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 4.32pc, totaling $ST500.4 million. This growth reflects an increase in average spending per visitor, which rose by 3.09pc from $3551 to $3660.
The Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) segment also showed a positive trend with an increase of 11pc compared to 2024. However, we faced challenges in other segments. Business visitors decreased by 22.5pc, and sports visitors saw a significant decline of 30.6pc. Notably, the “Others” category experienced the biggest drop of 51.1pc.
New Zealand continues to be the largest source of visitors, comprising 48pc of the total market share. Visitor numbers from New Zealand grew by 10.9pc, increasing from 67,468 to 74,835. In contrast, the Australian market saw a slight decrease of 2.4pc, maintaining a stable market share of 25pc. Visitors from American Samoa declined by 29pc, while the US market enjoyed a two per cent growth.
Aviation capacity decreased by 2.6pc, with 7029 seats available compared to 2024. Despite this reduction, the total unutilized seats decreased by 10.9pc, indicating better efficiency in flight utilization.
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 revitalizing 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 our primary markets and enhancing the overall visitor experience.