Seychelles’ tourism industry is showing fresh signs of losing momentum after powering the island nation’s economy to record growth last year, with new data revealing fewer international visitors and a sharp decline in cruise tourism as global travel headwinds begin to weigh on Africa’s richest island economy.
According to the Seychelles National Bureau of Statistics, the country welcomed 27,201 visitors in May 2026, down 3.4% from 28,161 in the same month a year earlier. The figure included 27,172 stopover visitors and 29 transit passengers.
The slowdown extends beyond a single month. Between January and May, stopover visitor arrivals fell 11.7% to 145,858, compared with 165,155 during the corresponding period in 2025, suggesting demand has weakened after last year’s exceptional performance.
The decline comes just weeks after the International Monetary Fund warned that Seychelles’ economy was becoming more vulnerable to weaker tourism demand and geopolitical disruptions.
The Fund expects economic growth to slow sharply to 1.5% in 2026 from an estimated 5.1% in 2025, when record tourist arrivals helped drive one of the country’s strongest economic performances in recent years.
