1. March 2024 highlights

• Total arrivals by air in March 2024 stood at 5,909.
• Residents arrival makes up 28% and visitor arrivals make up 72% of the total arrivals by air.
• Holiday visitors represent 77% of all air arrivals.
• Visitors residing in Australia recorded the highest percent at 48% of all air arrivals.
• The average length of stay for visitors is 11 days.
• The average age of visitors is 43 Years.
• Day visitors at 15,875 in March 2024.
• Total departures stood at 7,568 in March 2024. Residents represents 38% of all departure and visitor’s departure with 62%.

2. Overview

• The total international visitors arrival stood at 20,136 in which the total visitors arrivals by air is 4,261 which is an increase of 55% when compare to the previous months. The increase was attributed to an increase in the number of air arrivals for holiday purposes by 68% when compared to the previous month.
• There were 8 cruise ships in Vanuatu in March 2024 carrying a total of 15,875 day visitors which makes up a total of 79% of visitors arriving by sea in March 2024.

3. Purpose of visit

Holiday visitors made up 77% of all international visitor arrivals to Vanuatu; followed by Other, Education and Sports at 9%, Business meetings conferences at 7%, Visiting Friends and relatives at 6% and stop-over visitors at 2%.

4. Country of usual residence (for visitors arriving by air)

Australian visitors accounted for 48% of all international visitors by air followed by Europe at 22%, Other Pacific Countries 9%, New Zealand at 8%, China at 5%, North America at 4%, Other Countries at 3%, Japan at 1% and New Caledonia at less than 1%.

5. Average intended length of stay (for visitors arriving by air)

International visitors by air spent an average of 11 days in Vanuatu. Visitors to Port Vila spent an average of 9 days and Luganville with 13 days.

6. Average age of visitors

• The average age for visitors travelling by air is 43 years old.
• This represents 39% of all visitors arriving to Vanuatu within the age group of 30 - 49 years old and also 39% within the age group of 50+ years old.

Table Downloads

Table 1 Summary of Overseas Migration

Table 2 Purpose of visit

Table 3 Visitor Arrivals by Usual Country of Residence

Table 4 Overseas Arrivals of Residents by Nationality

Table 5 Visitors Arriving by Air Intended Length of Stay

Table 6 Visitors Arriving by Air Average Age

Table 7 Visitors travelling to Outer Islands, Vanuatu

Table 8 Visitors usual residence arrivals by purpose of visit

Data Source and Revisions

All International arrival by air provided in this report is sourced from the passenger processing modules within ASYCUDA World system from the Department of Customs and the Migration Information Data Analysis System (MIDAS) from the department of immigration through International Organization for Migration (IOM). Cruise ship figures are also supplied by the Department of Customs through the Passenger processing module.

The Vanuatu Bureau of Statistics is releasing monthly provisional international visitor arrivals highlighted in the tables from January 2019 onwards. This will allow for anomalies and consistency checks with the Department of Customs and Inland Revenue (DCIR) before release of actual figures in Quarterly or Annual Statistical Indicator report. 

Get the IVA March 2024 Report (PDF)

Next update (Monthly) release date

April 2024