Seychelles Records Twenty Five Percent Jump in January Tourist Arrivals
VICTORIA, Seychelles — Seychelles welcomed 29,066 visitors in January 2024, a 25 percent increase over the 23,315 arrivals recorded in the same month last year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has reported. The vast majority of the visitors were holidaymakers, and 21 percent were repeat visitors who selected Seychelles as their holiday destination. The figure represents a strong start to the year, following a 2023 in which total arrivals surpassed the government’s target by one percent.
Europe remained the dominant source market, accounting for 81 percent of visitors, equivalent to 23,623 arrivals. Asia contributed 9 percent of the total. Within Europe, Germany led the way with 29 percent of all visitors, followed by Russia, France and the United Kingdom as the other top European source markets. The breadth of the European market is being read as a sign of the continued strength of the traditional European booking patterns that have long underpinned the industry.
Mahé accommodated the majority of visitors, with 83 percent, while 14 percent chose to spend their stay on Praslin, and 4 percent journeyed to La Digue. Hotels were the preferred accommodation option, with 68 percent of visitors opting for the comfort of hotels. Some 6 percent stayed with friends. The distribution across the three main islands is being read as broadly consistent with the pattern of previous years, with Mahé continuing to absorb the bulk of the market.
Most visitors arrived through commercial flights, while 19 percent came by cruise ships. In addition, 1 percent reached Seychelles through private planes. The increase in arrivals was sustained through the fifth week of the year, ending on February 4, when 8,055 visitors disembarked in Seychelles, a 29 percent increase from the same week in 2023. The early-year momentum is being read as a positive signal for the rest of the season, although the NBS cautioned that it was still too early to draw firm conclusions for the full year.
Arrivals are expected to grow by a further 1 percent this year, to reach 330,000 visitors. The outlook is based on the increase in seat availability and forward bookings already secured. The framing of the 2024 target as a 1 percent increase over 2023’s outturn is being read as a deliberately conservative projection, leaving room for upside if the European and Asian source markets continue to perform as they did in January.
