Visitors from the People’s Republic of China better known as Mainland China, for the third consecutive month this year has dominated Palau’s airport arrivals – this is attributed to the four chartered airlines servicing Macau, Hong Kong and the Republic of Palau.
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) commonly referred to as Mainland China continues to dominate Palau’s tourism market accounting for 7,355 arrivals for March 2015, a 653% increase compared to same month last year, this according to Palau Visitors Authority’s (PVA) latest tourism arrival statistics.
PRC passport holders have ranked number one for three consecutive months following its steady growth late last year as a result of new charter flights from Macau and Hong Kong to the Republic of Palau.
Direct airline services between these two Asian countries to Palau serviced by Dynamic Airways, Asian Air, Palau Pacific Air and Mega Maldives reportedly carried 97 to 99% of PRC passport holders. However other major airlines with regular schedules to Palau are seeing an increase in PRC passengers such as Asiana Airlines with 41% and Korean Air with 31% of reported PRC passengers during the month of March 2015.
Major markets that have for many years topped the tourism markets for Palau have decreased dramatically. This includes Japan a major tourism market for the island nation.
The influx of Chinese visitors and investments in Palau, which quickly became a controversy called for the reduction of chartered flights reportedly to balance the country’s tourism markets.
Accommodation constraints and the lack of it have made it difficult for other interested visitors to book rooms. Those opposing the influx are also concerned about the country’s environment and the physical look of Koror, which some say is quickly turning into “China town”.
According to PVA’s statistics, about 90% of all PRC passports to Palau in March were marked as tourists, while 1% accounted for business purposes for visiting.