FOR the fourth month in a row, international visitation to the Solomon Islands has shown double digit growth.
Figures released by the Solomon Islands National Statistics Office (SINSO) this week reveal international visitation increased for April 2018 increased 11.8 percent over the corresponding month in 2017.
The 2,250 total recorded showed an increase of 237 over the 2,013 achieved in April 2017.
With all major source markets showing good growth, Australian visitor arrivals continued to dominate, climbing 13 percent from 2,689 to 3,038.
New Zealand figures increased 17 percent from 443 to 519.
Papua New Guinea figures increased from 377 to 492, an increase of 30.5 percent while US figures grew 19 percent from 341 to 409.
Interestingly, visitation from Japan climbed by 40 per cent from 207 to 290, a result Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau (SIVB) CEO, Josefa ‘Jo’ Tuamoto attributed to renewed interest in the destination following on from the 75th anniversary of the Guadalcanal campaign last August.
European traffic also continued to build, the 338 total recorded representing a 48.9 percent increase over the 227 figure achieved in 2017.
The April result follows the destination’s best-ever first quarter result with collective visitor arrivals for Q1 2018 up 29 percent.
–SIVB PRESS
