THE Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) said international visitor arrivals (IVAs) to Asia Pacific destinations during the 3rd quarter of 2017 climbed by 4.9 per cent year-on-year, hitting 88.7 million.

According to the South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) website these figures were released in PATA’s Quarterly Tourism Monitor, which covers 28 destinations in the region.

The report stated that in the Pacific region Northern Marianas recorded the strongest growth of 22.4 per cent driven by an 18 per cent increase in visitor arrivals from China while Fiji was second with an increase of 6.7 per cent during the 3rd quarter of 2017.