Tourist Arrivals Increase by 6.6% in Early May 2025

After a decline in the first quarter of 2025, tourism arrivals are showing signs of recovery. Following a record-breaking April with 120,157 visitors, the upward trend continued into the first half of May.

During the first two weeks of May, Mauritius welcomed 62,431 tourists, compared to 58,560 during the same period last year. This represents a 6.6% increase, or an additional 3,871 visitors.

Thanks to the strong performance in April and early May, Mauritius is nearly catching up on the visitor numbers lost in the first three months of 2025.

The total shortfall from January to mid-May is now just 0.3%, with 1,764 fewer tourists compared to the same period in 2024 (510,741 vs. 508,977).

Tourism Minister Richard Duval expressed optimism: “I’m pleased that the upward trend has continued into the second week of May.

If this pace keeps up, Mauritius could fully recover from the early-year decline by the end of May. We might even see total arrivals for the first five months surpass last year’s figures.”

The latest statistics, released Tuesday 20th May by Statistics Mauritius, highlight some promising signs.

For example, cruise ship arrivals surged over 1,000%, from 168 in the first half of 2024 to 1,926 this year, thanks to four cruise ships docking in Port Louis, compared to two last year.

Additionally, several key markets showed growth for the period from May 1 to 15.

Arrivals from the UK increased by 16.2%, Germany by 9.4%, India by 34.6%, South Africa by 9.3%, and Italy by 18.8%. However, the French market continued to decline, down 9.7%.

Source: Le Mauricien