Educating trade is the key

In a workshop organised to inform and educate the travel trade, Vivek Anand, Country Manager, MTPA, briefed about promoting Mauritius as an adventure destination among travellers.

Manas Dwivedi

The Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MPTA) recently organised a training workshop for travel agencies and operators at The Park, New Delhi. The workshop, which also had product presentations on some Mauritian hotels and DMCs, was aimed towards informing and educating the trade whilst simultaneously promoting Mauritius as an adventure tourism destination.

Presiding over the event, Vivek Anand, Country Manager, MTPA India, presented an overview about tourism in Mauritius. Around 17 DMCs showcased offerings about their hotel and resorts. Apart from MTPA and Air Mauritius officials, the workshop was graced by Jagdishwar Goburdhun, High Commissioner of Mauritius, who shared his thoughts and experiences about the country.

“We keep organising workshops in Tier-II and Tier-III cities. With our last session held in Lucknow, we will now be heading to Jaipur next”

On the bilateral ties between India and Mauritius, Goburdhun lauded the initiatives to promote tourism in both the countries. While explaining about the endless possibility of tourism in Mauritius, he also read out excerpts from the latest Mauritian budget about tourism. Presenting Mauritius as a safe adventure tourism destination, Anand said that the island country is much beyond than just a honeymoon destination.

Speaking about the idea behind conducting such workshops, Anand says it helps people in the industry know a destination more efficiently. “We keep organising such workshops in all the cities, especially Tier-II and Tier-III cities. Our last session was held in Lucknow and we will be heading to Jaipur next. Till now, we have covered around 23 places in India,” Anand added.

Talking about the strategies which MTPA India is conceptualising to enhance its presence in India, Anand says, “Besides workshops, we keep organising roadshows in different cities. For directly engaging consumers, we do advertising, billboard and newspaper campaign. We also take part in various consumer fairs.”

The year 2018 is also special for Mauritius as the island country is celebrating 50 years of independence. To promote tourism, MPTA India is planning a mega event later this year, where the authority will showcase Mauritian food, culture, handicrafts and drinks. Counting on the importance of Indian market for Mauritius, Anand explained that more and more Indians now prefer to visit the country. “Around 7 per cent of the visitors are Indians but the numbers are growing with each passing day.”  On growth, he says,” On an average, we have grown 11 per cent year-on-year over the last four years. While we have more people coming from different countries but Indian tourists are spending more money in Mauritius. So the per capita spend of an Indian tourist is very high.”

Future Plans

• With eyes set on achieving a double-digit growth, Mauritius tourism is focusing more on destination weddings, MiCE and adventure tourism