January 20, 2020 TnH Global 0

‘MAURITIUS IS A SYMBOL OF ELEGANCE, LUXURY AND QUALITY, A PLACE FOR REJUVENATION’

Located in the Indian Ocean, Mauritius shares a strong historical and cultural ties with India, with around 60 per cent population of island national of Indian origin. The country, known for its breathtaking pristine beaches, is a much sought-after tourist destination. Besides being a favourite of beach lovers, Mauritius is also popular among honeymooners. Recently Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MPTA) as an exhibitor participated in SATTE 2020 held in Greater NOIDA, Uttar Pradesh on 8th-10th January. MPTA in partnership with SATTE 2020 organized an exciting evening of entertainment and networking on 10th January at The Imperial New Delhi. The event was attended a large number of media persons and travel trade executives.

Addressing the gathering, Arvind Bundhun, Director, MPTA, “India and Mauritius have over the years developed strong ties. The two countries are connected economically, culturally, religiously and socially.”

Bundhun added: “Mauritius is a symbol of elegance, luxury and quality and also a place for rejuvenation with an array of attributes. We are endowed with pristine beaches, crystal clear water, scenic landscapes, but we have much more to offer. Our products are diverse, and we are constantly marketing the destination as a paradise for families, honeymooners, weddings, water sports, land sports and also for cultural tourism. India remains a high potential market for us. Our products are perfectly adapted to the likes of Indian travellers. As we embrace 2020, we are escalating our presence in the market through a series of targeted activities for different segments.

Bundhun took the occasion to thank Indian travel trade for their ‘invaluable support and consistent perseverance’ in promoting Mauritius to put Mauritius on the top of the mind of Indian travellers.

Thanking the representatives of Air Mauritius accompanying him for their support to promote the island, Bundhun said that accessibility is vital for the development of the tourism industry. Today Mauritius is more than ever accessible for Indian travellers, who now have the convenience to travel to the island nation, from 4 different points in India, with over a frequency of 10 flights a week.

‘2019 was a challenging year’

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Bundhun informed that the last year was a challenging year for Mauritius Tourism in India, when the number of Indians travelling to the island nation dropped by 8 %. “The total number of Indians travelled to Mauritius was 8,000 less in 2019 as compared to previous year. This happened due to general elections in India and decrease in connectivity between the two countries. Connectivity issue has now been sorted out. We studied the different travel segments in India to identify segments accountable for the decrease, and we found that decrease came from the MICE segment. To address this challenge, we are incentivizing Indian MICE agents to promote Indian MICE tourism to Mauritius,” informed Bundhun.

He added that Mauritius Tourism has started a scheme according to which if a MICE agent brings more than 100 people to Mauritius, he or she will be given a cash incentive of Mauritius 1000 Mauritian Rupee (MUR), approximately INR 2000 and if an agent brings more than 250 people to Mauritius, he or she will be entitled to a cash incentive of MUR 2000 (Approx INR 4000).

Expressing hope of recovery in the Indian market this year, Bundhun underlined need to revise his country’s tourism promotion strategy by focusing more on B2C promotional activities through social media and other ways and target young millennial Indians. “Our focus now would be more on B2C campaigns to promote Mauritius in India. Mauritius is also an important destination for Bollywood. We are talking to some Bollywood film producers to shoot their films in Mauritius.” He added, “If other destinations are increasing their numbers from the Indian market, I don’t see why Mauritius can’t grow its share in India, especially when we share so much cultural affinity with India.”