1. May 2024 highlights

• Total arrivals by air in May 2024 stood at 3,933.
• Residents arrival makes up 31% and visitor arrivals make up 69% of the total arrivals by air.
• Holiday visitors represent 71% of all air arrivals.
• Visitors residing in Australia recorded the highest percent at 45% of all air arrivals.
• The average length of stay for visitors is 10 days.
• The average age of visitors is 42 Years.
• Day visitors stood at 21,152 in May 2024.
• Total departures stood at 3,983 in May 2024. Residents represents 23% of all departure and visitor’s departure with 77%. 

2. Overview

• The total number of international visitor arrivals stood at 23,947. Visitors arrival by air stood at 2,722 marking a 47% decrease compared to the previous month. The decrease was attributed to a decrease in the number of air arrivals for holiday purposes by 50% when compared to the previous month
• Vanuatu welcomed 8 cruise ships in May 2024 carrying a total of 21,152 day visitors, constituting 89% of the total visitors during that month. 

3. Purpose of visit

Holiday visitors made up 71% of all international visitor arrivals to Vanuatu; followed by Other, Education and Sports at 11%, Business meetings conferences at 10%, Visiting Friends and relatives at 7% and stop-over visitors at less than 1%.

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

Australian visitors accounted for 45% of all international visitors by air followed by Europe at 19%, New Zealand and Other Pacific Countries at 9% each, North America at 7%, China at 6%, Other Countries at 5% and Japan at 2%.

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

International visitors by air spent an average of 10 days in Vanuatu. Visitors to Port Vila spent an average of 10 days however there were no visitors to Luganville in the month under review.

6. Average age of visitors

• The average age for visitors travelling by air is 42 years old.
• This represents 37% 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 - Visitor Arrivals by 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) and Immigration Department before release of actual figures in Quarterly or Annual Statistical Indicator report. 

Get the IVA May 2024 Report (PDF)

Next update (Monthly) release date

June 2024