Mauritius tourism earnings down 3.5 pct in first half

PORT LOUIS (Reuters) – Tourism revenue in Mauritius fell by 3.5 percent in the first half of the year as earnings per tourist dropped, official data showed on Friday.

Statistics Mauritius said that revenue in what is a key industry for the Indian Ocean island fell to 21.78 billion rupees ($616 million) from 22.57 billion rupees in the same period last year.

The number of tourists who visited the Island famed for its azure waters, beaches and luxury spas rose 8.9 percent year on year to 534,182, but earnings per visitor declined by 11.4 percent.

The agency added that the Bank of Mauritius has cut its revenue forecast for this year to 46.5 billion rupees from 48.5 billion, though the new projection still represents a 5 percent increase on 2014.

($1 = 35.3300 Mauritius rupees)