Visitor numbers and spending are on the rebound in Vanuatu according to a recent study.
Port Vila, Vanuatu. Photo: RNZI
The country had seen a massive drop in visitor arrivals earlier in the year due to reduced flights arising from safety concerns about the runway at its international airport and following on from the devastation of cyclone Pam in 2015.
But the Vanuatu daily post reports things are now on the mend according to the Vanuatu International Visitor Survey, for April to September 2016.
The country has recorded $US 12,348,848 per month as a direct economic impact from visitors arriving by air between April and July.
Photo: Supplied
According to the Vanuatu National Statistic Office, visitor arrivals were around 5,000 in April.
By July this had more than doubled to 10,864.
According to the survey, 80 percent of the visitors are from Australia and New Zealand and more than half of them are first time visitors.
The average length of stay for visitors is around nine nights and the most visited Island is Efate, followed by Tanna, and Santo.
The Vanuatu International Visitor Survey was jointly carried out by the Auckland University of Technology, International Finance Corporation, Vanuatu Tourism Office and the New Zealand Tourism Research Institute,