Africa-Press – Seychelles. Seychelles has experienced an unexpected rise in tourism in 2022, with visitor arrivals surpassing predictions. According to data issued by the National Bureau of Statistics for the week ending January 1, the year-to-date total of arrivals is 334,552, which represents an increase of 81% compared to the same time period in 2021.
Tourism, a substantial contributor to the country’s economy, was severely hit by the COVID-19 outbreak and brief border closure. In recent years, Seychelles has been attempting to restore the business by implementing more marketing initiatives and strategic alliances.
“We started the year with many uncertainties, one of them being the Ukraine war as Russia at the time was our main market,” said Sherin Francis, Principal Secretary for Tourism. Despite these challenges, events worked out in favour of the destination, with western European markets filling in for cancellations from Russia and Ukraine as they relaxed COVID travel restrictions.
Europe continued to dominate the visitor arrival numbers in 2022, with Germany leading the way with 44,772 visitors, followed by France with 44,503 and Russia in third position with 31,180 visitors. In addition, the winter schedule features the return of Condor and Aeroflot to Seychelles, as well as additional charter flights from Israel, all of which contribute to the destination’s revival.
Seychelles has also attracted a significant number of visitors from countries such as Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and India, which combined have brought in 51,668 visitors.NYSC Portal
Francis told the Seychelles News Agency (SNA) that “she hopes that this key sector will do better in terms of tourism earnings at the end of this year.”
Tourism plays a crucial part in the economy of Seychelles, thus its growth is excellent news. In the upcoming years, the tourism agency will continue its efforts to attract even more tourists.
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