Fiji receives more than 119,000 int'l visitors since last December-Xinhua

Fiji receives more than 119,000 int'l visitors since last December

Source: Xinhua| 2022-05-22 15:52:17|Editor: huaxia

SUVA, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Fiji has received more than 119,000 international tourists since the island nation reopened its borders in December last year, said Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama.

Bainimarama said Fiji received over 46,000 visitors in April, bringing the total arrivals this year to more than 95,000, according to the Fijivillage news website on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Fiji's Permanent Secretary for Trade and Tourism Shaheen Ali said that the April figures show 61 percent of arrivals at pre-pandemic levels.

According to the Fijian government, Fiji is expected to receive 447,000 tourists this year.

The tourism industry, which accounts for about 35 percent of Fiji's gross domestic product and employs approximately 150,000 people directly and indirectly, is the backbone of the island nation's economy and the biggest foreign exchange earner.

The country received more than 800,000 visitors per year before the pandemic.

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