ANTANANARIVO, Aug 16 (Reuters) - The number of tourists visiting Madagascar jumped 16 percent in the first half of 2011 from a year earlier, official data showed on Tuesday, helped by a more stable environment as the Indian Ocean island emerged from a two-year political crisis.
The National Institute of Statistics said 100,692 visitors took their holidays on the island famed for its leaping lemurs and tropical rainforests, generating ${esc.dollar}71.9 million for the ailing economy in the first half.
Madagascar's tourism industry is a key source of foreign exchange for the country.
Popular with French and Italian holidaymakers, the sector took a battering in 2009 after images of deadly anti-government protests that paved the way for a coup, were beamed around the world.
Madagascar is expecting a rebound in tourist numbers this year to levels last seen before the crisis, forecasting 255,000 arrivals.
Madagascar's tourism revenues reached ${esc.dollar}430 million in 2008. (Reporting by Alain Iloniaina; Editing by Richard Lough and Susan Fenton)
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