Mauritius says tourists from France down 30 pct yr/yr in July

PORT LOUIS (Reuters) - The number of tourists visiting Mauritius fell 2.4 percent year-on-year in July, dragged lower by a slump in visitors from France, one of the Indian Ocean island's most important markets.

Statistics Mauritius said on Friday arrivals from France fell 30 percent in July to 15,633 from 22,333 in the same period a year ago.

Tourism in Mauritius has been hit by the global economic slowdown and worries about the euro zone crisis.

Visitors from Europe, which accounts for some two-thirds of arrivals, dropped 14.5 percent to 36,570.

Tourism, a cornerstone of the Indian Ocean island's economy, has been forecast to account for 7.9 percent of domestic product in 2012, down from 8.4 percent last year.

Statistics Mauritius said 76,166 tourists visited the Indian Ocean island in July against 78,034 a year ago.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mauritius-says-tourists-france-down-30-pct-yr-061456618--sector.html

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