Seychelles recorded a modest increase in visitor arrivals in July 2026, but tourism numbers for the first seven months of the year remained below the level recorded during the same period in 2025, as the impact of the Middle East conflict on international air connectivity continued to affect the island destination. According to the Seychelles News Agency, the Indian Ocean island nation welcomed 31,628 visitors in July, up 1.8% from the 31,068 recorded in July 2025, according to the latest visitor arrival bulletin from the Seychelles National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The increase marks a change from the previous months of the year. Visitor arrivals had fallen by 24.8% year-on-year in June, 3.4% in May, 28.4% in April and 37.2% in March. January and February, however, recorded increases of 7.2% and 14.8% respectively. Despite July’s improvement, Seychelles received 197,983 visitors between January and July 2026, compared with 223,475 over the corresponding period in 2025, a decline of 11.4%. The 2026 figure is also below the 201,028 visitors recorded during the first seven months of 2023 and 202,017 in 2024.
The decline in visitor arrivals during much of 2026 coincided with disruptions to air travel caused by the conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States, which affected flights through key Middle East aviation hubs used by travellers to reach Seychelles. The impact became particularly apparent in March following the escalation of the conflict. The Central Bank of Seychelles said tourism activity was affected by the temporary closure of airports and suspension of flights from key transit hubs for tourists travelling to the island nation. Flights through Middle East hubs subsequently resumed, although initially at reduced capacity.
The disruptions also prompted Air Seychelles to introduce temporary direct services to European destinations, including Paris and Rome, to maintain access to important tourism markets.
Europe continued to dominate the tourism market in July, accounting for 20,336 visitors, or 64.3% of arrivals. Asia was the second-largest region with 6,910 visitors, representing 21.8%, while Africa accounted for 2,905 arrivals, or 9.2%. The Americas contributed 1,312 visitors and Oceania 165. The year-to-date figures, however, show differing performances across Seychelles’ regional markets.
Africa was the only major region to record growth over the first seven months of the year, with arrivals increasing 9.6% from 14,438 in 2025 to 15,825 in 2026. European arrivals fell 11.2%, from 155,656 to 138,291, while arrivals from Asia declined 18.7%, from 41,576 to 33,803. Arrivals from the Americas were also down 16.1% to 8,868, while Oceania recorded a smaller decline of 3.5%. Tourism remains a predominantly leisure-driven industry in Seychelles. The bulletin shows 28,054 holiday visitors during July, alongside 2,537 honeymoon visitors and 624 business travellers. A further 66 were classified as transit visitors, while 347 fell under other or unstated purposes.
The average length of stay for visitors in July was nine nights, compared with 9.7 nights in July 2025. Most visitors also remained concentrated on Mahe, the largest and most populated island of the Seychelles archipelago and home to the country’s international airport and capital, Victoria. Some 21,792 visitors, or 68.9%, stayed on Mahe during July, followed by Praslin with 5,226 visitors, or 16.5%. Other islands accounted for 3,284 visitors, or 10.4%, while La Digue received 1,025, or 3.2%. A further 301 visitors, or 1%, stayed on vessels, a category that includes yachts, cruise ships and other sea-bound vessels.
Hotels accommodated 72.5% of visitors during the month, while 2.6% stayed with friends and 0.9% stayed on yachts. The proportion staying in hotels was lower than in July 2025, when it stood at 78.9%. Leading markets: UAE, Russia and South Africa among top sources of repeat visitors.
Another feature of the July bulletin is the breakdown between first-time and returning travellers. Of the month’s 31,628 visitors, 28,780, or 91%, were visiting Seychelles for the first time, while 2,848, or 9%, were repeat visitors. Europe accounted for 57% of returning visitors. Among individual markets by country of residence, the United Arab Emirates provided the largest number of repeat visitors, with 386, representing 13.6% of all returning travellers in July. Russia followed with 331, Germany with 284, France with 248 and South Africa with 241.
The figures also highlight the importance of repeat business from some regional markets. The UAE accounted for 60.4% of repeat visitors from Asia, while South Africa represented 48% of returning visitors from Africa. Russia was the leading European market for repeat visitors, accounting for 20.4% of the region’s total. Holidays remained the main reason for returning to Seychelles, accounting for 77.9%, or 2,219, of repeat visits. Another 9.2% returned to visit friends, while 5.7% travelled for business.
Almost all visitors reached the archipelago by air, with 99.1% arriving on commercial flights in July. The July figures provide a more positive monthly result for the tourism sector after the sharp year-on-year declines recorded during parts of the first half of 2026. However, with arrivals still 11.4% below the corresponding January-to-July period last year, the performance of the remaining months will determine how much of the gap Seychelles can recover before the end of the year.
