What do the statistics tell us about the impacts of Covid-19 on PICT economies – Q4 2021

Key economic indicators from the final quarter of 2021 indicate an uneven recovery for the economies of Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new paper from the Pacific Community.

While economic activity in several of the hardest-hit PICT economies continues to struggle to regain pre-pandemic conditions, the region’s ongoing COVID vaccination rollout, bilateral travel bubbles, and relaxed travel restrictions during the quarter saw the positive signs of economic recovery recorded in Quarter 3, 2021 continue into Quarter 4, 2021.

Fiji recorded an exceptional 2466.7% increase in tourism revenue in the final quarter of 2021, signalling the continuation of economic recovery for much of the region.

This strong recovery is welcome news after the near total collapse in the tourism in the region seen in Quarter 1, 2021.

Against the December quarter 2020, exceptional increases in visitor arrivals were recorded in Quarter 4, 2021 for Fiji, Guam, Solomon Islands, with Palau soaring 3700%, while French Polynesia and New Caledonia saw a double-digit increases over the same period.

Visitor arrivals, % change over same quarter in the previous year. Source: Central/Reserve Banks and NSOs of Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Palau, PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
Visitor arrivals, % change over same quarter in the previous year. Source: Central/Reserve Banks and NSOs of Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Palau, PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

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