QUARTERLY REVIEW OF TOURIST ARRIVALS IN PACIFIC ISLAND COUNTRIES QUARTER 4 217 I December, 217
Report prepared by : Research & Statistics Division Contacts : Jennifer Butukoro (cbutukoro@spto.org) : Elizabeth Ragimana (eragimana@spto.org) Published by the: South Pacific Tourism Organization (SPTO) GPO Box 13119 Suva, FIJI Telephone : (679) 334177 Facsimile : (679) 331995 Telex : 236 FJ Email : research@spto.org Copyright 217 South Pacific Tourism Organization December 217 II
Table of Contents Contents Preface Definition and Concepts Sources of Information Pages V VI 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 Asia Market 15 Pacific Islands Market 17 Countries Market 18 4. Destination Analysis 2 (Only countries with complete Quarter 4 data) American Samoa 2 Cook Islands 21 Fiji 22 Kiribati 24 Marshall Islands 25 Palau 26 PNG 27 Samoa 28 Solomon Islands 3 Timor Leste 31 III
Tables & Figures Figure W1: World Tourist Arrivals by % Growth, Quarter 4, 217... 1 Table R1: Tourist Arrivals to Pacific ACP and SPTO Member Countries, Quarter 4, 217... 2 Figure R1: Tourist Arrivals in Pacific ACP and SPTO Member Countries, Quarter 4, 217... 3 Table R2:Tourist Arrivals in Pacific ACP and SPTO Member Countries by Source Market, Q4,217... 4 Figure R2: Tourist Arrivals in Pacific ACP and SPTO Member Countries by Source Market, Q4, 217... 4 Table R3: Australian Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 4, 217... 5 Figure R3: Destination Share (%) of the Australian Market, Quarter 4, 217... 6 Table R4: New Zealand Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 4, 217... 7 Figure R4: Destination Share (%) of the New Zealand Market, Quarter 4, 217... 7 Table R5: USA Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 4, 217... 8 Figure R5: Destination Share (%) of the USA Market, Quarter 4, 217... 9 Table R6: UK Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 4, 217... 1 Figure R6: Destination Share (%) of the UK Market, Quarter 4, 217... 1 Table R7: Europe Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 4, 217... 11 Figure R7: Destination Share (%) of the Europe Market, Quarter 4, 217... 12 Table R8: Japanese Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 4, 217... 13 Figure R8: Destination Share (%) of the Japanese Market, Quarter 4, 217... 13 Table R9: Chinese Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 4, 217... 14 Figure R9: Destination Share (%) of the Chinese Market, Quarter 4, 217... 15 Table R1: Asia Market by Destination and Share, Quarter 4, 217... 16 Figure R1: Destination Share (%) of Asia Market, Quarter 4, 217... 16 Table R11; Pacific Islands by Destination and Share, Quarter 4, 217... 17 Figure R11; Destination Share (%) of the Pacific Islands Market, Quarter 4, 217... 18 Table R12; Countries by Destination and Share, Quarter 4, 217... 19 Figure R12; Destination Share (%) of Countries Market, Quarter 4, 217... 19 Figure C1: Tourist Arrivals in American Samoa by Source Market, Quarter 4, 217... 2 Figure C2: Tourist Arrivals in American Samoa by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 4, 217... 21 Figure C3: Tourist Arrivals in Cook Islands by Source Market, Quarter 4, 217... 21 Figure C4: Tourist Arrivals in Cook Islands by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 4, 217... 22 Figure C5: Tourist Arrivals in Fiji by Source Market, Quarter 4, 217... 23 Figure C6: Tourist Arrivals in Fiji by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 4, 217... 24 Figure C7: Tourist Arrivals in Kiribati by Source Market, Quarter 4, 217... 24 Figure C8: Tourist Arrivals in Kiribati by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 4, 217... 25 Figure C9: Tourist Arrivals in Marshall Islands by Source Market, Quarter 4, 217... 26 Figure C1: Tourist Arrivals in Palau by Source Market, Quarter 4, 217... 27 Figure C11: Tourist Arrivals in Papua New Guinea by Source Market, Quarter 4, 217... 27 Figure C12: Tourist Arrivals in Papua New Guinea by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 4, 217... 28 Figure C13: Tourist Arrivals in Samoa by Source Market, Quarter 4, 217... 29 Figure C14: Tourist Arrivals in Samoa by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 4, 217... 29 Figure C15: Tourist Arrivals in Solomon Islands by Source Market, Quarter 4, 217... 3 Figure C16: Tourist Arrivals in Solomon Islands by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 4, 217... 31 Figure C17: Tourist Arrivals in Timor Leste by Source Market, Quarter 4, 217... 31 IV
PREFACE The Quarterly Review of Tourist Arrivals in Pacific Island Countries for the Fourth Quarter of 217 is published by the South Pacific Tourism Organization (SPTO). This report presents a review of tourist arrivals in Pacific Island countries in the Fourth Quarter of 217 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 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 of Tourist Arrivals in Q4 217 Global tourism performance strengthened further, registering a robust growth of 5.7% in international tourist arrivals in the December Quarter of 217. This was well above the 4.9% growth in December Quarter of 216. International Visitor Arrivals (IVA) to the Asia and the Pacific region registered a solid growth of 7.3% in the December Quarter following the 4.1% growth in the prior quarter. Growth was driven by a healthy increase in IVA to South Asia and South East Asia by 11.9 % and 1.2%, respectively. Tourist arrivals to the Pacific ACP and SPTO member countries decelerated by 1.7% to 552,17 in the final quarter of 217. Compared to the corresponding quarter of 216, tourist arrivals to PICs however, was higher by 7.4%. Year to December arrivals reached a provisional 2,135,735 over the same period in 216 Fiji and French Polynesia, the two leading Pacific destinations in the December Quarter accounted for arrival shares of 4% and 9.3%, respectively. The region s major source markets weakened by 1.7% to 552,17 in the December Quarter, reversing the strong growth in the preceding quarter. Against the December quarter of 216, arrivals to the region was well above by 11.%. Australia and New Zealand remained the region s two leading markets in the final quarter of 217 with shares of 3.4% and 2.8%, respectively. V
DEFINITION AND CONCEPTS The Regional Conference on Measuring Tourism held in Nadi in March 214 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 214 proposed the introduction of standard E/D Cards for Pacific ACPs and SPTO Member Countries, however, these introductions have yet to be made. VI
International Travels 1. World Overview International tourism continued to perform strongly in the final quarter of 217. According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, growth in international tourist arrivals strengthened further by 5.7% in the December Quarter. This was well above the growth of 4.9% in the Fourth Quarter of 216, although slowed from the 7.3% in the prior quarter 1. The positive trend reflected the sustained growth in many destinations and a strong recovery in others during the period. By UNWTO regions, the Asia and the Pacific led growth in international tourism by 7.3% in the December Quarter. The remarkable result was driven by the solid growth in arrivals in South Asia by 1%, South-East Asia 8% and Oceania which includes the Pacific region by 7%. The Middle East, the second fastest growing region registered a stronger growth of 6.5% following a weaker 4.8% growth in the preceding quarter. Africa the third fastest growing region recorded 5.7% whilst Europe registered growth of 5.3%. The Americas grew by 3% with South America driving growth by 6.2% in the December Quarter. See Figure W1 for details. Figure W1: World Tourist Arrivals by Percent (%) Growth, December Quarter 217 12 1 8 6 4 2 Global Africa Europe Asia & Middle East Pacific Q4 216 Q3 217 Q4 217 Americas Source: UNWTO World Tourism Barometer The UNWTO panel of experts projected that the current strong momentum will continue in 218 although at a more sustainable pace. International tourist arrival worldwide is expected to grow at a rate of 4%-5% in 218. 1 Source, UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, January 218 1
2. Tourist Arrivals in the Pacific ACP & SPTO Member Countries 2 Tourist arrivals in the Pacific ACP and SPTO member countries² weakened by 1.7% in the Fourth Quarter of 217 to 552,17, reversing the stronger 4.8% growth in the prior quarter. This was dragged down by the reduction in arrivals to all the PICs except for Tuvalu and New Caledonia with estimated growth of 48.9% and 2.6%, respectively. Double digit declines were seen in arrivals to Marshall Islands by 5.3%, Timor Leste 19.9%, American Samoa 18%, Palau 16%, Kiribati 14%, PNG 12.3%, Cook Islands 11.6%, Fiji 11.5%, whilst Solomon Islands dropped slightly by 2.3%. Falling arrivals were also estimated for FSM, Niue, Tonga and Vanuatu over the quarter. Aside from the low seasonality period, the weak performance was also triggered by the reduction in outbound Australian and New Zealander residents to PICs during the quarter. Compared to the December quarter of 216, tourist arrivals to the region however, rose by 7.4%. Growth was boosted by rising arrivals to Cook Islands, Fiji, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Timor Leste over the twelve months period. Estimated growths were also recorded for arrivals to French Polynesia, Niue, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu over the period. Table R1: Tourist Arrivals to Pacific ACP and SPTO Member Countries, Quarter 4, 217 216 217 Absolute Change % change % share Q4 Q3 (r ) Q4(p) Q4 217/ Q3 217 Q4 217/ Q4 216 Q4 217/ Q3 217 Q4 217/ Q4 216 Q4 217 America Samoa 4717 5231 4289-942 -428-18. -9.1.8 Cook Islands 38464 47977 42389-5588 3925-11.6 1.2 7.7 FSM 715 715 726-124 -124-1.7-1.7 1.3 Fiji 2882 249453 22745-2878 11943-11.5 5.7 4. French Polynesia 46652 5855 51426-7125 4774-12.2 1.2 9.3 Kiribati 1614 1811 1383-428 -231-23.6-14.3.3 Marshall Islands 1255 1881 934-947 -321-5.3-25.6.2 Nauru. New Caledonia 3497 33347 3429 862-761 2.6-2.2 6.2 Niue 2121 3187 2791-395 67-12.4 31.6.5 Palau 28244 34238 2876-5478 516-16. 1.8 5.2 PNG 3242 35477 3112-4375 -13-12.3-4. 5.6 Samoa 38749 4595 43296-269 4547-5.7 11.7 7.8 Solomon Islands 6811 7281 7113-168 32-2.3 4.4 1.3 Timor Leste 18226 35747 28638-719 1412-19.9 57.1 5.2 Tonga 16287 1912 18584-518 2297-2.7 14.1 3.4 Tuvalu 784 585 871 286 87 48.9 11.1.2 Vanuatu 26871 31233 28613-262 1742-8.4 6.5 5.2 Total 514119 618155 55217-65985 385-1.7 7.4 1. Source: NTOs, NSOs & SPTO. Notes: Data for Nauru unavailable in all three quarters. Data in red are SPTO estimates based on average of the past four months. [p] provisional, [r] revised 2 American 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 2
Tourist Arrivals % On market shares, Fiji continued to dominate the number of arrivals in the region with 4% share in the December quarter of 217. The second highest, French Polynesia with estimated shares of 9.3%, followed by Samoa at 7.8%, and Cook Islands closely behind at 7.7% share. New Caledonia recorded estimated shares of 6.2%, PNG 5.6%, Palau, Timor Leste and Vanuatu each with share 5.2%. The remaining 7.8% 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, 217 3 7 25 2 15 1 5 America Samoa Cook Islands FSM Fiji French Polynesi a Kiribati Marshall Islands New Caledoni a Niue Palau PNG Samoa Solomon Islands Timo Leste Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu 216 Q4 4717 38464 715 2882 46652 1614 1255 3497 2121 28244 3242 38749 6811 18226 16287 784 26871 6 5 4 3 2 1-1 -2-3 217 Q3 5231 47977 715 249453 5855 1811 1881 33347 3187 34238 35477 4595 7281 35747 1912 585 31233 217 Q4 4289 42389 726 22745 51426 1383 934 3429 2791 2876 3112 43296 7113 28638 18584 871 28613 % change Q4 17/Q3 17-18. -11.6-1.7-11.5-12.2-23.6. 2.6-12.4-16. -12.3-5.7-2.3-19.9-2.7 48.9-8.4 % change Q4 17/Q4 16-9.1 1.2-1.7 5.7 1.2-14.3-25.6-2.2 31.6 1.8-4. 11.7 4.4 57.1 14.1 11.1 6.5 % share Q4 217.8 7.7 1.3 4. 9.3.3.2 6.2.5 5.2 5.6 7.8 1.3 5.2 3.4.2 5.2 Source: NTOs, NSOs & SPTO Tourist arrivals from the region s major source markets weakened by 1.7% to 552,17 in December Quarter of 217, following two quarters of positive growth. The deceleration was underlined by the decline in tourist arrivals from the majority of the leading markets except for Pacific Islands and Countries. Arrivals from New Zealand fell by 23.7%, China 17.6%, Asia 1.5%, United Kingdom 7.5%, Australia 6.2%, Japan 5.4% and Europe falling by 4.6%. Compared to the December quarter of 216, arrivals by source markets was well above by 11.% with other Asia, recording the highest growth at 76.6%. source markets that also witnessed positive growth were United Kingdom, Europe, China, Japan, Pacific Islands and Australia. Australia and New Zealand the leading markets for the region in the Fourth Quarter, recorded shares of 3.4% and 2.8%, respectively. Europe the third highest source market elevated to 9.8% share, overtaking USA and Asia which reduced to 9.4% and 8.3% respectively. Pacific Islands registered share of 7.7% whilst China with 6.% during the quarter. The other source markets made up the remaining 7.5% at the end of the quarter. Details are clearly shown in Table R2 and Figure R2. 3
Tourist Arrivals % Table R2: Tourist Arrivals to Pacific ACP and SPTO member countries by Source Market, Q4 217 216 217 Absolute Change % change % share Q4 Q3 (r ) Q4 (p) Q4 217/ Q4 217/ Q4 217/ Q4 217/ Q4 217 Q3 217 Q4 216 Q3 217 Q4 216 Australia 162695 17918 167868-1115 5173-6.2 3.2 3.4 NZ 11183 15536 114892-35645 1379-23.7 13.5 2.8 USA 476 55174 5269-315 4469-5.6 9.4 9.4 UK 738 8958 8284-674 976-7.5 13.4 1.5 Europe 49557 56896 5434-2593 4747-4.6 9.6 9.8 China 2917 39969 32938-731 3768-17.6 12.9 6. Japan 18824 2645 19533-1112 79-5.4 3.8 3.5 Asia 2698 51513 4615-549 27-1.5 76.7 8.3 Pacific Islands 39143 42179 42317 137 3174.3 8.1 7.7 Countries 14316 13265 13861 597-454 4.5-3.2 2.5 Total 495893 618155 55217-65985 56276-1.7 11.3 1. Source: NTOs, NSOs and SPTO Notes: [r] revised, [p] provisional Figure R2: Tourist Arrivals to Pacific ACP and SPTO Member countries by Source Market, Q4, 217 2 18 16 14 12 1 8 6 4 2 Source: NTOs, NSOs and SPTO Australia NZ USA UK Europe China Japan Asia Pacific Islands 216 Q4 162695 11183 476 738 49557 2917 18824 2698 39143 217 Q3 17918 15536 55174 8958 56896 39969 2645 51513 42179 217 Q4 167868 114892 5269 8284 5434 32938 19533 4615 42317 % change Q4 17/Q3 17-6.2-23.7-5.6-7.5-4.6-17.6-5.4-1.5.3 % change Q4 17/Q4 16 3.2 13.5 9.4 13.4 9.6 12.9 3.8 76.7 8.1 % share Q4 217 3.4 2.8 9.4 1.5 9.8 6. 3.5 8.3 7.7 1 8 6 4 2-2 -4 4
3. Market Performance Australia Market Australian tourists visited the region weakened by 6.2% to 167,868 in the Fourth Quarter of 217, reversing the solid performances in the prior two quarters. The downturn against the September Quarter was dragged down by the reduction in arrivals to Australia s top four Pacific destinations, Fiji by 2.9%, Papua New Guinea 12.7%, Samoa.8% and Vanuatu falling by an estimated 8.8%. Arrivals from this market to all other destinations also dropped with the exception of Cook Islands, Palau and Solomon Islands. The fall against the previous quarter was also partly due to the deceleration in outbound Australian residents to the region by 12%. Compared to the corresponding quarter in 216, arrivals from the Australian market however was higher by 3.2%. Growth was underlined by increasing arrivals to Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa and Solomon Islands. Positive growths were also estimated for French Polynesia, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu over the twelve months. Table R3: Australian Tourists by Destination and Destination Share, Quarter 4, 217 216 217 Absolute Change % change % share Q4 Q3 Q4 Q4 217/ Q4 217/ Q4 217/ Q4 217/ Q4 217 Q3 217 Q4 216 Q3 217 Q4 216 American Samoa 26 186 169-17 -37-9.1-18..1 Cook Islands 7762 6881 8266 1385 54 2.1 6.5 4.9 FSM 227 29 193-97 -34-33.4-14.9.1 Fiji 1165 13815 1831-2984 666-2.9.7 6.1 French Polynesia 2277 2882 2931 49 654 1.7 28.7 1.7 Kiribati 289 48 213-267 -76-55.6-26.3.1 Marshall Islands 71 67 5-17 -21-25.4-29.6. Nauru. New Caledonia 6156 7638 5896-1742 -26-22.8-4.2 3.5 Niue 25 158 145-13 -6-8.2-29.4.1 Palau 214 138 156 18-58 13. -27.1.1 PNG 1597 17749 15498-2251 -472-12.7-3. 9.2 Samoa 8331 9428 9352-76 121 -.8 12.3 5.6 Solomon Islands 2726 2766 2844 78 118 2.8 4.3 1.7 Timor Leste 5262 2644-2618 2644-49.8 1.6 Tonga 3672 3992 3911-81 239-2. 6.5 2.3 Tuvalu 58 8 79-1 21-1.6 36.3. Vanuatu 14366 1726 1469-2516 324-14.6 2.3 8.8 Total 162695 17918 167868-1115 5173-6.2 3.2 1. Source: NTOs, NSOs and SPTO Note: Data in red are SPTO estimates based on average 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 6.1% share. Papua New Guinea maintained the second highest share at 9.2% and Vanuatu the third highest at an estimated 8.8% overtaking New Caledonia which reduced to an estimated 3.5% share. Samoa registered share of 5.4% while Cook 5
Islands recorded 4.9%. All the other destinations accounted for the remaining 7.9% share. Details are shown in Table R3 and Figure R3. Figure R3: Destination Share (%) of the Australian Market, Quarter 4, 217 Timo Leste 1.6% Solomon Islands 1.7% Niue.1% New Caledonia 3.5% Tonga 2.3% Marshall Islands.3% Kiribati.1% Samoa 5.6% Palau.1% PNG 9.2% French Polynesia 1.7% American Samoa Tuvalu.1%.% Vanuatu 8.8% Cook Islands 4.9% FSM.1% Fiji 6.1% New Zealand Market In December Quarter of 217, tourist arrivals from New Zealand fell by 23.7% to 114,892 reversing the strong growths witnessed in the preceding two quarters. The backdrop reflected the declined in arrivals from New Zealand to all the destinations except for Palau and Samoa which rose by 25% and 1.6%, respectively. Arrivals from New Zealand s two top Pacific destinations, Fiji and Cook Islands fell considerably by 33.9% and 22.6%, respectively from their peaks in the prior quarter. The reduction in arrivals from this market also partly reflected the 4% deceleration in outbound New Zealand residents to PICs over the quarter. Compared to the December quarter of 216, arrivals from the New Zealand market was well above by 13.5%. This was triggered by increasing New Zealand tourists to Cook Islands, Fiji and Samoa over the period. Estimated growths were also recorded for arrivals to French Polynesia, New Caledonia and Vanuatu against the corresponding quarter in 216. On market shares, Fiji received the highest from this market at 39.5%. However, this was below the 44.4% share in the preceding quarter. The second highest Cook Islands received 23.2% of this market share, followed by Samoa at 18.%, up from the 15.1% share in the prior quarter, and Tonga at 7.1%. The remaining 12.2% was shared among all the other countries. Table R4 and Figure R4 illustrates more details. 6
Table R4: New Zealand Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 4, 217 216 217 Absolute Change % change % share Q4 Q3 Q4 Q4 217/ Q4 217/ Q4 217/ Q4 217/ Q4 217 Q3 217 Q4 216 Q3 217 Q4 216 American 671 716 627-89 -44-12.4-6.6.5 Samoa Cook Islands 24188 34591 26673-7918 2485-22.9 1.3 23.2 FMS 42 11 46-64 4-58.4 9.1. Fiji 39537 68653 45351-2332 5814-33.9 14.7 39.5 French 1459 3249 1974-1276 515-39.3 35.3 1.7 Polynesia Kiribati 183 189 134-55 -49-29.1-26.8.1 Marshall Islands 46 54 34-2 -12-37. -26.1. Nauru. New Caledonia 2224 3967 3377-59 1153-14.9 51.9 2.9 Niue 1683 276 2458-33 775-11. 46. 2.1 Palau 35 47 12 47 34.3. PNG 1669 229 1541-488 -128-24.1-7.7 1.3 Samoa 17981 241 2735 325 2754 1.6 15.3 18. Solomon Islands 48 526 48-118 -22.4..4 Timor Leste 425 162-263 162-61.9.1 Tonga 8166 8495 8146-349 -2-4.1 -.2 7.1 Tuvalu 132 65 51-14 -81-21.8-61.5. Vanuatu 2794 4262 3128-1134 334-26.6 12. 2.7 Total 11183 15536 114892-35645 1379-23.7 13.5 1. Source: NTOs, NSOs and SPTO Note: Data in red are SPTO estimates based on averages of the past four months [p] provisional, [r] revised Figure R4: Destination Share (%) of the New Zealand Market, Quarter 4, 217 Marshall Islands.3% Niue 2.1% Timo Leste.1% Solomon Islands.4% PNG 1.3% Palau.4% New Caledonia 2.9% Kiribati.1% French Polynesia 1.7% Tuvalu Vanuatu.4% 2.7% Samoa 18.% Tonga 7.1% 7 American Samoa.5% Cook Islands 23.2% Fiji 39.5% FSM.4%
USA Market Tourist arrivals from the USA market dropped further by 5.6% to 52,69 in the December quarter from 55,174 arrivals in the preceding quarter. The deceleration was triggered by the decline in arrivals from USA to majority of the destinations in the region, except for Cook Islands, which rose by 2.5%. Estimated growths were also recorded for French Polynesia, Tonga and Tuvalu over the quarter. The deceleration in arrivals from this market also partly reflected the 2.9% reduction in international outbound USA residents during the quarter. Against the December Quarter of 216, arrivals from this source market however rose by 9.4%. This was driven by increasing arrivals from Cook Islands by 29.4%, American Samoa 12.9%, Fiji 11.6%, Solomon Islands 8.% and Samoa rising by 5.2%. Positive growths were also estimated for French Polynesia, New Caledonia, FSM, Tonga and Tuvalu. Details are clearly shown in Table R5. Table R5: USA Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 4, 217 216 217 Absolute Change % change % share Q4 Q3 (r ) Q4 (p) Q4 217/ Q4 217/ Q4 217/ Q4 217/ Q4 217 Q3 217 Q4 216 Q3 217 Q4 216 American Samoa 99 1433 1118-315 128-22. 12.9 2.1 Cook Islands 1754 1884 227 386 516 2.5 29.4 4.4 FSM 1589 1658 1596-62 7-3.8.4 3.1 Fiji 18357 22485 2483-22 2126-8.9 11.6 39.3 French Polynesia 14874 1689 16466 377 1592 2.3 1.7 31.6 Kiribati 286 242 241-1 -45 -.4-15.7.5 Marshall Islands 269 165 84-81 -185-49.1-68.8.2 Nauru. New Caledonia 67 171 156-15 89-8.8 132.8.3 Niue 39 38 23-16 -16-4.8-41.9. Palau 2191 1884 159-294 -61-15.6-27.4 3.1 PNG 1682 1623 1264-359 -418-22.1-24.9 2.4 Samoa 2378 2959 251-458 123-15.5 5.2 4.8 Solomon Islands 338 569 365-24 27-35.9 8..7 Timor Leste 651 519-132 519-2.3 1. Tonga 1998 2486 264 118 66 4.7 3.3 5. Tuvalu 28 33 37 4 9 11. 3.8.1 Vanuatu 76 84 754-5 -6-6.3 -.8 1.4 Total 476 55174 5269-315 4469-5.6 9.4 1. Source: NTOs, NSOs and SPTO. Note: Data unavailable for Nauru in all three quarters. Data in red are SPTO estimates based on averages of the past four months [p] provisional, [r] revised In terms of share, majority of the USA tourists at 39.3% visited Fiji during the final quarter of 217. The second highest, French Polynesia, recorded an estimated share of 31.6%, followed by, Tonga at an estimated 5.%, Samoa 4.8% and Cook Islands with 4.4% share. All the other 8
countries accounted for the remaining 14.9% share over the quarter. Details are clearly shown in Table R5 and Figure R5. Figure R5: Destination Share (%) of the USA Market Timo Leste 1.% Solomon Islands.7% New Caledonia.3% Marshall Islands.2% Samoa 4.8% Palau Niue 3.1%.4% Kiribati.5% PNG 2.4% Tonga 5.% Tuvalu.1% French Polynesia 31.6% Vanuatu 1.4% American Samoa 2.1% Fiji 39.3% FSM 3.1% Cook Islands 4.4% United Kingdom Market Tourist arrivals from the United Kingdom fell by 7.5% to 8,284 in the December Quarter as opposed to the 14.8% growth in the September Quarter. The downturn was triggered by falling arrivals to American Samoa by 61.5%, Marshall Islands 58.8%, Samoa 51.7%, Timor Leste 4%, Solomon Islands 23%, Kiribati 15.3%, PNG 1%, and Fiji by 6.4%. Estimated falls were also registered for arrivals to French Polynesia, Niue and Tonga. This more than offset the significant arrivals to Palau and Cook Islands by 5% and 35%, respectively. Compared to the December Quarter of 216, arrivals from the United Kingdom however, rose by 13.4%. This was driven mainly by a remarkable surge in arrivals to Solomon Islands rising by more than two fold and Cook Islands by 47%. The increase in arrivals to Marshall Islands by 16.7% with estimated growth from French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Tonga and Tuvalu also attributed to the favourable outcome over the past twelve months. Disaggregating by shares, almost half of the total United Kingdom visitors at 5.2% visited Fiji. French Polynesia, the second highest received an estimated 12.9% share, and Cook Islands the third highest at 1.5% overtook Papua New Guinea which reduced to 8.9% share. Tonga recorded estimated shares of 4.3%, Timor Leste 2.8% while Samoa and New Caledonia accounted for 2.7% each. The remaining 4.9% was shared among all other destinations in the region. Details are illustrated in Table R6 and Figure R6. 9
Table R6: UK Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 4, 217 216 217 Absolute Change % change % share Q4 Q3 Q4 Q4 217/ Q4 217/ Q4 217/ Q4 217/ Q4 217 Q3 217 Q4 216 Q3 217 Q4 216 American Samoa 44 52 2-32 -24-61.5-54.5.2 Cook Islands 593 646 872 226 279 35. 47. 1.5 Fiji 4185 444 4155-285 -3-6.4 -.7 5.2 French Polynesia 758 1158 172-86 314-7.4 41.4 12.9 Kiribati 64 59 5-9 -14-15.3-21.9.6 Marshall Islands 6 17 7-1 1-58.8 16.7.1 New Caledonia 191 2 225 25 34 12.4 17.7 2.7 Niue 23 31 2-11 -3-34.3-11.9.2 Palau 177 11 152 51-25 5.5-14.1 1.8 PNG 748 819 737-82 -11-1. -1.5 8.9 Samoa 256 447 226-221 -3-49.4-11.7 2.7 Solomon Islands 82 178 137-41 55-23. 67.1 1.7 Timor Leste 391 233-158 233-4.4 2.8 Tonga 168 48 359-49 191-11.9 113.9 4.3 Tuvalu 13 11 19 8 6 72.7 46.2.2 Total 738 8958 8284-674 976-7.5 13.4 1. Source: NTOs, NSOs and SPTO, Note: Note: Data unavailable for countries not listed Data in red are SPTO estimates based on averages of the past four months [p] provisional, [r] revised Figure R6: Destination Share (%) of the UK Market Palau 1.8% Solomon Islands 1.7% Timor Leste 2.8% Tonga 4.3% Tuvalu.2% American Samoa.2% Samoa 2.7% New Caledonia 2.7% Marshall Islands.1% Kiribati.6% Niue.2% PNG 8.9% French Polynesia 12.9% Cook Islands 1.5% Fiji 5.2% 1
Europe Market Tourist arrivals from Europe to the region deteriorated further by 4.6% to 5434 in the December Quarter, following consecutive decline in the past four quarters. The downward trend was underlined by double digit falls in arrivals to French Polynesia, the top destination for this market by an estimated 25.7%, Marshall Islands by 4.4%, Kiribati 39.4%, PNG 27.4%, Samoa 19.3%, and Solomon Islands by 11.8%. The deceleration in arrivals from this source market to PICs partly reflected reports of outbound European travellers opted for short haul trips. Against the corresponding quarter in 216, arrivals from the European market however, rose by 9.6%. This was driven by solid growth from American Samoa, Fiji, and Kiribati with estimated positive growth from French Polynesia, Tonga and Tuvalu over the period. In terms of shares, French Polynesia received majority of European tourists at an estimated 34.1%, New Caledonia by an estimated 24.8% whilst Fiji and Timor Leste represented 17.7% and 6.%, respectively. This was followed by Cook Islands at 4.2% share and Vanuatu at an estimated 3.3%. The remaining share of 9.9% was shared among all the other destinations. See Table R7 and Figure R7 for details. Table R7: European Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 4, 217 216 217 Absolute Change % change % share Q4 Q3(r ) Q4(p) Q4 217/ Q4 217/ Q4 217/ Q4 217/ Q4 217 Q3 217 Q4 216 Q3 217 Q4 216 American Samoa 79 95 95 16. 2.3.2 Cook Islands 2374 232 2293 261-81 12.8-3.4 4.2 FSM 548 453 536 83-12 18.4-2.2 1. Fiji 8425 8722 9632 91 127 1.4 14.3 17.7 French Polynesia 15528 2494 18521-6419 2993-25.7 19.3 34.1 Kiribati 49 17 65-42 16-39.3 32.7.1 Marshall Islands 44 47 28-19 -16-4.4-36.4.1 Nauru. New Caledonia 154 185 13444 2639-1596 24.4-1.6 24.8 Niue 56 78 41-37 -15-47.7-27..1 Palau 177 67 1313 76-457 116.3-25.8 2.4 PNG 1621 1755 1275-48 -346-27.4-21.3 2.3 Samoa 696 85 686-164 -1-19.3-1.4 1.3 Solomon Islands 293 287 253-34 -4-11.8-13.7.5 Timor Leste 315 3264 114 3264 3.6 6. Tonga 56 1115 126-89 466-7.9 83.3 1.9 Tuvalu 27 65 51-14 24-22.2 87.3.1 Vanuatu 2447 1788 1781-7 -666 -.4-27.2 3.3 Total 49557 56896 5434-2593 4747-4.6 9.6 1. Source: NTOs, NSOs & SPTO Note: Data in red are SPTO estimates based on averages of the past four months [p] provisional, [r] revised 11
Figure R7; Destination Share (%) of the European Market Timo Leste 6.% Samoa 1.3% Tonga 1.9% Solomon Islands.5% PNG 2.3% Tuvalu.1% Vanuatu 3.3% American Samoa.2% Fiji 17.7% Cook Islands 4.2% FSM 1.% Palau 2.4% New Caledonia 24.8% French Polynesia 34.1% Niue.1% Marshall Islands.5% Kiribati.1% Japan Market After rebounding in the September Quarter, Japanese tourists to the region fell by 5.4% to 19,533 in the December Quarter. The decline stemmed from the deceleration in Japanese arrivals to Marshall Islands by 58.9%, Fiji 41.1%, Kiribati 26.5%, Cook Islands 19.7%, and Solomon Islands falling by 9.7%. Estimated falls were also recorded for FSM, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Niue, Tonga and Vanuatu. This more than offset the rising Japanese arrivals to American Samoa, Palau, and Timor Leste. Compared to December Quarter in 216, arrivals from the Japanese market however rose by 3.8% with Palau, the key destination for this market driving the positive growth at 3.1% over the past twelve months. Estimated growth from arrivals to French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Niue, Tonga and Vanuatu also supported this positive outcome. On market shares, majority of the Japanese tourists visited Palau at 34.9% during the quarter. This was well above the 29.9% share in the September Quarter, reflecting the 25.9% increase in the scheduled flights to Palau from Japan during the quarter. The second main destination New Caledonia accounted for an estimated 27.6%. The third leading destination, French Polynesia represented an estimated 15.9%, Fiji 6.2% and PNG with 3.7% share. All the other countries accounted for the remaining 11.8% share. Details are shown in Table R8 and Figure R8. 12
Table R8: Japanese Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 4, 217 216 217 Absolute Change % change % share Q4 Q3 Q4 Q4 217/ Q4 217/ Q4 Q4 217 Q4 217 Q3 217 Q4 216 217/ Q3 217 /Q4 216 American Samoa 26 13 19 6-7 46.2-26.9.1 Cook Islands 156 193 155-38 -1-19.7 -.6.8 FSM 673 774 673-11 -13.. 3.4 Fiji 1385 255 1213-842 -172-41. -12.4 6.2 French Polynesia 281 3454 397-358 287-1.4 1.2 15.9 Kiribati 68 49 36-13 -32-26.5-47.1.2 Marshall Islands 153 158 65-93 -88-58.9-57.5.3 Nauru New Caledonia 5378 5452 5387-65 9-1.2.2 27.6 Niue 6 2 7-13 1-66.5 12.2. Palau 667 6137 689 672 22 1.9 3.1 34.9 PNG 81 85 72-85 -81-1.6-1.1 3.7 Samoa 155 225 142-83 -13-36.9-8.4.7 Solomon Islands 189 199 18-19 -9-9.5-4.8.9 Timor Leste 381 384 3 384.8 2. Tonga 152 327 314-13 162-3.9 16.8 1.6 Tuvalu 42 32 38 6-4 19.9-8.6.2 Vanuatu 223 371 294-78 71-2.9 31.6 1.5 Total 18824 2645 19533-1112 79-5.4 3.8 1. Source: NTOs, NSOs and SPTO Note: Data in red are SPTO estimates based on averages of the past four months [p] provisional, [r] revised Figure R8: Destination Share (%) of the Japanese Market Timor Leste 2.% Solomon Islands.9% PNG 3.7% Samoa.7% Tonga 1.6% Palau 34.9% Tuvalu.2% Vanuatu 1.5% Fiji 6.2% American Samoa.1% FSM 3.4% French Polynesia 15.9% Kiribati.2% Marshall Islands.3% New Caledonia 27.6% Cook Islands.8% Niue.3% 13
China Market Chinese arrivals to the region fell by 17.6% to 32,938 in the December Quarter, reversing the positive growth witnessed in the September quarter. The deceleration was pushed down by the decline in arrivals to the Chinese two top Pacific destinations, Palau and Fiji by 22.1% and 17.7%, respectively. The drop in Chinese arrivals to Palau mainly reflected the drastic fall from the scheduled and chartered flights from this source market by 63.9% and 17.4% respectively. The significant fall in Chinese arrivals to American Samoa by 62.7%, Marshall Islands 46.2%, Samoa 33.5%, Timor Leste 22.1%, and Cook Islands by 1.2% also attributed to the negative outturn. Compared to the December quarter in 216, Chinese arrivals to the region however, rose by 12.9%. The acceleration arises from the solid growth in Chinese arrivals to Palau, the key destination for this source market by a remarkable 2.9% increase over the period. Higher growth in Chinese arrivals to Solomon Islands, PNG, and Samoa with estimated growth from French Polynesia, Tonga and Vanuatu also led to the favourable performance over the twelve months period. On market shares, of the total Chinese tourists, the majority at 41.6% visited Palau. Fiji the second highest for the Chinese market accounted for 33.2% share, followed by Papua New Guinea at 6.9%, Timor Leste 4.8%, and French Polynesia at an estimated 3.1%. The remaining 1.4% share was distributed among all the other regional countries. Details are shown in Table R9 and Figure R9. Table R9: Chinese Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 4, 217 216 217 Absolute Change % change % share Q4 Q3 Q4 Q4 217/ Q3 217 Q4 217/ Q4 216 Q4 217/ Q3 217 Q4 217/ Q4 216 Q4 217 American Samoa 71 67 25-42 -46-62.7-64.8.1 Cook Islands 167 186 167-19 -1.2..5 FSM 772 629 73 74-69 11.7-9. 2.1 Fiji 11455 133 195-235 -55-17.7-4.4 33.2 French Polynesia 965 118 131-149 66-12.6 6.8 3.1 Kiribati 64 29 27-2 -37-6.9-57.8.1 Marshall Islands 47 39 21-18 -26-46.2-55.3.1 Nauru. New Caledonia 85 71 68-3 -17-4.2-2..2 Niue 15 5 13 8-2 151.7-15.7. Palau 11337 17734 13712-422 2375-22.7 2.9 41.6 PNG 2187 224 227 246 83 12.2 3.8 6.9 Samoa 625 789 66-183 -19-23.2-3. 1.8 Solomon Islands 246 365 348-17 12-4.7 41.5 1.1 Timor Leste 211 1566-445 1566-22.1 4.8 Tonga 325 58 625 45 3 7.8 92.3 1.9 Tuvalu 17 12 9-3 -8-26. -47.8. Vanuatu 792 948 798-15 6-15.8.8 2.4 Total 2917 39969 32938-731 3768-17.6 12.9 1. Source: NTOs, NSOs and SPTO Note: Data in red are SPTO estimates based on averages of the past four months. [p] provisional, [r] revised 14
Figure R9: Destination Share (%) of the Chinese Market Solomon Islands 1.1% Timor Leste 4.8% Samoa 1.8% Tonga 1.9% PNG 6.9% Tuvalu.3% Vanuatu Cook 2.4% Islands.5% Fiji 33.2% FSM American Samoa 2.1%.1% Palau 41.6% Niue.4% New Caledonia.2% French Polynesia 3.1% Kiribati.1% Marshall Islands.1% Asia Market Tourist Arrivals from Asia Market to the region weakened by 1.5% to 46,15, reversing the positive trend in the preceding two quarters. The deceleration was pushed down by the decline in arrivals from Asia to Marshall Islands by 55.7%, Palau 35.9%, Kiribati 34.9%, American Samoa 25%, Timor Leste 14.6%, Samoa 11.4%, PNG 6.1% with estimated fall from New Caledonia and Tonga. This more than offset the rising arrivals to Cook Islands, Fiji, and Solomon Islands during the quarter. Estimated growths were also recorded for FSM, French Polynesia, Niue and Tuvalu. Compared to the December Quarter of 216, arrivals from Asia to the region however rose significantly by 76.8% with Cook Islands and Fiji showing the fastest growth by 22.2% and 2.7%, respectively. On market shares, Timor Leste received the highest arrivals from Asia by 42% to 19,36 with Indonesia accounting for 85.7% of this market due to its proximity. Fiji, the runner up received share of 19.9% to 9184 arrivals. This followed by Papua New Guinea and Palau with shares of 13.% and 9.9%, respectively. The remaining 15.2% was shared among all the other destinations in the region. Details are shown in Table R1 and Figure R1. 15
Table R1: Asia Market Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 4, 217 216 217 Absolute Change % change % share Q4 Q3 Q4 Q4 217/ Q4 217/ Q4 217/ Q4 217/ Q4 217 Q3 217 Q4 216 Q3 217 Q4 216 American Samoa 23 164 123-41 -17-25. -46.5.3 Cook Islands 18 194 22 26 4 13.4 22.2.5 FSM 2559 2336 256 224 1 9.6. 5.6 Fiji 761 8313 9184 871 1574 1.5 2.7 19.9 French Polynesia 185 818 99 91-176 11.1-16.2 2. Kiribati 172 152 99-53 -73-34.9-42.4.2 Marshall Islands 27 343 152-191 -55-55.7-26.6.3 New Caledonia 649 643 615-28 -34-4.3-5.2 1.3 Niue 1 3 8 5-2 141.8-19.. Palau 555 7137 4572-2565 -978-35.9-17.6 9.9 PNG 5796 6391 5999-392 23-6.1 3.5 13. Samoa 913 117 91-116 -12-11.4-1.3 2. Solomon Islands 857 813 899 86 42 1.6 4.9 1.9 Timor Leste 22662 1936-332 1936-14.6 42. Tonga 193 446 46-4 213-8.9 11.5.9 Tuvalu 87 81 97 16 11 2.2 12.2.2 Total 2698 51513 4615-549 27-1.5 76.7 1. Source: NTOs, NSOs and SPTO Note: Data unavailable for countries not listed Data in red are SPTO estimates based on averages of the past four months [p] provisional, [r] revised Figure R1: Destination Share (%) of Asia Market Tonga.9% Tuvalu.2% Vanuatu.% American Samoa.3% Cook Islands.5% FSM 5.6% Fiji 19.9% Solomon Islands 1.9% Timor Leste 42.% Samoa 2.% PNG 13.% Palau 9.9% Niue.2% French Polynesia 2.% Kiribati.2% Marshall Islands.3% New Caledonia 1.3% 16
Pacific Islands Tourist arrivals within the Pacific region rebounded by 13.4% in the December Quarter of 217 to 42,179, reversing the decline witnessed in the past four quarters. The upturn was boosted by a remarkable surge in arrivals within the Pacific Island countries to Cook Islands by 97%, Palau 87.7%, Kiribati 73.7%, Marshall Islands 61.6% and Samoa by 49.8%. Rising arrivals within the PICs to Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands with estimated growth to New Caledonia, Niue, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu also attributed to the positive performance during the quarter. The increase more than offset the decreasing tourists to American Samoa, French Polynesia, PNG and Timor Leste. Compared to the December quarter of 216, tourist arrivals within the Pacific Island countries also went up by 18.7%. This stemmed from increased arrivals within all the Pacific Island countries except for estimated fall from FSM, Niue and Tonga. See details in Table R11 and Figure R11. On shares, Fiji continued to dominant this market with 31.3%. Samoa the second highest represented shares of 21.9%, followed by Vanuatu and New Caledonia at an estimated 12.5% and 8.7%, respectively whilst American Samoa recorded shares of 5.8%. The remaining 19.8% was shared among all the remaining destinations, of which PNG and Solomon Islands accounted for 3.4% and 3.2% each. Table R11: Pacific Islands Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 4, 217 216 217 Absolute Change % change % share Q4 Q3 Q4 Q4 217/ Q4 Q4 217/ Q4 217/ Q4 217 Q3 217 16 Q3 217 Q4 216 American Samoa 2318 3113 2453-66 135-21.2 5.8 5.8 Cook Islands 382 338 666 328 284 97. 74.3 1.6 FSM 942 873 762-111 -181-12.7-19.2 1.8 Fiji 1182 125 13189 113 1369 9.4 11.6 31.3 French Polynesia 1166 1469 1287-182 121-12.4 1.4 3.1 Kiribati 388 27 469 199 81 73.7 2.9 1.1 Marshall Islands 358 528 853 325 495 61.6 138.3 2. Nauru. New Caledonia 357 3323 3668 345 161 1.4 4.6 8.7 Niue 17 81 83 2-24 2.8-22.5.2 Palau 225 146 274 128 49 87.7 21.8.6 PNG 1426 1664 1451-213 25-12.8 1.8 3.4 Samoa 6381 6155 9221 366 284 49.8 44.5 21.9 Solomon Islands 171 1133 1368 235 297 2.7 27.7 3.2 Timor Leste 34 31-3 31-8.8.1 Tonga 942 745 925 18-17 24.2-1.8 2.2 Tuvalu 17 151 187 36 17 23.8 1..4 Vanuatu 4336 519 5293 184 957 3.6 22.1 12.5 Total 35539 3719 42179 4989 664 13.4 18.7 1. Source: NTOs, NSOs and SPTO Note Data in red are SPTO estimates based on averages of the past four months [p] provisional, [r] revised 17
Figure R11: Destination Share (%) of Pacific Island Countries Market Solomon Islands 3.2% Tonga 2.2% Timo Leste.1% Tuvalu.4% Samoa 21.9% American Samoa Cook Islands 5.8% 1.6% Vanuatu 12.5% Fiji 31.3% FSM 1.8% PNG 3.4% Palau.6% Niue.2% New Caledonia 8.7% French Polynesia 3.1% Marshall Islands 2.% Kiribati 1.1% Countries Visitor arrivals from other countries bounced back in the December Quarter by 4.5% to 13,861 following the decline in the preceding quarter. The quick turnaround was triggered by rising arrivals from the rest of the world to Cook Islands by 58.5%, Palau 16.7%, Kiribati 8.6% and Fiji by.5%. Estimated growths were also recorded for French Polynesia, Tuvalu and Vanuatu during the quarter. This outweighed the falling arrivals to American Samoa, FSM, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Niue, PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Timor Leste. Compared to the December Quarter of 216, arrivals from Countries elsewhere however fell by 3.2% triggered by the decline in arrivals to American Samoa, Kiribati, Palau, PNG and Solomon Islands. By market shares, Fiji remained dominant with 32.5% of the total arrivals from Countries worldwide. French Polynesia the second highest represented an estimated 29% share. Cook Islands the third highest at 8.1%, overtaking PNG which reduced to 5.4% share whilst Vanuatu elevated to an estimated 5.9% share. New Caledonia registered an estimated 5.% while Timor Leste represented 3.3% share during the December quarter. All other countries accounted for the remaining 1.9% share during the quarter. See Table R12 and Figure R12 for details. 18
Table R12: Countries Tourists by Destination and Share, Quarter 4, 217 216 217 Absolute Change % change % share Q4 Q3 Q4 Q4 217/ Q4 217/ Q4 217/ Q4 217/ Q4 217 Q3 217 Q4 216 Q3 217 Q4 216 American Samoa 57 52 47-5 -1-9.6-17.5.3 Cook Islands 872 74 1116 412 244 58.5 28. 8.1 FSM 129 139 126-12 -3-8.9-2.2.9 Fiji 4388 4481 452 21 114.5 2.6 32.5 French Polynesia 5334 3493 418 525-1316 15. -24.7 29. Kiribati 5 35 38 3-12 8.6-24..3 Marshall Islands 45 138 94-44 49-31.9 18.9.7 Nauru. New Caledonia 18 731 693-38 -315-5.2-31.3 5. Niue 15 1 5-5 -1-47.8-64.5. Palau 3 191 222 31-78 16.2-26. 1.6 PNG 759 831 742-89 -17-1.7-2.2 5.4 Samoa 369 559 472-87 13-15.6 27.9 3.4 Solomon Islands 114 21 12-18 -12-51.4-1.5.7 Timor Leste 783 458-325 458-41.5 3.3 Tonga 15 328 293-35 188-1.7 178.8 2.1 Tuvalu 13 19 114 95 11 499.8 11..8 Vanuatu 668 561 819 258 151 46. 22.6 5.9 Total 14316 1326 13861 597-454 4.5-3.2 1. 5 Source: NTOs, NSOs and SPTO Note: Data in red are SPTO estimates based on averages of the past four months [p] provisional, [r] revised Figure R12: Destination Share (%) of Countries Market Niue.% Solomon Islands.7% Marshall Islands.7% Nauru.% Kiribati.3% Timor Leste Samoa 3.4% Palau 1.6% New Caledonia 5.% 3.3% Tonga 2.1% PNG 5.4% Tuvalu Vanuatu.8% 5.9% French Polynesia 29.% American Samoa.3% FSM.9% Fiji 32.5% Cook Islands 8.1% 19
Visitor Arrivals % 4. Destination Analysis American Samoa In Quarter Four of 217, a total of 4,289 tourists visited American Samoa and this marked a decline of 18% against the previous quarter and a drop of 9.1% in comparison to Fourth Quarter of 216. The deceleration against the September Quarter was fuelled by the fall in arrivals from all source markets except for Canada which recorded a slight growth of 3.7%. Arrivals from American Samoa top three source markets Pacific Islands, USA and New Zealand fell considerably by 16.6%, 22%, and 12.4% respectively. When compared to the corresponding period in 216, the decline was driven by the fall in all source markets with the exception of Canada rising by more than two fold, Europe up 2.3% and USA increasing by 12.9% over the period. With regards to shares, Pacific Islands dominated arrivals to this destination recording 47.7% followed by USA with a share of 26.1%. New Zealand and Australia rallied behind with shares of 14.6% and 3.9% respectively. The remaining 7.7% was shared among all the other source markets. Details are shown in Figure C1. Figure C1: Tourist Arrivals in American Samoa by Source Market, Quarter 4 217 62 15 52 42 32 22 12 2 1 5-5 -8 Australia NZ USA Canada UK Europe Philippin es Source: Statistics Office, American Samoa Department of Commerce China Japan Asia Pacific Islands Countrie s 216 Q4 26 671 99 12 44 79 97 71 26 133 2343 45 4717 217 Q3 186 716 1433 27 52 95 54 67 13 11 2453 25 5231 217 Q4 169 627 1118 28 2 95 33 25 19 9 246 19 4289 % change Q4 17/Q4 16-18. -6.6 12.9 133.3-54.5 2.3-66. -64.8-26.9-32.3-12.7-57.8-9.1 % change Q4 17/Q3 17-9.1-12.4-22. 3.7-61.5. -38.9-62.7 46.2-18.2-16.6-24. -18. % share Q4 217 3.9 14.6 26.1.7.5 2.2.8.6.4 2.1 47.7.4 1. Total -1 Analysis by purpose of visit reveals that the Leisure, VFR and Business segments slumped against the Third Quarter of 217 while those visiting for other purposes increased remarkably by 76.2%. When compared to Quarter 4, 216, the trend is similar, with drop in the three segments leisure, VFR and business but a surge of more than two fold for other purposes. In terms of shares, majority of tourists to American Samoa during the period under review were visiting friends and relatives and accounted for 49.3% of all arrivals. Leisure tourists recorded a share of 28.3% while Business and the classification others registered shares of 16.4% and 6% respectively. Details are shown in Figure C2. 2
Tourist Arrivals % Tourist Arrivals % Figure C2: Tourist Arrivals to American Samoa by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 4, 217 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Leisure VFR Business s Total 216 Quarter 4 216 1,242 2,658 73 114 4,717 217 Quarter 3 217 1525 2,649 91 147 5,231 217 Quarter 4 217 1212 2,115 73 259 4,289 % Change Q4 217/Q4 216-2.4-2.4. 127.2-9.1 % Change Q4 217/Q3 217-2.5-2.2-22.7 76.2-18. % Share Q4 217 28.3 49.3 16.4 6. 1. 14 12 1 8 6 4 2-2 -4 Source: Statistics Office, American Samoa Department of Commerce Cook Islands During the Quarter under review, 42,389 tourists visited Cook Islands marking a fall of 11.6%, as opposed to the positive growth in the preceding two quarters. The backdrop against the September Quarter was dragged down by the slump in arrivals to this destination from other Pacific Islands by 46.4%, New Zealand 22.9%, Japan 19.7% and China falling by 1.2%. This more than offset the rising arrivals from Australia, USA, United Kingdom, Canada, Europe, other Asia and other countries during the quarter. The reduction in New Zealand arrivals to Cook Islands also partly reflected the 9% fall in outbound New Zealander residents to this destination over the quarter. When compared to the corresponding period in 216, arrivals from all markets however increased by 1.2% except for Pacific Islands, Europe and Japan which registered declines by 14.6%, 3.4% and.6% respectively. Figure C3: Tourist Arrivals in Cook Islands by Source Market, Quarter 4, 217 6 5 4 3 2 1 Austra lia Source: Cook Islands Statistics Office NZ USA Canad a UK 21 Europ e China Japan Asia Pacific Island s Count ries 216 Q4 7762 24188 1754 662 593 2374 167 156 18 418 119 38373 217 Q3 6881 34591 1884 492 646 232 186 193 194 666 212 47977 217 Q4 8266 26673 227 92 872 2293 167 155 22 357 214 42389 % change Q4 17/Q4 16 6.49 1.27 29.42 36.25 47.5-3.41. -.64 22.22-14.59 79.83 1.47 % change Q4 17/Q3 17 2.13-22.89 2.49 83.33 34.98 12.84-1.22-19.69 13.4-46.4.94-11.65 % share Q4 217 19.5 62.9 5.4 2.1 2.1 5.4.4.4.5.8.5 1. Total 12 1 8 6 4 2-2 -4-6
Tourist Arrivals % In terms of shares, New Zealand continued to be the dominant source market for Cook Islands with a share of 62.9% to 26,673 while Australia recorded 19.5%. All the other destinations shared the remaining share of 17.6% of which USA and Europe each accounted 5.4% during the quarter. Details are illustrated in Figure C3. When analyzing tourist arrivals to Cook Islands by purpose of visit, all segments recorded positive growth of almost more than 1% in comparison to the Fourth Quarter of 216. Against the September quarter, VFR and other purposes registered growth of 67.7% and 23.4% respectively while leisure and business declined by 18.2% and 14.3% respectively. With regards to shares, majority of tourists to this destination in the December Quarter of 217 were visiting for leisure recording a share of 81.6%. However, this was below the 88.2% share witnessed in the September Quarter. VFR, the second highest represented share of 12.5%, followed by Business segment with 3.2% whilst the remaining 2.8% was recorded for other purposes. See Figure C4 for more details. Figure C4: Tourist Arrivals in Cook Islands by Purpose of Visit, Quarter 4, 217 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Leisure VFR Business s Total 216 Quarter 4 216 31,376 4,85 1,225 1,58 38,464 217 Quarter 3 217 4232 3,149 1578 948 47,977 217 Quarter 4 217 34586 5,281 1352 117 42,389 % Change Q4 217/Q4 216 1.2 9.9 1.3 1.6 1.2 % Change Q4 217/Q3 217-18.2 67.7-14.3 23.4-11.6 % Share Q4 217 81.6 12.5 3.2 2.8 1. 12. 1. 8. 6. 4. 2.. -2. -4. Source: Cook Islands Statistics Office Fiji Tourist arrivals to Fiji weakened by 11.5% to 22,745 in the December Quarter, reversing the positive performances in the preceding two quarters. The downturn against the September Quarter was triggered by the reduction in arrivals from Fiji s three leading source markets Australia by 2.9%, New Zealand 33.9% and USA falling by 8.9%. The deceleration in outbound Australian and New Zealander residents by 9% and 8.7%, respectively partly explained the recession in arrivals from Australia and New Zealand markets. Notable falls were also recorded for Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, China and Japan. Meanwhile, arrivals to Fiji from France surged by more than threefold, other countries increasing by 35.9%, Asia up 1.5% and Pacific Islands rising by 9.5% over the period. Against the December Quarter of 216, tourist arrivals to Fiji however rose by 5.7% with France showing the fastest growth by 37%. Growth over the period was also boosted by increasing arrivals from Fiji s four leading source markets Australia, New Zealand, USA and 22