Yachting tourism is responsible for just one per cent of visitors to the South Pacific country of Vanuatu, but represents an important opportunity to diversify the country’s tourism sector – according to the results of the first independent economic impact assessment of Vanuatu’s yachting industry.

Published 1 month ago

Note:  The Survey Results were released before the recent magnitude earthquake  7.3 which struck Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu and one of the main Ports of Entry for visiting yachts.

Yachting Tourism for Pacific Island Countries

Yachting tourism is becoming an increasingly important tourism segment for Pacific Island Countries. Yachting has low environmental impacts, but brings with it a range of supporting businesses that provide important income and jobs. It brings important foreign exchange, while also potentially attracting international investment into infrastructure development.

As part of efforts to support a sustainable tourism sector, the Vanuatu government is seeking to increase yachting arrivals and grow the yacht and nautical tourism sectors, including through the establishment of full-service marinas in new areas as mentioned in Vanuatu Tourism 2021 development plan.

Report on Yachting Industry in Vanuatu

Because of a lack of data on the yachting industry in Vanuatu, Market Development Facility (MDF)*, the Vanuatu Department of Tourism (DoT) and the Vanuatu Tourism Office (VTO) collaborated to complete the first independent economic impact assessment of Vanuatu’s yachting industry.

Tourism departments from Tonga 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 Vanuatu, Tonga and Kiribati during 2023.

Key findings

According to the first study released entitled – Economic Impact of International Yachting in Vanuatu – 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.

• Yachts visit almost all areas of Vanuatu. The north-south orientation of the islands makes it easy for yachts to utilise the prevailing winds to travel between islands.
• An estimated 376 yachts visited Vanuatu in 2023, including 16 superyachts and 360 yachts under 24 metres.
• Two-thirds of yachts visiting Vanuatu had crossed the Pacific from the Americas, with other yachts coming mainly from Australia or New Zealand.
• The 376 yachts that arrived in 2023 spent a total of VUV 580 million (USD4.9 million) on fuel, maintenance, dockage, food provisioning, visiting villages, restaurants and a range of other tourism activities. When indirect expenditure is added to this, yachting and related support industries contributed VUV 902 million (USD7.55 million) to the Vanuatu economy in 2023.

Recommended initiatives

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

• Regional marketing to encourage visits by more trans-pacific yachts and multi-season stays.
• Improved coordination and promotion of Australian yacht rallies.
• A review of immigration entry requirements and customs temporary import limits to enhance both short and long stay visitation.
• Enhanced promotion of unique attractions in Vanuatu to encourage trans-pacific yachts to prioritise time in Vanuatu.
• Construction of safe storage facilities so yachts can remain during the cyclone season.
• Changes to immigration renewal requirements for trips over four weeks.
• Exploration of bareboat chartering.
• Increased yachting services in Vanuatu.
• Formalisation of the regulatory environment for chartering.

The full report can be downloaded here:

Economic Impact of International Yachting in Vanuatu

Note:  This publication was commissioned by MDF and the Vanuatu Tourism Office (VTO). 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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About the Market Development Facility

“The Market Development Facility (MDF) is a multi-country initiative that promotes sustainable economic development, through higher incomes for women and men, in our partner countries. We support partners from business and government to identify and grow commercial opportunities that are profitable, scalable, and deliver social and environmental value.”

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Related News:

• Strong Earthquake Strikes Near Port Vila (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
• Vanuatu Tourism

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