Tourism Solomons has announced a significant rebound in international visitor arrivals for 2025, with figures from the Solomon Islands National Statistics Office indicating a 13.6% increase compared to 2024. The total of 28,548 international arrivals is just shy of the 2019 record of 28,930, marking a strong recovery following the country’s 800-day border closure during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The surge in tourism is largely attributed to a 34.3% increase in holiday and vacation travel, with numbers rising from 7,145 in 2024 to 9,602 in 2025. Acting CEO of Tourism Solomons, Dagnal Dereveke, credited the rise to effective marketing and promotional efforts in key markets. “Our focus remains fixed on rebuilding and growing arrivals from our key source markets,” Dereveke stated, highlighting the strategic growth targets in place.

Australia remains a significant contributor, with 9,242 visitors in 2025, a 15.4% increase from the previous year, accounting for 32.3% of all arrivals. New Zealand also showed growth, with visitor numbers increasing by 14.4% to 1,882. Meanwhile, arrivals from China saw the most substantial increase, rising by 64.5% to 3,512.

August and September were particularly strong months for tourism, coinciding with major regional events such as the Pacific Ministers Water and Wastewater Management Meeting and the 54th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting. Dereveke expressed optimism about continuing this upward trend, aiming to surpass pre-COVID levels in the near future.