Mauritius Tourist Arrivals Up 10.8 Pct In 2015

The number of tourists visiting Mauritius rose 10.8 percent in 2015, driven by more arrivals from Europe and China.

The central bank said last November it expected tourism earnings to be around MUR49.5 billion rupees (USD$1.37 billion) this year.

Statistics Mauritius said arrivals rose to 1,151,723 from 1,038,968 in 2014. Numbers from Europe, which accounts for two thirds of visitors, climbed 10.7 percent to 631,783.

Tourists from Asia rose by a quarter to 197,765 driven by arrivals from China, which jumped 41.4 percent to 89,585.

Mauritius, like other long-haul destinations in the region, has turned east in search of sun-worshippers wanting a slice of Indian Ocean paradise to compensate for flagging growth in its traditional European markets.