Mauritius 09 H1 tourism arrivals fall 9.3 pct

PORT LOUIS (Reuters) - Mauritius visitor numbers fell 9.3 percent to 413,504 during the first sixth months of 2009 compared with the same period last year, official data showed on Wednesday.

Tourism is a key economic driver and source of foreign exchange for the palm-fringed Indian Ocean island.

"Tourist arrivals decreased by 9.3 percent from 455,758 in the first semester of 2008 to 413,504 in the first semester of 2009", the tourism ministry said in a statement.