Mauritius raises its 2016 tourism earnings forecast by 2 pct

Mauritius said on Friday that tourism revenue in 2016 will be 1.9 percent higher than it had previously forecast, after a surge in visitors during the first quarter.

Tourism is a valuable source of foreign exchange for Mauritius, an Indian Ocean country known for its luxury spas and beaches.

Tourism earnings are now expected to reach 55 billion rupees ($1.56 billion) this year, up from earlier forecast of 54 billion rupees, according to Statistics Mauritius, the government's statistics office. Last year, tourism earnings totalled 50.2 billion rupees.

The statistics agency also raised its forecast for 2016 arrivals to 1,240,000 from 1,230,000 tourists. Visitors in 2015 numbered 1,151,723.

In the first quarter of 2016, Mauritius attracted 327,836 tourists, up 12.5 percent from a year earlier. Revenue grew 13.9 percent to 15 billion rupees in the quarter, the agency said. ($1 = 35.1500 Mauritius rupees)