from HANSLEY NABAB in Port Louis, Mauritius
Mauritius Bureau
PORT LOUIS, (CAJ News) – THE Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) has embarked on a mission to attract South Africans to the island nation.
MTPA recently led a delegation of stakeholders in the industry to South Africa where it met some 250 heads of travel agencies and tour operators.
Meetings were held in the major towns of Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg.
MTPA representatives and tourist operators made the most of the tour to convey the message that Mauritius was open and ready to welcome its visitors even better than before the pandemic.
The South African tourist market represented over 10 percent of Mauritius’ total visitors prior to the COVID-19 crisis.
MTPA disclosed the observation of the delegation was unanimous that South Africans were still fond of travelling to Mauritius .
This is despite the closure of Mauritian borders late last year when the new Omicron variant was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) from South Africa.
Arvind Bundhun, Director of the MTPA, noted the South African market is the fifth largest source of visitors.
“From 2015 to 2019, we had seen continuous growth, four out of five years. This market has proven to be consistently resilient over the years,” Bundhun stated.
The official said operators met in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg confirmed that the interruption of two years of strict confinement, health protocols and various restrictions would not affect the South African desire to explore Destination Mauritius.
A number of issues were discussed between stakeholders from Mauritius and the host nation.
Daily flights to OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, are to resume in mid-March.
Air Mauritius representatives confirmed direct flights to Durban were a possibility if the demand arose.
– CAJ News