Seychelles expects Italy to return as one of its leading markets in visitor arrivals in the first half of this year, with a 350% increase in arrivals predicted by the Department of Tourism for the first half of 2022 compared with the same period in 2021.

There was growing interest in the island nation because it was one of the few countries open to Italian tourists, Tourism Seychelles said in a statement.

"We are confident that the COVID pandemic has reached its peak and that Italian visitors will soon be back amongst the top markets for Seychelles," says Danielle Di Gianvito, the Tourism Seychelles representative in Italy.

"Interest in the destination is very high, as is the demand for the spring and summer holidays."

Italy has long been one of the leading tourism markets for Seychelles and was the fourth-top source market in 2019 with 27 289 visitors before the COVID-19 pandemic. The figures dropped to 2 884 in 2020 and rose slightly to 3 313 in 2021.