India is an Emerging Market for Mauritius

ARVIND BUNDHUN, Director of Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, is set to target B2B and B2C and expects 1.2 lakh Indian tourists in 2020.

He said that Mauritius has positioned itself as an “affordable luxury destination” which offers tourists different activities like golf, spa, sky diving, zip-lining among others

Last year 80,000 tourists from India had visited Mauritius. For future, Bundhun plans to have road shows, B2C campaign to promote Mauritius tourism in different cities. “In the last four years, Mauritius tourism has seen double digit growth, with Indian tourists contributing significantly to this. We are looking to attract 1.2 lakh Indian tourists to our country in 2020,” he said.

“In order to create more visibility, we are inviting celebrities and top CEOs from India to Mauritius. Special packages are being offered to promote incentive trips also,” he informed.

The wedding segment remains an attractive niche, with a lot of newly-wed Indians choosing Mauritius as a honeymoon destination. Bundhun said that Bollywood is also promoting films, adding that some Indian movies had been shot there recently. “And we offer 30 per cent rebate on expenses incurred in Mauritius by a movie producer for shooting the film in our nation,” he said.

Between October 17-19, the Mauritius Film Development Corporation is organising cinema week and a number of Bollywood stars have been invited there. The government has put in place special incentives to shoot movies in the country.

According to Bundhun, hotels in Mauritius serve Indian cuisine and know the Indian palate.