Strongest August performance in four years as improved air connectivity supports recovery
Seychelles recorded its strongest August for international visitor arrivals in at least four years, welcoming 34,987 visitors in August 2026, up 14.1% from 30,667 arrivals during the same month in 2025.
The latest figures from the Seychelles National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) point to a significant improvement in tourism activity following a challenging first half of the year. August arrivals also exceeded the totals recorded in August 2023 and 2024, when the Indian Ocean destination received 28,177 and 28,282 visitors respectively.
The August increase marked the second consecutive month of year-on-year growth, following a 1.8% rise in July. The improvement comes after sharp declines between March and June, when arrivals fell 37.2% in March, 28.4% in April, 3.4% in May and 24.8% in June.
Air connectivity provides a boost
The stronger August performance coincided with improved international air connectivity, with additional capacity returning to the destination ahead of the peak summer travel period.
Seychelles Tourism Board Chief Executive Officer Vesna Rakić, appointed to the position in May 2026, attributed part of the improvement to increased air access. Tourism Seychelles confirmed that Turkish Airlines resumed summer services in June, operating three weekly flights, while Aeroflot resumed two weekly services from July 8.
Qatar Airways also resumed services in June with four weekly flights, further strengthening connectivity through Doha. Tourism Seychelles said the additional capacity was intended to improve access from Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Russia during the summer season.
Russia recorded the largest increase in visitor numbers during August, with 1,858 additional arrivals compared with the same month last year. The United Arab Emirates followed with an increase of 852 visitors, while France contributed 626 additional arrivals.
Recovery remains uneven
Despite the strong August result, Seychelles’ tourism performance for the year to date remained below 2025 levels.
The country recorded 232,970 international visitors between January and August 2026, compared with 254,142 during the corresponding period of 2025, representing an 8.3% decline. However, the 2026 total remained slightly above the 230,299 arrivals recorded during the first eight months of 2024 and the 229,205 recorded in 2023.
The figures underline the uneven nature of Seychelles’ tourism recovery. Visitor numbers rose in January and February before falling sharply during the spring and early summer, before returning to growth in July and August.
Rakić has described the recent improvement as encouraging while stressing the need to assess the recovery against the broader year-to-date performance.
Europe remains the leading source region
Europe continued to dominate Seychelles’ international visitor market in August, accounting for 23,301 arrivals, or 66.6% of the monthly total.
Asia followed with 7,401 visitors, representing 21.2%, while Africa contributed 2,963 arrivals.
For the January-August period, however, arrivals from most major source regions were lower than a year earlier. European arrivals declined 8.2% to 161,592, while Asian arrivals fell 13.4% to 41,204.
Arrivals from the Americas declined 15.5%, while Oceania recorded a 6% decrease.
Africa was the only major region to register year-to-date growth, with arrivals increasing 9.1% to 18,788. Tourism officials have pointed to gains from markets including South Africa, Nigeria, China and Turkey as part of efforts to diversify Seychelles’ visitor base.
Leisure travel continues to dominate
Seychelles remained overwhelmingly a leisure destination during August.
Of the 34,987 visitors recorded during the month, 31,017 travelled for holidays, while 2,540 were honeymooners and 656 were business travellers. Between January and August, the destination recorded 206,867 holiday visitors.
The figures also highlight Seychelles’ strong appeal to first-time visitors. Some 31,948 arrivals, or 91.3% of the August total, were visiting the destination for the first time, while 3,039 were repeat visitors.
Tourism earnings show resilience
While visitor numbers remained below 2025 levels for the first eight months, preliminary estimates indicated that tourism earnings increased by 5.1% over the same period.
Average length of stay in August was 9.6 nights, compared with 9.9 nights in August 2025 and 10 nights in August 2024. The figures underline the continued importance of visitor spending and length of stay alongside headline arrival numbers when assessing tourism performance.
The pattern also supports Seychelles’ wider strategy of attracting higher-value tourism while maintaining the destination’s environmental and economic sustainability.
Mahé remains the principal visitor base
The island of Mahé remained the main base for international visitors, accounting for 67.4% of arrivals in August.
Praslin followed with 17.7%, while other islands accounted for 10.8% and La Digue for 3.2%. Hotels, a category that includes guest houses and self-catering establishments in the NBS classification, accommodated 79.6% of visitors during the month.
The concentration of visitors on the main islands also highlights the continuing importance of spreading tourism benefits across the wider archipelago while protecting the environmental assets that underpin Seychelles’ appeal.
Focus shifts to understanding the visitor
Alongside efforts to strengthen international demand, Seychelles is also seeking greater insight into traveller behaviour.
The Seychelles Tourism Board has introduced a pilot pre-arrival survey designed to better understand why travellers select Seychelles. A departure survey is planned to assess whether visitor expectations are being met.
The initiative is intended to provide more detailed information on traveller motivations and experiences and help shape future destination marketing and product development.
With August producing a strong rebound, Seychelles enters the next phase of 2026 with a more positive tourism trend, although the year-to-date figures remain below the previous year’s level. The combination of stronger air connectivity, market diversification, visitor-spending growth and a focus on the quality of the visitor experience is likely to remain central to the destination’s tourism strategy.
Tourism Seychelles has also been pursuing a broader sustainability agenda, including a focus on higher-value tourism and responsible destination development. Its current approach to cruise tourism, for example, places emphasis on economic value, environmental protection and benefits for local communities.
For Seychelles, the August figures provide a welcome indication of recovery while highlighting the importance of maintaining connectivity and strengthening demand across a diversified international market.
