DEAR EDITOR – According to a report by the SI Government’s Statistician, Douglas Kimi, a record total of 16,233 tourists entered the Solomon Islands during the final (4th) quarter of 2019.
Kimi said, “Compared to the same quarter a year ago, an increase of 5.5 percent was recorded and visitors made up 50 percent of arrivals for the quarter.
“Arrivals by country of residence for the fourth quarter 2019 showed that Australians recorded 34.0 percent and remain the largest group of visitors to the Solomon Islands,” Kimi revealed.
He went on to report, “The most popular carriers during the quarter were Solomon Airlines who carried 48.1 percent of total visitors, followed by Air Niugini 28.6 percent and Virgin Australia 14.2 percent.”
“Arrivals by country of residence to Munda for the fourth quarter 2019 showed that Australians topped the record with 85.4 percent and were the largest group of visitors followed by visitors from New Zealand with 4.9 percent and the United States of American with 3.7 percent of the arrivals.”
Kimi has advised that it is highly likely that tourist arrivals will decline in the forthcoming quarters due to the impact of the COVID-19 (Corona Virus) worldwide and in the region.
Frank Short
Bangkok, Thailand