Fiji says visitor numbers ahead of target

For the first time since the disastrous civilian coup last year, tourism leaders are smiling.

The latest figures from the Fiji Bureau of Statistics for the six months to June show visitor numbers from all markets are 3.2 per cent ahead of target.

The New Zealand director for the Fiji Visitors Bureau in Auckland, Penny Henderson, said the latest figures were good news for tourism operators.

"It shows that the recovery strategy put in place has worked and that Fiji is regaining the lost ground," she said.

For the six months there were 152,983 tourists compared to the target of 148,200.

While the national tourist office revised its target figures after the coup, Ms Henderson said that the latest statistics were only 12.4 per cent behind the actual numbers for the same period to June 2000 and 18.4 per cent behind 1999.

New Zealanders are rushing back to the Fiji islands as their preferred Pacific destination.

For the six months 26,309 Kiwis took advantage of strongly discounted travel deals introduced after the coup, recording an increase of 9.2 per cent over target.

This was 9.9 per cent more than for the same six months in the 2000 year.

Ms Henderson said Australian visitors were down only 1.6 per cent on target, down 11.4 per cent on the same period in 2000 and 22.8 per cent down on 1999.

Americans were also returning with an 18.9 per cent increase on target with 27,824 visitors recorded.

This is down only 13 per cent on 2000 and 7 per cent down on 1999.