Rs100 million to attract French tourists to Mauritius

The Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) yesterday unveiled a Rs100 million promotion campaign to boost the numbers of French tourists coming here.

For the first time the campaign will include a television advert of 20 seconds to be produced by French company TBWA/Compact which will be broadcast on Canal + and i-tele 75 times a week.

The campaign also includes ads in popular weekly magazines L’Express and Elle as well as the distribution of guides known as “Club Trendy” to 160,000 potential second-time visitors.

The MTPA has also launched a website, www.divine-ilemaurice.com which will also act as a key to entry into the island. Minister of Tourism and Leisure Nando Bodha said yesterday said the budget for the French advertisement campaign represents one-third of the total budget of the MTPA.

“The objective is to continue to sustain growth and to consolidate a strong market for the Mauritius tourism industry in the long term,” Mr Bodha said. The French market is the island’s major market with around 400,000 French tourists, including visitors from Reunion Island, coming here and bringing revenue of 500 million Euros yearly.

“The French visitors have a very special feeling for the island. They feel at home in Mauritius and we must do our best to keep them coming. With the French economy getting more resilient, the number of tourist arrivals must surely improve.

“This advertisement campaign is also targeting tourists who have already visited the island in the past. We want them to come back again,” Mr Bodha said.