Middle East Conflict Weighs on Seychelles Tourism as July Arrivals Edge Higher
Seychelles recorded a modest 1.8% rise in visitor arrivals in July 2026, welcoming 31,628 tourists compared with 31,068 in July 2025, according to the latest bulletin from the Seychelles National Bureau of Statistics. The improvement follows several months of sharp year-on-year declines, attributed largely to disruptions at Middle East aviation hubs caused by the conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States. Despite the July uptick, total arrivals for the first seven months of 2026 stand at 197,983 - down 11.4% on the 223,475 recorded over the same period in 2025.
Europe remained the dominant source market in July, accounting for 64.3% of arrivals, followed by Asia at 21.8% and Africa at 9.2%. Notably, Africa was the only major region to record year-to-date growth, with arrivals up 9.6% to 15,825. The UAE, Russia and South Africa ranked among the top five sources of repeat visitors during the month. Air Seychelles introduced temporary direct services to Paris and Rome during the period of disruption to maintain access to key European markets, while Middle East hub flights have since resumed, initially at reduced capacity. With arrivals still trailing 2025 levels, the final months of the year will be critical to narrowing the gap.
Source: Seychelles News Agency
