🇲🇺 Tourist revenues climbing but April arrivals fell, and air traffic dropped hardest

Tourist revenues climbing but April arrivals fell, and air traffic dropped hardest

Mauritius welcomed 464,208 tourists in the first four months of 2026, roughly 4% more than the same period last year. January was up 7.7%. February jumped past 12%.

March came in at just 1.3% growth. April went negative: 115,763 arrivals against 120,157 in April 2025, a drop of 3.7%. Air arrivals took the sharpest hit, falling 8% in a single month. Analysts point to Middle East disruptions adding cost and uncertainty to long-haul European routes serving the island.

Revenue figures are still rising, partly because higher-spending visitors are softening the volume drop. But a fall in air arrivals this close to the European summer season is not a comfortable number. The hotel industry will be watching the June 30 budget closely, hoping for measures to protect seat capacity on key routes.

The budget deadline is June 30. Tourism is the economy's biggest earner. The timing is not great.

Eight years, 5,511 complaints and still no president at the police watchdog

How many complaints does it take before a watchdog gets a leader? The Independent Police Complaints Commission, set up to investigate police abuse, torture and violence against civilians, has logged 5,511 formal complaints since becoming operational in April 2018. It currently has no president.

The IPCC's last president, former judge Deviyanee Beesoondoyal, finished her mandate and the post has been empty since. With nine investigators handling a backlog of serious cases, the commission's two current members are calling for clarity on appointments, resources and the process for filling the chair.

A watchdog without a president is still a watchdog. But not much of one.

ENS Mauritius denies discrimination, but the equal opportunities watchdog sees it differently

A formal report by the Equal Opportunities Commission has flagged concerns over religious discrimination complaints filed against ENS Mauritius, the private security company. The report prompted complainant Khushal Lobine to push for tougher penalties in the law covering workplace religious discrimination.

ENS Mauritius maintains no discrimination took place. The gap between what the commission found and what the company accepts is now the heart of the dispute, with Lobine calling for the law to carry real teeth.

Why did minister Ramful put the brakes on his ministry's luxury car order?

The Foreign Affairs Ministry had plans to purchase a fleet of luxury sedans. Ramful said no. His intervention echoes a pattern seen last month, when a telework circular from the Public Service Ministry was pulled before it came into force after Minister Raj Pentiah said he hadn't been consulted.

Rs 44.5 million to repair the Government House balcony and roof

The National Assembly has awarded a Rs 44.5 million contract for structural repairs to the balcony and roofing of Government House, the seat of Mauritius's parliament. The building has needed this work for years.

Shorts

Ambulance crews say they keep getting attacked – "We come to save lives and get beaten," says union chief Rajah Boodia of SAMU, the national ambulance service.

Motorcyclist dies at Petite-Riviere after crash – Kurt Anthony, 20, died Sunday; the SAMU team that responded was then attacked by bystanders at the scene.

La Cure Waves completes an unprecedented double – The Port Louis club beat ASPL 2000 in Sunday's MFA Cup final, adding the cup to its league title for a historic double.

90% of harbour oil spill cleaned up – The Ministry of Environment says 90% of the heavy fuel that leaked into Port Louis harbour has now been recovered.

Viral arrest video from Rose-Belle stirs debate – Police say "minimum force" was used at a Rose-Belle arrest, but viral footage has sparked a public debate.

6,450

traffic fines linked to demerit points deducted since January 31, when Mauritius's points-based licence system took effect, with quarterly reviews now announced.

Rs 463.1 billion

in foreign currency reserves held by the Bank of Mauritius at end-April 2026, up Rs 71 billion on the same time last year, equivalent to $9.81 billion.

100 million barrels

the weekly oil supply lost to global markets due to the Hormuz closure, per Saudi Aramco's latest assessment, with recovery not expected before 2027.

Macron arrives in Nairobi with a new script for France's relationship with Africa

French President Emmanuel Macron opened France's contribution to the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi on Sunday, presenting what Paris calls a genuine pivot away from colonial-era dominance toward partnership. Macron defended Europe's continued role in Africa as China and Russia compete for influence across the continent.

On the sidelines, UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced an expansion of the UN's Nairobi hub and called for greater African representation in global institutions. PM Ramgoolam is attending the summit, which runs through today.

Kemi Seba fights extradition, says he'll be killed if sent back to Benin

Kemi Seba, wanted in Benin over an alleged coup plot, told a Pretoria court he risks death if deported, as he fights extradition from South Africa.

Somali forces fire on protesters in Mogadishu, killing one person

Somali security forces opened fire on protesters in Mogadishu on Sunday, killing one person, days before President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's term expires.

Zelensky's ex-chief of staff named as suspect in a corruption investigation

Ukraine's corruption investigators have formally served President Zelensky's former chief of staff with a notice of suspicion in a major money-laundering probe. Local outlets have identified the suspect as Andriy Yermak. He resigned last year, amid a broader graft scandal that first surfaced in November.

It lands at a sensitive moment for Kyiv's leadership, with the war against Russia still live and Western support increasingly tied to governance credibility.

Iran warns Europe: don't send warships to the Strait of Hormuz

Iran told European countries not to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz, saying any involvement would push energy prices higher as ceasefire talks with Washington remain deadlocked.

China's factory prices hit a level not seen since before the pandemic, and Iran is part of the reason

China's factory-gate prices rose 2.8% in April, the highest reading since before the pandemic, driven by Middle East war costs pushing up raw material prices and ending a prolonged deflationary run in manufacturing.

Mali's Mamadou Sangaré wins French football's top African prize

RC Lens midfielder Mamadou Sangaré has been voted the best African player in France's Ligue 1, taking the Marc-Vivien Foé prize awarded annually by broadcasters RFI and France 24. First Malian to win it.

The prize honours the Cameroonian international Marc-Vivien Foé, who collapsed and died on the Ligue 1 pitch in 2003, aged 28. Sangaré's win is a rare good-news story for a country whose football headlines this year have been mostly written by generals, not goalkeepers.