A Closer Look at Oceania’s Travel Recovery: Mabrian’s Insights

Monday, October 14, 2024

Mabrian, the global travel intelligence platform, has revealed optimistic travel trends for Oceania, indicating growth from key markets like the United States, India, China, and Europe. However, a significant challenge persists: air connectivity across the region has not fully recovered since the pandemic.

Oceania, comprising 14 countries across four macro-regions—Australia & New Zealand, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia—remains heavily reliant on air travel. Mabrian’s analysis, shared at the World Travel & Tourism Council Global Summit 2024 in Perth, shows that while Polynesia has exceeded pre-pandemic air seat capacity by 25%, other regions lag behind: Micronesia is down by 31%, Melanesia by 17%, and Australia & New Zealand by 7%.

The recovery of inbound air seats is uneven, with destinations like Tahiti (French Polynesia) and Nadi (Fiji) showing strong growth, while major Australian cities like Sydney and Melbourne, along with Auckland in New Zealand, are still below 2019 levels. The demand for travel to Oceania is growing steadily, with travel intention from China, India, the United States, and Europe showing signs of recovery. However, air connectivity remains a crucial hurdle to address.

Mabrian’s findings emphasize the need for Oceania’s destinations to capitalize on growing travel interest from key markets while reinforcing air connectivity to ensure sustainable growth.