Palau sees 26% fewer visitors in September versus last month
In September, Palau recorded a total of 4,499 visitor arrivals, reflecting a seasonal decrease, the Palau Visitors Authority said. This represents a 26% drop compared to the previous month’s total of 6,061arrivals.
Palau saw 65,558 visitors in fiscal 2025, which ended Sept. 30. From January to September, Palau recorded 50,899 international arrivals, achieving a 23% increase compared to the 41,525 visitors received in the same period of 2024.
Moments after landing at the Roman Tmetuchl International Airport in Palau on October 29, 2025, His Excellency The Honorable Surangel Whipps, Jr., President of the Republic of Palau, and Steve Morrissey, Vice President, International Regulatory & Policy for United Airlines, (first row, from left), celebrate the inaugural flight of the new route between Tokyo Narita, Japan and Koror, Palau. Photo courtesy Office of the President
There were 34,096 visitors from Asia to Palau, and 4,961 Japan arrivals in the months from January through September among the total of 50,899. Those figures should get a boost from United’s Narita to Koror flight, which launched Oct. 30. The flight has the potential to connect U.S. visitors to Narita and onward to Palau through United’s system also. See Palau welcomes new United Airlines flight from Narita.
In calendar year 2019, Palau saw a total of 93,723 visitors.
In related tourism news, the Guam Reef Hotel is conducting “comprehensive repair and maintenance services of the hotel’s Automatic Transfer Switch” to ensure that it is at peak performance level. The hotel will close temporarily from Nov. 3 to Nov. 12 to allow for the work, the Reef said in a release. mbj
A regional tropical cyclone formation alert has been issued as a developing weather disturbance northwest of Yap threatens to strengthen the seasonal monsoon across western Micronesia and the Mariana Islands.
Contributing to Valiant Shield 2026, the Guam National Guard joined the Washington National Guard in Palau to demonstrate expeditionary sustainment exercises providing logistics, medical, and communication support.
Super Typhoon Bavi slammed into Rota, the eye making landfall Monday morning. Bavi's winds and rains also swept across the other islands. All of the islands, with Rota being the hardest hit, had disruptions to power, water and communications. There also were extensive coastal inundation and erosion across the region.
Meteorologists warn that catastrophic winds from Super Typhoon Bavi are bearing down on Rota, prompting the National Weather Service to issue an extreme wind warning early Monday. The NWS issues such alerts when sustained winds of 120 mph or more are expected.
