September Visitor Numbers Shatter Records

Honiara, Solomon Islands – International visitor arrivals to the Solomon Islands for September 2017 have, to quote Tourism Solomons CEO, Josefa ‘Jo’ Tuamoto “gone off the Richter Scale” with the destination recording a close on 70 per cent year on year increase. 

Figures released by the Solomon Islands National Statistics Office (SINSO) show a total of 2397 international traveller visited the destination in September, a 67.8 per cent increase over the 1428 recorded for the same month in 2016.
 
A delighted Mr Tuamoto said the figure represents the biggest-ever monthly intake the Solomon Islands has enjoyed since SINSO first started recording international arrival figures in 1990.
 
“This truly represents a watershed moment for the Solomon Islands and keeps us bang on target for a very strong finish to 2017,” Mr Tuamoto said.
 
Figures for the nine-month period show the destination has now attracted a total 18,507 international visitors, a 10.48 per cent over the 16,831 figure achieved for January-September 2016 with each of the Solomon Islands’ main source markets recording solid year on year growth.
 
Australian visitation again dominated, the 7317 total recorded for September representing a 7.41 per cent increase of the 6812 recorded last year and accounting for 37.2 per cent of all arrivals.
 
New Zealand arrivals, buoyed by the All Whites FIFA World Cup clash with the Solomon Islands at Honiara’s Lawson Tama Stadium, saw Kiwi September numbers jump from 1136 to reach 1286, an increase of 13.2 per cent.
 
US numbers too improved, increasing 9.11 per cent from 1152 to 1257.
 
Papua New Guinea and Fiji visitation numbers also increased, by 8.67 and 6.7 per cent, respectively.