Economic Contribution to the Fijian Economy
Yachts and spending whilst in Fiji
An estimated 721 visiting yachts were in Fiji during 2018. This is made up of 54 superyacht and 667 yachts under 24m.
The visiting yachts brought 1,963 crew and an additional 2,510 guests to Fiji (most of whom would have flown in and out while in Fiji).
The average superyacht remained in Fiji for 82 days, while the average yacht under 24m stayed 137 days.
Average superyacht spent a total of around FJD 167,000 during their time in Fiji, giving an overall superyacht direct spend of FJD 9.0 million.
Each yacht under 24m spent FJD 31,000 while in Fiji, with an overall direct spend of FJD 20.1 million
This FJD 34.9 million foreign exchange was spent directly into Fiji businesses and communities for fuel, maintenance, dockage, food provisioning, restaurants, bars as well as cultural visits and a range of other tourism activities.
While most of the big spend was focussed on the main yachting centres (Denarau, Vuda, Savusavu), impacts would also have been spread across many remoter parts of Fiji visited by yachts.
These are communities that don’t usually benefit from general tourism impacts.
International Yacht voyage routes to/from Fiji
Most visiting yachts come from New Zealand, Australia, Europe or the United States. They are very much driven by the seasons with numbers dwindling significantly during cyclone season.
Superyachts have diverse route patterns as are less dependent on prevailing weather patterns and largely driven by remote owner’s wishes.
The majority of yachts base themselves out of one of the yachting centres and cruise out to a number of cruising areas. They regularly return to the yachting centres for fuel, provisioning and guest transfers.
Click on the button below to read the International Yachting in Fiji report.