Tourism in Solomon Islands is on the rise

The South Pacific country has registered sharp arrival increase during 2016, with more Asian and international visits especially in the first three quarters of the year.

The Solomon Islands National Statistics Office has recently released registered data according to which 16.381 international tourists have visited the country in the first 9 months of this year. The figures indicate a 4.5% increase when compared to 2015.

From the total number of foreign visitors, 41 per cent were from Australia, 10 per cent from US, 8.8 per cent from Fiji and 3.7 per cent were from New Zealand. The Asian market nevertheless has registered the highest increase, as arrivals went up by 22.4 per cent during 2016. According to Jo Tuamoto, the CEO of The Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau, the growth can be easily explained if considering the island nation’s participation in travel events in Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and South Korea.

Moreover, experts anticipate a better forecast for next year. According to local tourism operator Gregory Para, in terms of cruise tourism industry, Solomon Islands will have a great 2017. 12 cruise ships are expected to bring consistent foreign currency to the local economy.

“Although cruise ships only made brief stop-overs, it sets a foundation whereby more people will visit later to stay longer. The cruise boats brings tourist to take a glimpse of our beautiful country, after which they can return and or market us to their friends,” he commented.