VISITOR arrivals to Samoa grew by 0.3 per cent between January and November 2025, compared to the same period in 2024, indicating modest but encouraging growth for the tourism sector.
During this period, total visitor numbers reached a strong overall level, driven primarily by holiday travel, which remained the largest market segment. Holiday arrivals recorded a significant increase of 19.8 per cent, rising from 62,275 visitors in 2024 to 74,591 visitors in 2025. This segment accounted for 40 per cent of total visitor arrivals, underscoring its continued importance to Samoa’s tourism performance and recovery.
Tourism earnings rose by 4.32 per cent, totaling $ST500.4 million. This growth reflects an increase in average spending per visitor, which rose by 3.09 per cent from $ST3551 to $ST3660.
The Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) segment also showed a positive trend, with an increase of 11 per cent compared to 2024. However, challenges were faced in other segments. Business visitors decreased by 22.5 per cent, and sports visitors saw a significant decline of 30.6 per cent. Notably, the “Others” category experienced the biggest drop of 51.1 per cent.
New Zealand continues to be the largest source of visitors, comprising 48 per cent of the total market share. Visitor numbers from New Zealand grew by 10.9 per cent, increasing from 67,468 to 74,835. In contrast, the Australian market saw a slight decrease of 2.4 per cent, maintaining a stable market share of 25 per cent. Visitors from American Samoa declined by 29 per cent, while the US market enjoyed a 2 per cent growth.
Aviation capacity decreased by 2.6 per cent, with 7029 seats available compared to 2024. Despite this reduction, the total unutilised seats decreased by 10.9 per cent, indicating better efficiency in flight utilisation.
The insights from this report illustrate a mixed landscape for Samoa’s tourism industry. While the growth in visitor numbers and spending is promising, there is a need to focus on revitalising the business and sports visitor segments, as well as addressing the decline in certain markets. Continued collaboration among stakeholders will be vital in capitalising on the strengths of the primary markets and enhancing the overall visitor experience.