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7 August, 2024

One of the least visited countries in the world sees tourism increase by 94 per cent

Edited by Travel Weekly

The southwest Pacific island nation of Nauru has experienced a 94 per cent increase in tourist numbers as travel continues to soar with trends showing greater demand for adventure and experiential travel.

“Research shows that now more than ever, tourists are looking for off-the -beaten-track destinations and Nauru definitely fits that category of Tourism,” tourism attaché for Nauru Tourism office, Cramer Cain, said. “Already to date, our 2024 total tourist numbers are an approximately 94 per cent on 2023.

“Traveller curiosity about our country has never been higher, mostly due to ‘word of mouth’ marketing as we take a very personal approach to answering every inquiry we receive and to promoting awareness via storytelling and our website.

“We are seeing biggest increases in adventurous baby boomers and bucket-listers, with most visitors coming from Europe, North America and Australia, however we expect to also see younger Gen X and Millennial visitors over time, especially as adventure travellers learn about our country,” he said.

“Our Nauru Tourism team are receiving a marked increase in enquiries requesting information about visa requirements, accommodation, flights, culture, history and activities in Nauru.”

New travellers are also reaching out to past visitors with the assistance of Nauru Tourism through its website and via email.

“Gradually we are creating a community of travellers who have visited and enjoyed Nauru and those who are keen and curious to visit for the first time,” he said.

“The work of Nauru Immigration in efficiently managing the timely processing of Visas is also crucial and has been a key factor in our rising visitor numbers. Additionally, Nauru Airlines expanded fleet and schedules are providing greater air access.

The impact of Nauru’s national carrier is significant, not only providing connectivity to reach Nauru via the Brisbane gateway, but also providing beyond access to other ports in Micronesia which would otherwise be hard to get to.

“We are also collaborating with the Nauru Chamber of Commerce, encouraging local businesses to engage with Tourism-aligned activities such as car and bike hire services and production of local handicrafts,” Cain said.

“With all stakeholders working together, we are encouraging local enterprise, and we are streamlining the process of travelling to Nauru, and that is certainly a factor in tourism growth, making it easier for interested travellers to visit.”

Most visitors to Nauru stay an average of four days to make the most of popular activities like hikes and tours to World War II sites, historical and traditional tribal sites, fishing, swimming, walking or riding around the entire island or visiting the phosphate fields.

“While we don’t aspire to attract or accommodate ‘mass tourism’, we are keen to encourage a small-scale sustainable tourism sector to contribute to our local economy and opportunities for future generations,” Cain, said.

“For a long time, Nauru has been referred to as ‘one of the least visited countries in the world’. The challenge or air access to reach us and low awareness about Nauru were factors however that is changing and visa applications for the August-September-October period again look promising, and we anticipate growing numbers moving forward.”

Feature image: (from left) Cramer Cain, Nauru Tourism attaché and Gem Dowiyogo CEO of Nauru Tourism Office with Kahiko Harris from Kai-Tours.

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