Tourism defies fuel crisis with record visitor growth
Safe destination reputation drives visitor confidence
Monday 03 August 2026 | 12:30
Visitor arrivals continue to climb, with a record 98,522 visitors in June, while forward bookings remain positive.
Photo: Rosie Holidays Fiji
Fiji's tourism industry has remained resilient despite the global fuel crisis, with visitor arrivals continuing to rise and forward bookings remaining strong.
Permanent Secretary for Tourism and Civil Aviation Salaseini Daunabuna said Fiji's reputation as a safe destination had helped sustain visitor confidence despite global travel challenges.
"As you can see this year, even with the fuel crisis, our numbers continue to hold in terms of visitor arrivals and even in terms of our projections and bookings because things remain positive," she said.
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"There are many reasons why this is happening and one of which is that Fiji is seen as a safe destination. Also, during this crisis, some visitors have chosen to travel through the Pacific and, in a way, we have benefited by maintaining our arrival numbers.
"We hope we keep the trend going for this year but, for now, it still remains positive."
Official figures show visitor arrivals reached 70,993 in January, 54,219 in February, 71,765 in March, 79,724 in April, 85,405 in May and a record 98,522 in June — the highest total ever recorded for the month.
Ms Daunabuna said the continued growth in visitor numbers was increasing demand for accommodation across the country.
She said the National Development Plan projected Fiji would require an additional 4,000 to 5,000 hotel rooms over the next five years to cater for growing visitor numbers.
While traditional accommodation providers continued to expand, she said short-term rentals, including Airbnb properties, and ecotourism operators were also helping to meet demand.
"We passed the Tourism Act in May and within that we have Tourism Enterprises, which includes the normal accommodation providers and also the short-term rentals. All of these put together has really helped to maintain what we need as a country to offer in terms of accommodation," she said.
Visitor arrivals are expected to continue growing, with August traditionally Fiji's busiest month for international arrivals.
