Mauritius tourism revenue up 17.9% in first half of 2026 despite moderate increase in arrivals

Tourist arrivals grew moderately by 1.5%, with 668,471 visitors compared to 658,909 a year prior. Air arrivals increased by 0.2% to 645,140, while sea arrivals surged by 55.8%, from 14,979 to 23,331. France remained the leading source market with 153,048 arrivals, a 0.8% increase.

Significant growth was also observed from Germany +13.4%, India +11.9%, and South Africa +7.1%. Conversely, arrivals from the United Kingdom dropped by 16% to 59,954 tourists. In 2025, the average expenditure per tourist was Rs 74,200, up from Rs 71,000 in 2024.

Tourists staying in hotels spent an average of Rs 93,900, with an average daily spend of Rs 6,600. Hotel occupancy stood at 69% in the first half of 2026, a slight decrease from 70% a year earlier. By the end of June, Mauritius had 111 registered hotels, with 106 operational, offering 13,477 rooms.

Regionally, while Mauritius saw a 1.5% increase in arrivals, Sri Lanka -1.8%, Maldives -5.7%, and Seychelles -13.5% experienced declines.