Fiji recorded an increase in visitor arrivals last month, with a total of 98,332 people, according to provisional figures released by the Fiji Bureau of Statistics (FBoS).

This represents a 5.2% increase compared to the same period last year and a 6.2% rise from June 2024. It’s also the highest number for July on record, even surpassing the pre-pandemic figures from July 2019 by 2.0%.

Of these visitors, 97,331 arrived by air, and 1,001 arrived by sea, mostly seamen from fishing vessels and people arriving by yacht.

Tourism remains a dominant driver, with 79.9% arriving for holidays. Others came to visit friends or relatives (9.9%), for business (1.6%), or for other reasons (8.6%).

Australia continued to lead with 42,029 visitors, making up 28.1% of the total arrivals. New Zealand was close behind with 27,676 visitors, also 28.1% of the total. The United States was the third biggest source of visitors, with 11,440 people arriving (11.6%). Smaller numbers came from China, Europe, Canada, and the United Kingdom, but these countries still accounted for 91.4% of all visitors in July.

Most visitors were aged 25-64 (59.5%), reflecting the working-age population. Children aged 14 and under made up 18.9% of visitors, while 11.5% were youths aged 15-24. The remaining 10.1% were people aged 65 and over, showing that Fiji is a popular destination for all age groups.

In July 2024, 15,223 Fiji residents left the country. Most of them (88.6%) departed for less than three months. The main reasons for leaving were holidays (44.8%), visiting friends or relatives (43.6%), and business (5.6%). A small number of residents (7.3%) left for a year or more, including 62 people emigrating for 1-5 years and 152 emigrating for more than five years.