Seychelles outperforms Mauritius to be top in region |09 March 2013

Seychelles is being recognised  especially for its “marketing and branding campaigns”, which has seen it  not only become Number One in the region, but also rank 38th in the ‘Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013 - Reducing Barriers for Growth and Job Creation’.

While Seychelles did not even form part of the hit parade two years ago, Mauritius has slipped five points to be ranked 58th. 

This accolade from the WEF comes amid praise from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which through its head of mission, Carol Baker, this week hailed Seychelles as “outperforming” many similar island destinations.

Year to date visitor arrival figures indicate an increase of over 20% for the first two months of 2013.

In 2012, total tourist numbers stagnated at 960,000 last year in Mauritius, while Seychelles saw an increase of 7% to reach a record 205,000.

Yesterday’s Le Mauricien quotes the WEF as stating “Mauritius loses its number one spot in the regional rankings, overtaken by the entry of Seychelles this year”.

Tourism security is said to be an important criteria in determining the rankings, though Mauritius also benefits from high marks for safety and security.

Seychelles is said to have scored high for strong affinity for travel and tourism (5th) and good tourism infrastructure, especially available hotel rooms (6th).