2%, followed by leisure at 28.2%, ‘Other

Purposes’ 25.3% while VFR accounted for 16.4% share. Details are illustrated in Figure C15.

Figure C15: Tourist Arrivals in Solomon Islands by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2017

Source: Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau

AustraliaNew


OtherAsia

PacificIslands

OtherCountrie

sTotal

2016 Quarter 1 2024 279 359 37 93 222 166 122 741 955 52 5050

2016 Quarter 4 2726 408 338 62 82 293 246 189 857 1558 136 6895

2017 Quarter 1 1867 301 237 40 92 181 207 154 727 992 83 4881

% change Q1 over Q4 -31.5 -26.2 -29.9 -35.5 12.2 -38.2 -15.9 -18.5 -15.2 -36.3 -39.0 -29.2

% change Q1 over Q1 -7.8 7.9 -34.0 8.1 -1.1 -18.5 24.7 26.2 -1.9 3.9 59.6 -3.3

% share Q1 2017 38.3 6.2 4.9 0.8 1.9 3.7 4.2 3.2 14.9 20.3 1.7 100.0

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2016 Quarter 1 1,347 727 1,445 1,518 5,037

2016 Quarter 4 2239 1204 1760 1608 6811

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

% Change Q1 over Q4 -38.6 -33.6 -16.4 -23.3 -28.3

% Change Q1 over Q1 2.1 10.0 1.9 -18.7 -3.1

% Share 28.2 16.4 30.2 25.3 100.0

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Timor Leste

In March Quarter of 2017, Timor Leste received a total 29,350 arrivals to its shores. Against the

corresponding quarter last year, this was up by 12.4%. Key drivers of growth came from New

Zealand rising by more than two fold, Australia up 72.6%, Japan 39.1%, China 33.3%, Other

Pacific Islands 18.6%, Portugal 9.8%, Indonesia 5.8%, Other Asia 4.4%, and Europe rising by

1.6%. This outweighed the decline in arrivals to this destination from USA, UK and Other

Countries during the quarter.

On shares, majority of these tourists were from neighboring Indonesia marking a share of 52.7%.

Australia rallied in second with a share of 13.6% while Other Asia, China and Portugal represented

9.3%, 8% and 7.1%, respectively. The remaining 9.2% was shared amongst all the other source

markets. Details shown in Figure C16.

Figure C16: Tourist Arrivals in Timor Leste by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2017

Source: Timor Leste Ministry of Tourism

Note : Q4 2016 data by Major Source Markets and Q1 2017 data by purpose of visit not available.

Tonga

Tourist arrivals to Tonga in the First Quarter fell dramatically by 45.7% against the previous

quarter and down by 12.9% over the same period in 2016. The drop against the preceding quarter

stemmed from reduction in arrivals from all source markets except for Canada and Japan which

rose by 30.4% and 21.7%, respectively. Driving this reduction, was the significant drop in arrivals

from Tonga’s two leading source markets, New Zealand and Australia which slashed by nearly half

of the arrivals in Quarter Four of 2016. Arrivals from New Zealand slumped by 48.4% to 4,214 and

Australia down by 54.4% to 1,670 in March Quarter from 8,166 and 3,672 arrivals in December

Quarter, respectively. Compared to the corresponding quarter in 2016, the decline came from

deceleration in all source markets except for China which increased strongly by 43.3%, Canada up

9.1% and USA increasing by 3.6%.

AustraliaNew

ZealandUSA UK Europe China Japan Indonesia Portugal Other Asia

PacificIslands

OtherCountries

Total

2016 Quarter 1 2321 127 608 286 673 1749 320 14633 1893 2626 43 828 26107

2017 Quarter 1 4006 265 492 272 684 2335 445 15479 2078 2742 51 501 29350

% change Q1 over Q1 72.6 108.7 -19.1 -4.9 1.6 33.5 39.1 5.8 9.8 4.4 18.6 -39.5 12.4

% share Q1 2017 13.6 0.9 1.7 0.9 2.3 8.0 1.5 52.7 7.1 9.3 0.2 1.7 100.0

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Figure C17: Tourist Arrivals in Tonga by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2017

Source: Ministry of Tourism, Tonga

In terms of market shares, New Zealand continued its dominance at 47.6%. However, this was

below the 50.1% share in the December Quarter and 49.1% share in the corresponding Quarter of

2016. The second highest Australia registered 18.9% share, followed by USA at 12.5% and Pacific

Islands with share of 6.6%. The remaining 14.4% was shared amongst all the other source markets

with Pacific Islands accounting for 6.6%. Details are shown in Figure C17.

Figure C18: Tourist Arrivals in Tonga by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2017

Source: Ministry of Tourism, Tonga

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

for ‘Other Purposes’ which grew by 1.5%. Against the corresponding quarter in 2016, ‘Other

Purposes’ again recorded growth of 16.7% while the remaining three segments declined. On shares,

Australia

NewZealand

USA Canada UK Europe Japan ChinaOtherAsia

PacificIslands

OtherCountri

esTotal

2016 Quarter 1 2,019 5,029 1,067 55 162 512 199 224 162 681 45 10,155

2016 Quarter 4 3,672 8,166 1,998 46 168 560 152 325 193 948 59 16,287

2017 Quarter 1 1,670 4,214 1,105 60 138 414 185 321 117 581 42 8,847

% Change Q1 over Q4 -54.5 -48.4 -44.7 30.4 -17.9 -26.1 21.7 -1.2 -39.4 -38.7 -28.8 -45.7

% Change Q1 over Q1 -17.3 -16.2 3.6 9.1 -14.8 -19.1 -7.0 43.3 -27.8 -14.7 -6.7 -12.9

% Share 18.9 47.6 12.5 0.7 1.6 4.7 2.1 3.6 1.3 6.6 0.5 100.0

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2016 Quarter 1 3,939 4,429 884 903 10,155

2016 Quarter 4 7090 7090 906 1038 16287

2017 Quarter 1 2,918 4,214 661 1,054 8,847

% Change Q1 over Q4 -58.8 -40.6 -27.0 1.5 -45.7

% Change Q1 over Q1 -25.9 -4.9 -25.2 16.7 -12.9

% Share 33.0 47.6 7.5 11.9 100.0

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VFR tourists continued to dominate arrivals in Tonga marking a share of 47.6%. This was followed

by leisure with 33% while ‘Other Purposes’ and Business recorded shares of 11.9% and 7.5%

respectively. Details are clearly illustrated in Figure C18.

Tuvalu

In Quarter 1, 2017, tourist arrivals to Tuvalu declined by 33.6% to 521 arrivals from 784 arrivals in

Quarter 4, 2016. However, in comparison to Quarter 1, 2016, there was a growth of 9.2% from 477.

The 33.6% drop against the December Quarter was mainly attributed to significant reduction in

arrivals from Other Countries, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Pacific Islands and Other Asia. This

outweighed the strong arrival growth from Australia, China and Europe during the Quarter.

Against the March quarter of 2016, growth in tourist arrivals to Tuvalu was boosted by increasing

tourists from UK, Other Asia, Pacific Islands and USA.

In terms of market shares, majority of these tourists were from other Pacific Islands and accounted

for 35.7% to 186 of the total tourist arrivals in the first quarter. The second highest, of 70 tourists

came from the Other Asia and this made up 14.4% of the market share. Australian tourists the third

highest represented 13.4% of the share, followed by New Zealand and Europe at 8.6% and 7.9%

share, respectively. All other countries accounted for the remaining 20% share of which USA

represented 5.6%. Details are shown in Figure C19.

Figure C19: Tourist Arrivals in Tuvalu by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2017

Source: Tuvalu Department of Tourism

In analyzing tourist arrivals by purpose of visit, Tuvalu does not capture VFR. This destination only

captures leisure, business and ‘other purposes’. When compared to the preceding quarter, business

was the only segment increased, growing by 13.3%. The other two segments declined with ‘other

purposes’ having the highest fall by 68.7% while leisure slumped by 58.1%. In comparison to the

same period in 2016, leisure remained flat at 137 visitors, business grew by 50% while ‘other

AustraliaNew


OtherAsia

PacificIslands

OtherCountrie

sTotal

2016 Quarter 1 67 48 24 6 8 46 36 33 48 147 14 477

2016 Quarter 4 58 132 28 4 13 27 17 42 87 278 99 784

2017 Quarter 1 70 45 29 2 15 41 25 27 75 186 6 521

% Change Q1 over Q4 21.2 -65.9 3.6 -46.0 15.4 51.9 47.1 -35.7 -13.5 -33.1 -93.9 -33.6

% Change Q1 over Q1 4.5 -6.3 20.8 -66.7 87.5 -10.9 -30.6 -18.2 56.3 26.5 -57.1 9.2

% Share 13.4 8.6 5.6 0.4 2.9 7.9 4.8 5.2 14.4 35.7 1.2 100.0

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purposes’ declined by 56.8%. In terms of shares, business continued to dominate arrivals with

63.9% share while leisure and ‘other purposes’ recorded 26.3% and 9.8% each. Details are

illustrated in Figure C20.

Figure C20: Tourist Arrivals in Tuvalu by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 1, 2017

Source: Tuvalu Department of Tourism

Vanuatu

Against the preceding quarter, tourist arrivals to Vanuatu in the March Quarter of 2017 fell

considerably by 29.3% to 18,997 arrivals. When compared to the corresponding period in 2016, this

was higher by 12.4%. The fall against the preceding quarter was mainly attributed to double digit

declines from Australia, New Zealand, USA, Europe and Japan and to a lesser extent from Pacific

Islands and other countries. The fall in arrivals to Vanuatu partly reflected a combined factors

relating to the runway issues at the Bauerfield International Airport in Port Vila, the halting of Air

New Zealand flights, seizing of Air Vanuatu and Qantas codeshare agreement and the unfavourable

weather conditions during the First Quarter. Meanwhile, the surge over the same month in 2016

was driven mainly by increasing arrivals from Pacific Islands, China, Other Countries and

Australia.

On market shares, Australia alone scooped nearly more than half of the total tourist arrivals in

Vanuatu at 50.4% or 9,566 during the quarter. However, this was below the 53.5% share registered

in the preceding quarter. Pacific Islands came in second with 23.7% while Europe rallied in third

with 7.7%. The remaining 18.2% was shared amongst all the other source markets with Europe

accounted for 7.7%. See Figure C21 for further details.

Leisure Business Others Total

2016 Quarter 1 137 222 118 477

2016 Quarter 4 327 294 163 784

2017 Quarter 1 137 333 51 521

% Change Q1 over Q4 -58.1 13.3 -68.7 -33.5

% Change Q1 over Q1 0.0 50.0 -56.8 9.2

% Share 26.3 63.9 9.8 100.0

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Figure C21: Tourist Arrivals in Vanuatu by Source Market, Quarter 1, 2017

Source: Vanuatu National Statistics Office

Note: March 2017 data by source market are provisional provided by Vanuatu Tourism Office.

Analysis by purpose of visit not attempted as data for month of March not available at the time of publication

AustraliaNew

ZealandUSA Europe China Japan

PacificIslands

OtherCountries

Total

2016 Quarter 1 8,269 1,359 624 2,670 575 186 2,722 503 16,908

2016 Quarter 4 14,366 2,794 760 2,447 792 223 4,821 668 26,871

2017 Quarter 1 9,566 1,242 557 1,472 841 184 4,505 630 18,997

% Change Q1 over Q4 -33.4 -55.5 -26.7 -39.8 6.2 -17.5 -6.6 -5.7 -29.3

% Change Q1 over Q1 15.7 -8.6 -10.7 -44.9 46.3 -1.1 65.5 25.2 12.4

% Share 50.4 6.5 2.9 7.7 4.4 1.0 23.7 3.3 100.0

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http://www.southpacificislands.travel/

36

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 …...Fiji, French Polynesia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) were the top three destinations in the March Quarter with arrival shares of 36.9%, 9.4%

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