Seychelles officials are planning steps to boost Russian tourist inflows as flight disruptions persist due to the Middle East conflict

The Seychelles is facing a sharp drop in tourist arrivals amid the war in the Middle East, but hopes to offset losses with an increase in Russian visitors, President Patrick Herminie has said.

Speaking to RT, the head of the African state noted that the island nation has seen "the drastic reduction in tourism arrivals by 40%," a downturn that is hitting the economy hard, as "tourism is the mainstay of our [Seychelles'] economy."

He linked the decline to disruptions in regional air travel following the start of the conflict triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February. Multiple countries across the Middle East have imposed airspace restrictions, forcing airlines to reroute or cancel flights, while airports in the region were also affected.

The disruption has been compounded by rising aviation fuel costs, driven by instability around the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil route. Amid a deepening fuel crisis, several African carriers have raised fares or introduced surcharges, including Kenya Airways, Air Mauritius, Ethiopian Airlines, and RwandAir.

As a result, key air routes to the Indian Ocean archipelago nation of fewer than 135,000 people have been cut. "Most of the Gulf airlines, like Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar, they are no longer flying," Herminie said.

At the same time, the president pointed to Russia as a growing and stable source of tourists, noting that Russians already account for more than 22% of arrivals.

The government is now preparing additional steps to boost this trend, including plans to strengthen its diplomatic presence. "We'll be setting up an embassy here with a tourism ambassador so that we can know on hand what exactly must we do... to get more tourists from Russia to Seychelles," he stated.

Moscow has also signaled an interest in expanding tourism ties. During a meeting with Herminie on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said there is potential to further increase tourist flows from Russia to the Seychelles.

Following the talks, Russian authorities indicated they are ready to consider new flight connections, including a possible route linking Dar es Salaam, Victoria, and Moscow.

Meanwhile, this year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Russia and the Seychelles. Herminie, a former speaker of the Seychelles parliament, was elected president in October and met Putin for the first time in his new capacity during the visit.

Watch the full interview.

(RT.com)