(Posted 24th September 2026)
A 14.1 percent visitor arrival increase in August, the strongest in four years, has boosted the overall arrival statistics of the Seychelles.
The first half of 2026 saw numbers dwindling, largely caused by the outbreak of the Middle East war and subsequent air transport disruptions. Gulf carriers serving Mahe had to cancel entire flight series, delay and postpone flights, leaving thousands of travelers stranded at their home airports, many with firm bookings for their hotels and never to arrive due to lack of flights.
Figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) for August show that 34,987 visitors arrived in the country, up 14.1% from the 30,667 recorded during the same month in 2025.
The August figure was also higher than arrivals recorded for the month in 2023 and 2024, when Seychelles welcomed 28,177 and 28,282 visitors, respectively.
Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) Chief Executive Officer, Vesna Raki?, described the August results as encouraging, saying they suggest the country’s tourism recovery is gaining momentum.
“They reflect the continued desire to visit Seychelles, while suggesting that the destination’s recovery is gaining momentum,” Rakic was quoted to have said..
She also said that Russia recorded the largest increase in August, with 1,858 additional visitors, followed by the United Arab Emirates with 852 and France with 626.
Raki? attributed part of the stronger performance to improved air connectivity. Turkish Airlines resumed three weekly services on June 16, followed by Aeroflot with two weekly services from July 8, increasing available capacity ahead of August.
Tourism income rises significantly
Of the visitors recorded in August, 31,017 travelled for holidays, while 2,540 were honeymooners and 656 travelled for business. For the January-August period, Seychelles recorded 206,867 holiday visitors out of the overall 232,970 arrivals.
Although overall visitor numbers remained below last year’s level, Raki? was quoted saying that preliminary estimates show tourism earnings moving in the opposite direction. Earnings increased by 4.7% between January and July compared with the same period in 2025, with the increase reaching 5.1% for January to August.
