SUVA, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Fiji received 205,529 foreign tourists in the first six months of this year, a 50 percent recovery of arrivals over the same period of 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Fiji broadcasting Corporation (FBC) on Tuesday, the Fiji Bureau of Statistics said that tourism arrival continued to rise in the country with visitors for June this year alone standing at 62,130.
According to the Fijian government, Fiji is expected to receive 447,000 tourists in 2022.
The strong performance of tourism is directly fueling the recovery of the Fijian economy, which is now expected to grow by 12.4 percent this year.
Minister for Tourism Faiyaz Koya said that they are now expecting visitor arrivals to reach 55 percent of 2019 levels with full recovery by 2024.
The ministry will continue to work with its key government and industry partners to ensure the full recovery of the industry, with the support provided in the upcoming 2022-2023 national budget.
The tourism industry is urged to maintain Fiji's image as a safe tourism destination and to continue advocating for COVID-19 safety practices.
In April, Fiji lifted all quarantine measures for foreign visitors as part of its efforts to revitalize the tourism industry, the backbone of the island nation's economy and the biggest foreign exchange earner, which was devastated by travel-related restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fiji closed its borders after it reported the first confirmed COVID-19 case in March 2020. On Dec. 1, 2021, Fiji reopened its borders to all fully vaccinated travellers from the "travel partner" countries, including New Zealand, Australia, Britain and the United States.
Located in the heart of the South Pacific region, Fiji has a population of around 900,000 people and 333 tropical islands.
The tourism industry, which accounts for about 35 percent of Fiji's gross domestic product, employs approximately 150,000 people directly and indirectly. Before the pandemic, Fiji received more than 800,000 visitors per year. ■