Tourist arrivals increased by 0.2% – from 674,383 for the period January to September 2011 to 675,584 for the same period in 2012 – according to statistics released Wednesday by Statistics Mauritius.
The organisation said arrivals from France, the leading tourist marker for the island, decreased by 11.9%, La Réunion (+19.2%), United Kingdom (-3.8%), South Africa (+2.9%), India (+0.7%), Germany (-2.4%), Italy (-25.6%), Switzerland (+10.6%), China (+38.3%) and Russia (+91.2%).
The average room occupancy for all hotels stood at 60% during the period under review, compared to 63% in 2011.
The forecast of tourist arrivals for 2012 is estimated at 965,000 as against 964,462 in 2011.