Fiji Airways and VTO Renew MOU as Vancouver Route Signals Major Tourism Boost
May 26, 2026 9:41 pm | Posted in Business News | Share now TwitterFacebook
By Ezra Toara.
Fiji Airways’ newly announced flight connection from Vancouver to Port Vila via Nadi has been welcomed by the Vanuatu Tourism Office (VTO) as a major opportunity to strengthen Vanuatu’s tourism industry and expand access to the North American market.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the VTO, Adela Issachar Aru, said the announcement demonstrates growing international confidence in Vanuatu as a premier South Pacific destination.
“We have finalised and renewed our Memorandum of Understanding with Fiji Airways to maximise the potential of this partnership. This announcement by Fiji Airways is a clear vote of confidence in Vanuatu’s future as a premier South Pacific destination, and we welcome the positive momentum it brings,” she said.
According to Aru, the new three-times-weekly service is expected to unlock direct access to the lucrative North American travel market and improve connectivity for visitors travelling from Vancouver, San Francisco, and Los Angeles to Port Vila through Nadi.
She said statistics from the Vanuatu Bureau of Statistics (VBoS) showed that in 2025, Vanuatu recorded more than 95,000 air visitor arrivals, with over 3,200 visitors coming from North America, representing 3.4 per cent of the total market share.
Aru added that the International Visitor Survey 2025 estimated visitors spent more than VT20,000 per day, with an average stay of between seven and nine nights. She said the North American market alone contributed more than VT600 million to the economy.
“With this new link, we expect visitor arrival numbers and market share to increase by providing a seamless travel pathway directly to our shores,” she said.
The VTO CEO said the figures reinforced optimism for continued growth in the long-haul tourism market and highlighted tourism’s importance to the national economy, with the sector currently accounting for around 30 per cent of the country’s workforce.
“Tourism is a major sector driving local employment and supporting businesses across our islands.
“Even if only 20 per cent of passengers on this route choose to connect onward to Vanuatu, the direct economic injection in terms of visitor spending and local job creation would be significant,” Aru said.
She also confirmed that VTO continues to maintain Vanuatu’s visibility in the North American market through its market representative, Gabriella Robeiro, who visited Vanuatu earlier this year and toured tourism attractions and businesses in Port Vila, Efate, and Tanna.
Aru said the strengthened air connectivity aligns directly with Vanuatu’s broader tourism strategy to diversify from traditional markets and build a more resilient, high value tourism economy for the country.
