Tourists flock to Pacific islands

Tourism is booming in the South Pacific with visitor arrival numbers reaching a new record for six countries.

The South Pacific Tourism Organisation said last year was a record year for tourist growth in the region.

Six of the 12 Pacific member countries of the organisation - the Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu - had record increases in visitor numbers.

The total visitor arrivals to the region were estimated to have reached 1,173,260 last year, 96,444 more visitors than in 2003.

Technical adviser Ross Hopkins said for the past four years, visitor arrivals into the South Pacific region had shown positive growth and had competed well with Australia and New Zealand.

From 2002 to 2004, the Pacific region had an average growth rate of 8.1 per cent, compared with growth rates of 6.9 per cent in New Zealand and 4 per cent in Australia.

Mr Hopkins said tourism had been recognised as one of the islands' principal growth sectors which could provide major benefits through the creation of rural income and employment.

After achieving a record number of visitors in 2003 with 430,800 arrivals, Fiji was estimated to have passed the 500,000 arrivals mark last year.

The Fiji Visitors Bureau estimated that about 507,000 visitors entered the country, an increase of 76,200 visitors - an 18 per cent growth.

Most major tourism destinations in the Pacific were growing.

"While it is being led by Fiji and Vanuatu, it is also pleasing to see several other countries having record years."

Mr Hopkins said the growth was being driven partly by increased air capacity and competition through the introduction of low cost carriers, but also by stronger country and regional marketing and a growing consumer demand for safe destinations.

The organisation supported the efforts of individual countries to develop tourism through tourism marketing and planning, as well as undertaking specific marketing research and targeted marketing activities which promoted the South Pacific overseas.