25 percent increase in tourist arrivals from January 2023 |08 February 2024
Tourist arrival is up by 25 percent (Photo: Tourism department website)
Seychelles has seen a 25 percent increase in tourist arrivals in January 2024, in comparison to January 2023.
A total of 29,066 visitors arrived in the country last month, the vast majority of them on holiday, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reports.
According to records, 21 percent were repeat visitors who selected Seychelles as their holiday destination.
During the same month last year, Seychelles saw 23,315 arrivals.
Of the visitors who arrived last month, 81 percent, representing 23,623 hailed from Europe, while Asia contributed 9 percent of visitors.
Consistent with data collected by the tourism department over the past year, Germany, Russia, France and the United Kingdom (UK) remain the top European source markets, with Germany leading the way with 29 percent of visitors.
A larger chunk of visitors arrived through commercial flights, while 13 percent arrived through cruise ships. Additionally, one percent reached Seychelles through private planes.
Mahe accommodated the majority of them, specifically 56 percent, while 13 percent chose to spend their days on Praslin, and 4 percent journeyed to La Digue for their stay.
Hotels were the preferred accompanying option, with 68 percent of visitors opting for the comfort of hotels. Some 3 percent stayed with friends.
The increase in arrivals sustained through the fifth week ending on February 4, whereby 8,055 visitors disembarked in Seychelles. This represents a 29 percent increase from the same week in 2023.
The year 2023 was a remarkable year for Seychelles tourism, as arrivals surpassed projections by one percent. A total of 350,879 visitors disembarked throughout last year, above the 348,000 target.
Arrivals are expected to grow by a further one percent this year, to reach 368,500 arrivals.
Although it is still too early to draw conclusions, the trend looks positive thus far, aligning with the department’s outlook, based on the increase in seat availability and forward bookings.
Laura Pillay