International Visitors & Resident Arrivals (IVA)
1. August 2026 highlights
Total arrivals by air in August 2026 stood at 14,016.
Residents arrival make up 21% and visitor arrivals make up 79% of the total arrivals by air.
Holiday visitors represent 80% of all visitor arrivals by air.
Visitors residing in Australia recorded the highest percentage at 54% of all air arrivals.
The average length of stay for visitors is 11 days.
The average age of visitors is 44 years old.
Total departures stood at 14,108 in August 2026.
- Residents represent 19% and visitors represent 81% of all departures.
2. Overview
The total number of international Visitor arrivals by air stood at 11,106, which is an increase of 20% or 1,875 visitors compared to the same month in the previous year, however visitor arrivals by air decreased by 9% over the previous month.
Vanuatu welcomed 4 cruise ships in August 2026 carrying a total of 11,820-day visitors, constituting 52% of the total visitors during that month.
3. Purpose of Visit
Holiday visitors made up 80% of all international visitor arrivals to Vanuatu; followed by Visiting Friends and relatives and Business meetings and conferences at 5% each, stop over at less than 1% and Others, Education and Sports at 11%.
4. Country of usual residence (for visitors arriving by air)
Australian visitors accounted for 54% of all international visitors by air followed by New Zealand at 14%, Europe at 10%, China at 6%, Other Pacific Countries at 5%, Other Countries at 4%, North America at 3%, New Caledonia and Japan at 2% each. The top three countries within the “Other Countries” are the Philippines, India and Brazil and the top three countries within the “Other Pacific Countries” are Fiji, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.
5. Average intended length of stay (for visitors arriving by air)
International visitors by air in Port Vila spent an average of 11 days.
6. Average age of Visitors (for visitors arriving by Air)
- The average age for visitors travelling by air is 44 years old..
- This represents 34% of all visitors arriving in Vanuatu within the age group of 30 - 49 years old and 42% within the age group of 50+ years old.
Data Source and Revisions
All International arrival by air provided in this report is sourced from the passenger processing modules within ASYCUDA world system from the Department of Customs and the Migration Information Data Analysis System (MIDAS) from the department of immigration through International Organisation for Migration (IOM). Cruiseship figures are also supplied by the Department of Customs through the passenger processing module.
The Vanuatu Bureau of Statistics is releasing monthly provisional international visitors arrivals highlighted in the tables from January 2019 onwards. This will allow for anomalies and consistency checks with the department of Customs and Inland Revenue (DCIR) and Immigration Department before release of actual figures in Quarterly or Annual Statistical Indicator Report.