Mauritius draws 1.19m tourists in ten months as Asian arrivals rise 15.2%

Mauritius received 1,191,514 tourist arrivals in the first ten months of 2026, compared with 1,145,907 over the same period last year, a gain of 45,607 visitors (+4.0%). The official Statistics Mauritius tables, scheduled for release on 10 November, show faster growth in October than the year-to-date average.

In October alone, tourist arrivals reached 149,273, up from 137,809 a year earlier, an increase of 11,464 (+8.3%). Following 114,506 arrivals in September, October was the busiest month recorded so far in 2026. These figures count tourist arrivals rather than all border crossings.

Asian source markets grow more quickly

Arrivals from residents of Asian countries reached 150,848 in January–October, up from 130,954 a year earlier (+15.2%). European residents remained the largest group, contributing 742,250 arrivals (+3.1%). Arrivals from African residents totalled 256,801, just 1.0% above the equivalent 2025 period.

The two leading regions moved in opposite directions in October. Arrivals from Europe rose from 91,839 to 104,414 (+13.7%), while those from Africa fell from 30,438 to 28,217 (−7.3%). Arrivals from the Americas increased 14.2% in October but were down 2.7% across the ten months.

German visitors rise as the UK market contracts

France remained the top country of residence among tourists, with 266,493 arrivals over ten months (+1.1%). Germany rose 13.4% to 109,242, while the United Kingdom fell 8.5% to 117,286. Arrivals from South African residents reached 91,411 (+8.3%) year to date, despite a 10.8% decline in October alone.

Among Asian markets, India accounted for 70,216 arrivals over the ten months (+11.5%), and China for 14,809 (+20.8%). Middle Eastern countries, already included in the Asian total and not counted separately, supplied 39,776 visitors (+20.6%). The breakdown is based on visitors’ country of residence, not nationality.

Air arrivals dominate tourism flows

Air arrivals totalled 1,166,353 during January–October, compared with 1,129,085 a year earlier (+3.3%). Arrivals by sea rose from 16,822 to 25,161 (+49.6%) but accounted for only about 2.1% of the total. In October itself, sea arrivals declined from 517 to 362.

Statistics Mauritius labels its 2026 figures as provisional. Average lengths of stay rely on records of departing tourists from the Passport and Immigration Office. Tourism earnings, compiled separately using Bank of Mauritius data, were not yet available for October in this workbook. No earnings estimate has been extrapolated from the arrivals data.