A Mauritius tourism mission, headed by the Honourable Anil Kumarsingh Gayan, Minister of Tourism, and joined by His Excellency Mohamed Iqbal Latona, Ambassador of the Republic of Mauritius to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority officials and tourism stakeholders, have launched a series of roadshows, workshops and events throughout the Kingdom to promote the island nation as an ideal holiday destination for Saudi families, honeymooners and adventurers seeking a safe, friendly, welcoming and multi-culturally diverse destination, full of unique cultural festivals and exceptional culinary offerings all set amongst spectacular natural settings for both travellers seeking ultimate luxury experiences and those wanting quality experiences with great value for money.
The mission commenced with promotional roadshows on April 7th and 8th, 2018 in both Jeddah and Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, where a delegation of 10-companies and tourism stakeholders from Mauritius meet with over 70 leading Saudi tourism partners in each city, in order to create new travel packages to Mauritius specifically for Saudi travellers.
From April 10th, 2018 the delegation moved to the Kingdom’s capital where a Mauritius promotional pavilion was opened as part of the four-day Riyadh Travel Fair event, which is opened to the public and will take place at the Al Faisaliah Tower Hotel from 10 – 13 April, 2018. Here, people interested in travelling to Mauritius, or learning more about the destination, can visit the Mauritius stand and meet directly with members of the delegation to find out more as to why Mauritius should be their next holiday destination of choice, as well as avail of some great travel offers.
On April 11th, the Honourable Anil Kumarsingh Gayan, Mauritius Minister of Tourism, then meet with 50 of Riyadh’s leading travel agencies, media representatives and social media influencers, at a private venue within the Al Faisaliah Tower Hotel, to provide the select invitees with further updates and information on destination Mauritius. The day was concluded with a special evening event hosted by His Excellency Mohamed Iqbal Latona, Ambassador of the Republic of Mauritius to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the Ambassador’s official residence, where leading Saudi media and press representatives, as well as special Saudi dignitaries where invited for an informational session followed by a welcome dinner.
Minister of Tourism, the Honourable Anil Kumarsingh Gayan commented, “The response from the Saudi Travel agents and public has been overwhelmingly positive throughout this mission. It is clear that Mauritius can very quickly become one of the preferred destinations for Saudi tourists, as we offer a distinctive, luxurious, romantic, eco-friendly, family-focused experience and offering. Our rich natural wonders and exotic location, year-round schedule of festivals and special events, numerous kid-friendly eco-parks and beautifully designed hotels and resorts are just a few of the many reasons for Saudi families, honeymooners, adventurers and groups to come and visit Mauritius.” The Minister continued: “Our touristic offering has been extremely well received by the Saudi Travel agents that we have met. We expect that following this mission there will be many new Mauritius holiday packages and special offers made available to Saudi travellers, and that the number of visitors from Saudi Arabia to Mauritius will continue to increase significantly.”
From January to December 2017, Mauritius received a total of 5,142 Saudi tourists visiting the island nation, an increase of 62.5% compared to the total number of Saudi visitors that visited in 2016, which in turn was a 10% increase compared to the total number of Saudi visitors that visited in 2015. By conducting the tourism missions to Saudi Arabia, it is expected that this increase in Saudi visitation will continue well into 2018, especially with the launch of direct flights from Riyadh and Jeddah to Mauritius with Saudia Airlines. The opening of the Mauritius Embassy in Riyadh in 2017 is also expected to aid in the building of economic, tourism and cultural ties between the two nations.
A total of ten industry partners from Mauritius-based tourism and hospitality entities joined the Saudi Arabia Mission, each promoting their own unique tourism products, hospitality services and attractions. These included; Akqua Sun, As-siyaaha Tour Operator, Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels, Heritage Resorts / Veranda Resorts, Over The Horizon Mauritius, Promo Tour, Seaside Holidays Ltd., Lux Resorts & Hotels, YU Lounge, and Sunway Residence.
The Honourable Anil Kumarsingh Gayan added, “Saudi Arabia remains an integral emerging target market for Mauritius’ tourism development. This tourism development mission is one of many major activities MTPA has planned to ensure that key international travel agents maintain a close awareness and link with Mauritius’ tourism industry partners, in order to mutually expand the business opportunities between both, while offering their clients quality tourism experiences. Our expectation is that travel to Mauritius from Saudi Arabia will continue to grow and thrive, reinforcing Mauritius’ status as a world-class aspirational destination for luxury travel, honeymooners, groups and family tourism.”