NAIROBI: Seychelles' revenues from tourism fell 61% last year because of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which cut tourist arrivals by 70%, its finance minister said on Tuesday.

Seychelles' economy relies heavily on tourism, which was hard hit in 2020 as COVID-19 led to travel restrictions worldwide to contain its spread.

Finance Minister Naadir Hassan was quoted on state-run Seychelles News Agency as saying the sector's 2020 revenues were down by about $322 million, with visitor numbers falling to 114,858 from 384,204 in 2019.

Hassan said this in turn had led to tax revenue shortfalls in funding the 2021 budget of $519 million that he presented to parliament on Tuesday. That is smaller than a previous budget proposed in January of $566 million.

The Indian Ocean archipelago has had 1,910 infections and eight coronavirus-related deaths reported in the country since the pandemic began, according to a Reuters tally. It began COVID-19 vaccinations in January.