Mauritius tourist arrivals rise 4.6 percent in 2014

Reuters
A tour guide stands with a group of tourists at a viewpoint overlooking Port Louis June 6, 2008. REUTERS/Ed Harris

PORT LOUIS (Reuters) - The number of tourists visiting Mauritius rose 4.6 percent in 2014, driven by increased demand from Europe and China, the government said on Thursday. Earnings from tourism, which is a valuable source of foreign exchange for the Indian Ocean island state, rose 10.8 percent year-on-year in the nine months to September, to 32.23 billion rupees ($1 billion). The full-year earnings figure will be issued later. The Tourism ministry said arrivals rose to 1,038,968 last year from 993,106 in the previous year. Numbers from Europe, which accounts for 54.9 percent of visitors to Mauritius climbed 4.3 percent to 570,548. Tourists from Asia rose 19.5 percent to 158,361 driven by higher numbers from China, which jumped 51.2 percent to 63,365. 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 weak growth in more traditional European markets. ($1 = 32.1500 Mauritius rupees)