Visitors increased by 3 percent to surpass 1.36 million. This follows increases of 4 percent in 2007 and 3 percent in 2006.
South Pacific Islands bucked regional trends.
The greater Pacific region, which also includes Hawaii, Guam/Saipan, Australia and New Zealand, experienced a -4.6 percent decline in 2008 as noted by the Pacific Asia Travel Association.
South-Pacific Travel chief executive Tony Everitt said “Once again our sector demonstrates its resilience. Tourism has been driving economic growth in the South Pacific this century. However, 2009 is going to be a challenging year for every industry in every region of the world,” Everitt said.
Our neighbors Australia are forecasting a 5 percent decline in visitors to their shores this year, and New Zealand a -10 percent decline. Our industry in the South Pacific would be wise to brace for declines of a similar magnitude. However, given the beginnings of global economic recovery from 2010, there is no reason why we can’t return to our long-term growth trend.”
There was some variability in the 2008 figures across the region. Niue, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tonga showed good growth
Fiji recovered from its 2007 decline to set a new high. Tahiti experienced a double-digit decline largely because its main markets are Europe, the U.S. and Japan.
All are long-haul and therefore were more affected by the oil price spike. These large Northern Hemisphere economies are also the major victims of the economic crisis.
Everitt said: “We expect 2009 may also show considerable variation between destinations within the region. For the first quarter, Vanuatu and Samoa for example are doing well. Tahiti however is encountering difficult market conditions due to the Northern Hemisphere orientation of its markets.”
