The South Pacific Tourism Organization (SPTO)
recently released a study titled “The Economic
Impact of Tourism in SPTO Member Countries.”
Using existing data from member countries
and a new online survey, SPTO was able to
conduct the most thorough examination of the
region's tourism economy in recent years.
The following findings are of particular note
to Tahiti & Her Islands:
-In
2004, visitors to SPTO countries spent $1.52 billion
dollars, an increase of 16.7% over 2003
-The
211,893 visitors to Tahiti & Her Islands in
2004 spent a total of $501.3 million, an average
of $2,365.90 per person. For comparison,
Fiji's 507,000 visitors in 2004 spent a total
of $413.2 million, for an average of $815.00
per person.
-When
tourism revenue is expressed in terms of population,
visitors spend $1,882.19 per capita in Tahiti
& Her Islands, compared to only $469.08 per
capita in Fiji (source: SPTO and CIA World
Factbook).
Analysis:
The overall jump in tourism dollars to the South
Pacific indicates the forward momentum of the
region's economy. With many member countries
still developing tourism initiatives, there
is clearly still a lot of growth potential.
Despite Tahiti & Her Islands' flat growth in
visitor arrivals the past couple years, visitors
continue to spend more money there than they
do in any other South Pacific country. Even
Fiji, which has experienced meteoric growth
in visitor arrivals in the past five years,
does not generate tourism revenue like Tahiti
& Her Islands. In 2004, the average visitor
spent almost three times as much in Tahiti &
Her Islands as the average visitor to Fiji.
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