Famously one of the most welcoming regions on earth, who are the friendliest countries in the Pacific Islands? Well, after much travel to all countries within the region, and after a lot of deliberation, I have decided to drop my flag in the sand.
As always, this list is based on actual visits and real opinion. It also counts from 5 to 1, so you can quite literally save the best till last. I am sure this list will piss off some people, but I can already guess their nationalities.
Table of Contents
5 Friendliest Countries in the Pacific
5) Solomon Islands
One of my favourite countries in the world, and also one of the most friendly. Often overlooked and still one of the least visited countries on earth. People here are genuinely friendly, curious, and have a great sense of humour. You will get waved at constantly, stopped for chats, and invited to sit down even when there is nothing to gain from it. It feels natural rather than forced, which is exactly what friendliness should be.
4) Marshall Islands
Another pearl in the rough and another country that barely sees tourists. Marshallese people are warm, welcoming, and very open to conversation. They love a chat and tend to enjoy a party even more. Spend any amount of time in Majuro and you will quickly realise how underrated this place is, not just as a destination, but for the people who live there.
3) Nauru
The smallest republic in the world and the least visited country on earth. It is also controversial because of the refugee camps, which puts a lot of people off. The reality on the ground though is very different. People here are incredibly friendly, curious, and welcoming. You will be recognised within days and treated like a local far quicker than you would expect.
2) Tuvalu
Quite possibly my favourite country in the world, with some of the best people you will ever meet. Drive a scooter around Funafuti for a few days and you will not be able to avoid making friends. Stay a bit longer and you will be eating with families, drinking with locals, and being invited to private islands. This is friendliness without effort or expectation.
1) Papua New Guinea
This might surprise some people, but Papua New Guinea takes the top spot. It is a country of contradictions. I have been robbed here twice and Port Moresby is genuinely dangerous. Despite this, the vast majority of people in PNG are incredibly welcoming, curious, and open. Outside the main trouble spots, people go out of their way to help you. The bad is very real, but the good overwhelmingly outweighs it.
Where is Fiji?
When it comes to friendliness, I find Fiji a bit like Thailand in that it is more about branding than actual reality. In practice, while Fijians are far from unfriendly, they are not especially welcoming either. It often feels transactional rather than genuine.
Fiji is also the only country where I have received death threats simply for posting an opinion. That alone, I think, speaks volumes.
What Official Lists Say
When official lists talk about friendliness in the Pacific, they almost always focus on a small handful of countries. Fiji, Samoa, and sometimes Tonga dominate these rankings, largely because they have established tourism industries and collect feedback from resort guests and cruise passengers. These lists are usually built from visitor surveys, hospitality ratings, and tourism board data rather than long term or independent travel.
Countries such as Papua New Guinea, Nauru, Tuvalu, the Marshall Islands, and the Solomon Islands rarely appear, not because of poor experiences, but because so few tourists actually go there. Without enough survey data, they are either excluded entirely or lumped into vague regional averages.
As a result, official lists tend to reward places with marketing budgets and visitor infrastructure, rather than reflecting how people are treated once the resorts and tour groups are stripped away.
Conclusion
So, in conclusion, this is merely my opinion. But as someone who has been travelling in the Pacific for almost ten years and visiting every country in the region, I do think that opinion carries some weight.
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