Mauritius records 3.9% rise in 2025 tourist arrivals
Mauritius recorded 1,436,250 tourist arrivals in 2025, a 3.9% increase year on year (+54,073), Minister of Tourism Christian Harold Richard Duval announced at a press briefing in Port Louis on 12 January 2026. Tourism earnings are expected to exceed Rs 100 billion for 2025, although earnings excluding December totalled Rs 91,224 million compared with Rs 93,574 million in 2024 for the same period.
Growth was led by India (+33.5%), Italy (+18.2%), Spain (+19.0%), the Czech Republic (+13.2%), Austria (+7.4%), Réunion (+3.1%), South Africa (+3.5%), Switzerland (+1.9%) and Russia (+3.7%), while arrivals from France, the UK and Germany were down 0.6%, 2.0% and 1.3% respectively. Air arrivals rose 4.7% as sea arrivals fell 27.6%; cruise passengers decreased 33.3% with ship calls down from 49 to 41. The ministry plans to strengthen marketing and air connectivity in 2026 and will introduce a blueprint to build sector resilience, and an inter‑ministerial committee chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister will address dolphin and whale watching. Junior Minister Jean Sydney Pierre reported higher hotel occupancy in January 2026 and positive forecasts for March and April.
Source: Republic of Mauritius
