(Posted 09th January 2023)
The Seychelles’ tourism industry recorded an impressive recovery for the year 2022, which according to official data now seen received 334.52 visitors.
This, according to the same data source, constitutes an increase of over 80 percent compared to the year 2021, when arrivals stood at 177.504.
The top market source for the islands in 2022 was Germany with some 44.772 visitors, the number aided by the return of Condor – a German leisure airline – to Mahe. Second came France with 44.503 visitors, literally at level par with Germany.
A surprise third, despite sanctions, massive challenges with the use of internationally accepted credit- or debit cards and a foreign exchange shortage at home, was Russia, still managing to see 31.180 visitors coming to the Seychelles. Aeroflot’s flights, which have continued despite airspace closures against Russian carriers, and flights from the main Middle East carriers, contributed to that figure.
Forecasts for the year 2023 now predict – ruling out any further medical or geopolitical disasters – that visitor numbers may well jump across the 400.000 mark again.
