In February, 77930 tourists arrived in Mauritius against 72366 in January

After a record 2010 in terms of tourist arrivals, the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) of the Ministry of Tourism and Leisure is gearing up to continue this trend.
A growth of 6.9 per cent was recorded in the tourism sector in February. The EIU sees this growth in February as encouraging. Also, this data was confirmed by the Bank of Mauritius (BoM) which indicates that tourism revenues have increased.

Emerging tourism markets such as China, Russia and India have contributed towards this growth. For the month of February, an increase of 35 per cent was noted for India. This growth is in line with the government’s main objective of attracting more Asian tourists to Mauritius.

The MTPA is continuing its marketing campaign in Asian countries. Air Mauritius will serve Shanghai from July. The recent presidential delegation to China at this time is believed to have brought about a positive impact on this sector.

With regard to traditional markets, France remains the leader with 29,725 tourists, followed by Switzerland, where a growth of 32.5 per cent was noted.

Figures also show an increase in German tourist arrivals by 7 per cent. Thus, to attract more German tourists, a campaign is already being implemented.

However, the number of British tourists is gradually decreasing. One reason is the economic problem in Great Britain. But according to research, Maldives and Seychelles, which are seen as competitors have recorded an increase in tourists from UK. The EIU stated that efforts should be made in this direction to improve the market.