Yachting is a small, but growing, part of Tonga’s nautical tourism market and represents an important opportunity to diversify Tonga’s tourism sector, according to the results of the country’s first independent economic assessment of this sector.

Published 1 week ago

Report on Yachting Industry in Tonga

Because of the lack of data on the yachting industry in Tonga, Market Development Facility (MDF), the Tonga Ministry of Tourism (MOT) and the Tonga Tourism Authority (TTA) collaborated to complete the first independent economic impact assessment of Tonga’s yachting industry.

Tourism departments from Vanuatu and Kiribati also supported the survey of visiting international yachts, which was undertaken by AMSTEC and Associates, an independent market research company.  The survey collected information about the experience and activity of yachts that visited Tonga, Vanuatu and Kiribati during 2023.

Key Findings

The survey found that most visiting yachts come from New Zealand, Australia, Europe, or the United States and are very much driven by the seasons, with numbers dwindling significantly during cyclone season.  An estimated 560 yachts visited Tonga in 2023, including 17 superyachts and 543 yachts under 24 metres.

• Yachting tourists typically stay longer and spend more than other types of tourists, and frequently visit remote regions and communities that do
not usually benefit from general tourism.
• Most yachts that cross the Pacific and visit Tonga come from Europe or the United States, with some yachts from New Zealand and Australia.
• Most yachts base themselves out of the yachting centres  of Vava’u and Tongatapu, but cruise out to many remote parts of Tonga.
• On average, superyachts stayed in Tonga for 11 days, while yachts under 24 metres stayed for 30 days.
• The 560 yachts that arrived in 2023 spent TOP 9.2 million (USD 3.9 million) on fuel, maintenance, dockage, food provisioning, visiting villages, restaurants, and other tourism activities. When indirect expenditure is added to this, yachting and related support industries contributed TOP 15.4 million (USD 6.5 million) to Tonga’s economy in 2023.

Recommended Initiatives

The yachting industry has the potential to become a significant source of foreign exchange and a driver of tourism growth for Tonga. This would require combined efforts by government, businesses, communities, and regional organisations. The study recommended the following activities to support growth of the yachting industry in Tonga.

• Regional marketing initiatives to encourage trans-Pacific yacht visitation and multi-season stays.
• Improve coordination and promotion of New Zealand yacht rallies.
• Review the potential economic benefits from creating a more viable regulatory environment for bareboat charter operations in Vava’u.
• Review immigration entry requirements and customs’ temporary import limits to enhance both short and long stay visitation.
• Enhance promotion of unique attractions to enable trans-Pacific yachts to prioritise time in Tonga.
• Coordinate efforts to improve the range and depth of yacht services in Tonga and Vava’u, in particular.
• Formalise the regulatory environment for chartering.

The full report can be downloaded here:

Economic Impact of International Yachting in Tonga.

Note:  This publication was commissioned by MDF and the Tonga Ministry of Tourism (MOT). MDF is funded by the Australian Government and co-funded by the New Zealand Government in Samoa, Vanuatu and Tonga. It is implemented by Palladium, in partnership with Swisscontact. The views expressed in the publication are the authors’ alone and are not necessarily the views of either government.

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Related News:

• Vanuatu:  Yachting Represents Important Opportunity for Tourism (Noonsite December 2024)
• South Pacific Yachting Survey for Kiribati, Tonga and Vanuatu (Noonsite September 2023)

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Related Links

• Market Development Facility
• Amstec and Associates

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