A successful mission led by Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)

The resumption of international flights to the Indian Ocean Island along with the new entry rules and the drop of PCR test requirements are bringing back the charm to the renowned destination with a recovery in visitor numbers approaching pre-pandemic levels. 

Mauritius recorded 470,640 tourist arrivals during the first half of (Jan-Jul) 2022, achieving a considerable number of visitors comparing to the same period of last year (2021) but still short of about 40% to their 2019 1^st Semester tourist arrivals.

Mauritius like many countries around the world- shut itself off during the Pandemic but is now on the lookout for luring the tourists back to this island destination with continued marketing promotional campaigns targeted at existing and new tourism markets.

Earlier this month, a delegation led by officials from the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) and the Mauritian government visited Saudi Arabia as part of a week-long business development mission and a mission to entice KSA residents to travel to Mauritius. 

The mission aimed at positioning the Mauritius islands as “a destination and partner of choice” for the KSA’s travel agents and local industry partners.

The delegation accompanied by Mauritian travel experts found success and explored strategic partnerships and investment opportunities with national Saudi Airliners and Saudi tourism players across the Kingdom.

The campaign educated more than 100 agents and tour operators from each of the visited cities and aimed to work towards creating tailored holiday packages for Saudi travelers.

With the number of arrivals steadily increasing it is expected to reach pre-pandemic numbers by the end of the year. Thanks to three weekly flights operated by SAUDIA Airlines which have been resumed and the continued marketing promotions led by MTPA to promote the destination in the Kingdom.

The mission started on September 4th in Jeddah and moved on to its second stop in Al Khobar on the 5th, to and finally at Riyadh to conclude the successful mission on the 6th of September.

For three consecutive days the Mauritian delegation met with key representatives from the travel and tourism industry to raise awareness on the destination and grow the destination’s presence among travel and tourism industry partners in Saudi Arabia and the wider region.

Led by Mr. Arvind Bundhun, Director, MTPA and supported by H. E. Showkutally Soodhun, Ambassador of the Republic of Mauritius to the GCC, the delegation met with tour operators and hospitality representatives to connect with KSA’s leading travel agents and grow visitation from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region.

Commenting on the visit Mr. Arvind Bundhun, Director, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority said; “The gulf region is one of the key inbound tourism markets for Mauritius and is topped by Saudi Arabia which is the number one ranked Arab country for tourists’ arrivals and the tenth biggest market to Mauritius,”

“We are extremely excited to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and reconnect with our industry partners. The number of Mauritius partners and the caliber of the guests we’ve had in this mission is indicative of the commitment and level of importance this market holds for us. The KSA and Gulf region are strategic markets for Mauritius, as we diversify our visitor mix and attract new segments of travellers.”

Mauritius is considered by many as one of the top premier luxury holiday destinations with one of the highest rates of return visitors. The Island is also a business and investment-friendly destination and has been an established centre for international banking and finance.