Tourist Arrivals in February 2025 Sees a Significant Drop

Mauritius found itself confronted with a stark and troubling reality: a significant decline in tourist arrivals that reverberates through the vital tourism sector. Last week, the illustrious Costa Smeralda docked at our shores, yet its presence was overshadowed by alarming statistics issued by Statistics Mauritius. This month, the island welcomed a mere 1,100 visitors by boat, contributing to a worrying 12.1% decrease in overall tourist numbers compared to the same month last year.

In February 2024, Mauritius had embraced 109,266 tourists, but this figure has plummeted to 95,991 in 2025.

This drastic drop includes 94,881 who arrived by air and only 1,110 via sea.

The downward trend, unfortunately, was evident as early as January 2025, which recorded 116,926 arrivals, a notable decline from January 2024’s 119,305—a decrease of 2%.

Across the first two months of 2025, total visitor numbers fell by 6.8%, from 228,571 to a bleak 212,917.

European visitors, once the backbone of Mauritius’ tourism industry, have also significantly diminished.

In February 2024, the island attracted 81,244 European tourists, of whom 76,524 arrived by plane and 4,720 by ship.

By February 2025, that total had dipped to just 72,162, with only 71,516 arriving via air and a mere 646 by sea.

This decline was reflected as early as January 2025, which saw 72,806 European visitors compared to 79,391 the previous year—a distressing trend.

Numerous nations, including the Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, and Turkey, have experienced particularly sharp declines.

The number of tourists from Africa and North America has also witnessed a downturn.

The total of African visitors fell by 8.5% between February 2024 and February 2025, with just 4,018 South Africans choosing our idyllic shores this February, down from 4,895 a year prior.

The scenario is even more pronounced in the North American market, with a significant reduction in visitors from the United States, where numbers fell from 1,751 in February 2024 to just 738 this year.

This decline in visitor numbers inevitably leads to a drop in tourism revenue. In February 2024, the sector amassed a commendable Rs 7.4 billion.

While the definitive figures for February 2025 are yet to be confirmed, a decrease is widely expected.

Indeed, January 2025 already reported receipts falling to Rs 8.5 billion, down from Rs 9.1 billion in January 2024, according to the Bank of Mauritius.

Source: l’Express