Tourism Solomons CEO (Appearing) Dagnal Dereveke mentioned the tourism workplace was maintaining a really shut eye on the New Zealand market.

Newly launched Solomon Islands customer arrival figures for Q1 2023 present the vacation spot has equalled numbers achieved for a similar interval in 2020 earlier than the nation initiated a border closure which noticed the nation lower off from the world for greater than 800 days.

The figures, launched by the Solomon Islands Nationwide Statistics Workplace (SINSO), reveal a complete of three,940 worldwide guests traveled by Honiara Worldwide Airport between January and March 2023, the determine pipping the Q1 2020 3,880 outcome by 1.5 %.

Australians once more proceed to make up the majority of the guests, accounting for 36.2 % of the Q1 whole with a complete of 1,426, a slight drop (minus 2.5 %) on the 1,463 determine achieved in Q1 2020.

The most important progress for the quarter got here from the US market the place numbers elevated from 208 in Q1 2020 to 351 throughout the identical interval this 12 months – a leap of 68.7 %.

Arrivals from Papua New Guinea rose from 261 to 319, a rise of twenty-two.2 % whereas Fiji figures dipped 9 %.

New Zealand customer arrivals for Q1 additionally confirmed a slight downturn over the corresponding interval in 2020, dropping 11.6 % from 267 to 236.

Tourism Solomons CEO (Appearing) Dagnal Dereveke mentioned the tourism workplace was maintaining a really shut eye on the New Zealand market the place he hopes numbers will climb strongly going ahead because of Solomon Airways’ current choice to begin an Auckland-Port Vila-Honiara service on 05 June.

Mr Dereveke mentioned he stays cautiously assured that persevering with efforts, good advertising, and ever-building worldwide confidence within the Solomon Islands, the vacation spot will meet its 2023 targets throughout all goal markets.

“Our worldwide advertising technique stays mounted on selling core product choices the place we maintain a aggressive edge or can compete with our opposition,” he mentioned.