Seychelles tourism recovery is showing clearer signs of momentum, with visitor arrivals in July and August exceeding the figures recorded during the same months last year despite the disruptions caused by the conflict in the Middle East.
The Indian Ocean destination had welcomed 232,342 visitors by August 30, 2026, around 8% fewer than during the same period in 2025. But the latest weekly figures suggest the gap is narrowing. In Week 35, arrivals were 21% higher than in the corresponding week last year, offering a stronger indication of demand as Seychelles moves into the final months of the year.
Russia continues to be the destination’s strongest source market and is the only market among the top 10 to have recorded year-on-year growth. Russian arrivals are currently 27% higher than they were at the same point last year.
The wider recovery, however, remains uneven. Seychelles continues to depend heavily on European visitors, who account for 69% of total arrivals, while Asia contributes 18%. Africa represents 8% of arrivals and is currently the only region showing positive growth, with visitor numbers up 9% compared with last year.
That regional performance comes as Seychelles looks beyond its traditional markets for additional sources of demand. Russia, Germany and France together account for roughly 36% of all arrivals, while the top 10 source markets represent about 65% of the destination’s total visitor numbers. The concentration gives Seychelles a strong base, but it also leaves the tourism sector exposed when major markets are affected by geopolitical or economic disruptions.
Several smaller and emerging markets are now showing signs of potential. South Africa, Nigeria, Turkiye, China, Mauritius, Tanzania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Congo (Brazzaville) are among the markets recording encouraging growth. For Seychelles, stronger performance from these destinations could help broaden its international visitor base rather than relying so heavily on a relatively small group of established markets.
The financial performance of the sector also offers a more positive picture than the arrival figures alone suggest. Tourism earnings are 4.7% higher than last year, indicating that the decline in visitor numbers has not translated into a corresponding fall in tourism revenue.
Visitors are also continuing to stay for relatively long periods. Between January and July, the average length of stay increased slightly from 9.3 to 9.4 nights. That suggests travellers who are making the journey to Seychelles are largely maintaining the length of their holidays, even as overall arrival numbers remain below last year’s level.
There has also been a change in the way visitors are booking their trips. Travellers are increasingly making reservations closer to their departure dates, a pattern that points to greater caution among consumers as geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty continue to influence travel decisions.
The Seychelles Tourism Board sees the latest figures as evidence that the market is beginning to regain strength, even though the recovery is not yet complete.
“There is certainly a silver lining in the latest figures,” Seychelles Tourism Board Chief Executive Vesna Rakic said. She pointed to the stronger July and August performance, growth in several markets and the increase in tourism earnings as reasons for optimism, while acknowledging that arrivals remain below last year’s level.
For Seychelles, the immediate challenge is to turn the recent improvement into a more sustained recovery. The tourism board plans to protect its established source markets while stepping up efforts in markets that have been slower to recover and expanding its reach into emerging destinations.
The latest figures do not yet represent a full return to last year’s visitor levels. They do, however, suggest that demand for Seychelles is holding up despite a difficult international environment. With tourism earnings rising, average stays remaining resilient and several emerging markets gaining ground, the destination enters the final part of 2026 with some of the clearest signs so far that its tourism sector is moving in the right direction.
