Visitor numbers up 3% and revenue up 3.5% on H1 2024, mainland France at 82% and up 6%, visiting friends and family now the top reason to visit, holiday rentals ahead of hotels: the key points from the IRT report published in August 2025.
After a record 2024 (556,534 visitors for the year), H1 2025 keeps up the momentum with a new high for a first half: 272,284 international touristsstayed in Reunion Island between January and June 2025, a 3% increase on H1 2024 (264,246 tourists). The official report, published by Île de La Réunion Tourisme in August 2025, calls it a “new record for a first half”.
Tourism revenuefollows the same trend: €229.1M excluding airfare, up 3.5% on H1 2024 (€221.3M). That's also a new record for a first half. Three big shifts stand out: mainland France grows by 6% and drives the increase on its own, visiting friends and family overtakes holidays as the top reason to visit, and the Indian Ocean region falls sharply (-15.8%), dragged down by the aftermath of Cyclone Chido, which hit Mayotte in December 2024.
This page brings together the key figures from the H1 2025 report and puts them in the context of first halves from 2018 to 2025. The sources are official IRT/MTA publications (a survey of 15,059 travellers on 1,579 flights between January and June 2025), cross-checked with previous annual reports.
The H1 2025 report includes half-yearly figures from 2016 to 2025. They show the Covid collapse in 2020-2021, the dramatic post-pandemic rebound, then three first halves in a row above 263,000 tourists, a level never seen before in the destination's recent history.
| First half | Int'l tourists | Revenue (excl. airfare) | Avg. stay | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 272,284 | €229.1M | 20 days | Record H1 (+3% vs 2024) |
| 2024 | 264,246 | €221.3M | 20 days | Previous record |
| 2023 | 263,596 | €222.7M | 20 days | Recovery consolidated |
| 2022 | 202,542 | €171.8M | 21 days | Coming out of the pandemic |
| 2021 | 79,822 | €64.8M | 26 days | Covid restrictions |
| 2020 | 121,072 | €92M | 21 days | Before the first lockdown |
| 2019 | 234,405 | €182M | 17 days | Pre-Covid benchmark |
| 2018 | 241,579 | €194M | 16.5 days | Pre-crisis peak |
Source: IRT/MTA, table “Tourist numbers in Reunion Island by first half” from the H1 2025 report (page 9). Revenue excludes airfares. Length of stay in days, averaged across all categories.
Mainland France's share grows further to 82%, the Indian Ocean region drops sharply after Cyclone Chido hit Mayotte, the rest of Europe grows slightly and the rest of the world is still marginal.
A notable shift in H1 2025: for the first time, visiting friends and family overtakes holidays (46.3% against 44.8%). The Reunionese community living in mainland France carries more and more weight.
| Reason | Share H1 2025 | Volume | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visiting friends/family | 46.3% | 126,192 | The top reason to visit in H1 2025, reflecting the size of the Reunionese community in mainland France. Average stay 22 days. |
| Leisure, holidays | 44.8% | 121,987 | Leisure travellers: families, couples, solo travellers, groups. Average stay 17 days. |
| Business | 6.6% | 18,064 | Seminars, conferences, professional assignments. Average stay 19 days. |
| Other (training, sporting or cultural events) | 2.2% | 6,041 | Internships, Grand Raid runners, one-off events. |
For the fifth year running, holiday rentals (Airbnb, gîtes, private lets) outperform classified hotels, and the gap is widening: 1,437,694 nights in rentals against 412,795 in classified hotels in H1 2025.
| Accommodation type | Share H1 2025 | Tourists | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family/friends (non-commercial) | 47.3% | 128,746 | The top category overall |
| Holiday rental (Airbnb, gîtes, private lets) | 25.3% | 68,871 | The top paid accommodation, 5 years running |
| Classified hotel | 17.3% | 47,240 | Stable, lagging behind rentals |
| Other paid accommodation (residences, campsites, guesthouses) | 10.1% | 27,426 | An increasingly varied range |
Source: IRT H1 2025 report, page 6. Total paid accommodation accounts for 52.7% of tourists, or 143,537 people in H1 2025.
Beyond the headline record, six trends shape the half-year's results and hint at what's to come.
For the first time, people visiting friends and family outnumber holidaymakers: 46.3% in H1 2025 against 44.8% for leisure. It's a big segment (126,192 people in H1), driven by the Reunionese community living in mainland France.
Mainland France accounts for 82% of visitors (222,757 people in H1 2025), up 6% on H1 2024. That growth alone explains the new record, as other markets were either flat or falling.
Visitors from the Indian Ocean region (Mayotte, Mauritius, Madagascar, Comoros) fell 15.8% in H1 2025, to 29,063. Mayotte (16,397) and Mauritius (9,104) make up most of the segment, but travel from Mayotte was hit by the aftermath of Cyclone Chido (December 2024).
For the fifth year running, holiday rentals (Airbnb, gîtes, private lets) are the top paid accommodation category, with 25.3% of tourists and 1,437,694 nights in H1 2025, against 412,795 nights in classified hotels. The gap keeps widening.
Tourism revenue reached €229.1M in H1 2025, a new record for a first half. Excluding airfares and adjusted for inflation, average spending rose slightly, a sign of solid demand despite the economic climate.
98.7% satisfaction with the welcome, 98.2% with the destination's appeal and 97% with accommodation quality. The one persistent weak point is value for money, at 67.4% satisfaction, a recurring issue given competition from Mauritius, Bali and the Caribbean.
Within the first half of 2025, Q1 (January-March) accounts for 151,401 tourists, up 1.3% on Q1 2024. Q2 (April-June) rises more sharply, to 120,883 tourists (+5.2% on Q2 2024). Over the full year, the peak is still July-August (French school holidays), which falls outside this half-year report.
October is the year's second peak, driven by the Grand Raid (the island's flagship ultra-trail race, which draws several thousand runners from abroad and their companions). December brings a rush from mainland France (Christmas holidays), often disrupted by the start of the cyclone season.
Practical takeaway for visitors: book flights and accommodation 4 to 6 months ahead for July-August and October. In low season (April, May, September), 2 months is enough and prices are often 25 to 40% lower. With the flights booked, reserve your hire car for the same dates: most deals can be cancelled free of charge if your plans still shift.
All the data on this page comes from the “Tourist Numbers, First Half 2025”report published by Île de La Réunion Tourisme (IRT, the island's tourism board) in a special August 2025 edition, supplemented by earlier annual reports.
Survey methodology: questionnaires are completed face to face with travellers on tablets, in departure lounges only (no longer in public areas). The two airports covered are Roland Garros (Sainte-Marie) and Pierrefonds (Saint-Pierre). H1 2025 totals 1,579 flights surveyed and 15,059 completed questionnaires over 122 survey days. The annual target is 30,000 questionnaires. Results are weighted each month according to airport traffic (airline, destination, airport), with over 97% representativeness of monthly traffic.
Definitions used(World Tourism Organization and IRT): a visitor is classified as a tourist if they spend at least one night on site. A visiting-friends-and-family tourist comes to see family or friends (with a minimum one-night stay). A leisure tourist comes on holiday. A business tourist spends at least one night for professional reasons. The “other” category covers training, internships, and sporting or cultural events.
The Regional Tourism Observatory attached to the IRT publishes a detailed annual report by source market, by month, by accommodation category and by visitor profile. Find the full survey content on the IRT's website.
The H1 2025 report can be downloaded from the Regional Tourism Observatory's website (in French), in the visitor numbers section for the destination and the Indian Ocean.