Litia Cava 
Fiji recorded its highest-ever visitor arrivals for November with 76,845 visitors.
This marks a 2.8 per cent increase compared to November last year when arrivals stood at 74,748 and a major recovery from 2022’s 63,646 arrivals.
However, provisional data from the Fiji Bureau of Statistics shows a 14 per cent decline when compared to October this year which saw 89,388 visitors.
Of the total arrivals in November, 76,040 visitors travelled by air, while 805 came by sea. Sea arrivals primarily comprised 781 seamen on fishing vessels and 24 yacht visitors.
The majority of visitors come to Fiji for holidays. A further 7.6 per cent visited friends or relatives, 2.7 per cent arrived for business purposes and 10.8 per cent cited other reasons for their visit.
The largest demographic of visitors fell within the 25-64 age group, accounting for 61.5 per cent of arrivals, a reflection of Fiji’s popularity among working-age individuals.
Youths aged 15-24 made up 16.5 per cent while retirees aged 65 and over accounted for 11.2 per cent. Children aged 14 and under represented the remaining 10.8%.
Meanwhile, departures of Fijian residents for last month totalled 19,038 with the vast majority leaving for short-term absences of less than three months.
Among those departing for short trips, nearly half were holidaymakers, while 41.2 per cent travelled to visit friends or relatives and 4.9 per cent cited business purposes.
Thus, the month-on-month decline highlights the challenges of maintaining consistent growth in visitor arrivals as the year-end approaches.
