Mauritius Tourist Arrivals Up 8.9 Pct In H1

The number of tourists visiting Mauritius rose 8.9 percent in the first half of 2015 from the same period last year, with more arrivals from Asia, official figures showed.

Arrivals increased to 534,182 during the period from 490,697 a year ago, Statistics Mauritius said. Numbers from Asia rose 21.3 percent to 98,477, with visitors from China rising 31.8 percent.

"The Chinese market is very important for Mauritius as it provides us with a good client base for the low season," Xavier Duval, the minister of Tourism said in a statement.

The number of tourists visiting from Europe, which accounts for two-thirds of visitors to Mauritius, rose by 8.3 percent to 288,374.

Tourism is an important component of the Mauritian economy and a key source of hard currency for the Indian Ocean island state.