8 Apr 2010

Vanuatu visitor numbers fall

9:45 am on 8 April 2010

Vanuatu's tourism office says the country may still be seen as an expensive destination following data that show a slump in overall visitor numbers.

The overall number of visitors is lower than last year, but the number of New Zealand visitors rose by 69 percent and of New Caledonia by 18 percent.

The number of visitors from Australia dropped by 30 percent.

The office's general manager, Annie Niatu, says the overall fall could be attributed to a number of reasons.

"One of the reasons that the numbers in Vanuatu may have dropped in these [past] months is because the other Pacific countries are also doing a lot of marketing. Vanuatu may still be considered a little bit more expensive if we look at the packages that are on offer at the market right now."

Annie Niatu says they'll continue with their campaigns in New Zealand, Australia and New Caledonia.