Pacific tourism numbers surge in Q1 of 2015

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (RNZI/PIR)—There was a surge in tourist numbers into the Pacific in the first quarter of this year.

In figures made available by the South Pacific Tourism Organization, nearly 381,000 visited from January through March. The best performing markets were Fiji and Palau, with Palau benefitting from direct flights from China.

Several countries had a drop in numbers: the Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.

Australian tourists dominated the markets while Chinese tourism was up by two and a half times, with the bulk of Chinese tourists going to Palau.