Mauritius tourism receipts up 9.7 pct in 12 mths to end-Aug

Tourism revenues in Mauritius rose 9.7 percent in the year ended August 31 compared with the previous 12 months, as the number of visitors jumped, data showed on Thursday.

Tourist receipts for the period September 2010 to August 2011 rose by 9.7 percent to reach 41.5 billion rupees compared to 37.8 billion registered over the previous corresponding period, the Bank of Mauritius said in a statement.

It said 963,078 tourists had visited the Indian Ocean island from September 2010 to August 2011 compared to 903,867 a year earlier.

August tourism revenues rose 6.1 percent year-on-year to 2.8 billion rupees, the bank said.

Tourism typically generates about 10 percent of gross domestic product for Mauritius's $10 billion economy. European tourists account for some two-thirds of visitors.