Year End Difficult for Tourism

980,000. The number of tourists that the country should receive in this year 2013. A forecast that is established after a second downward revision of arrivals. Which casts doubt on a recovery in the sector. This as hotel groups face financial situations more precarious losses accumulating since the beginning of the year.

The fall of 7.2% recorded in France, our main source market, is hardly reassuring. Only emerging markets seem to be of interest. For hoteliers, it is to stop the financial bleeding resulting from this situation.

Forecasts arrivals downgraded

The latest indicators on tourist arrivals indicate a decrease. Bar 1 million tourists can hardly be crossed this year, even if we approach further. Indeed, the available figures show 980,000 arrivals, but it could be that there is a new downward revision, which will have a detrimental impact on the local tourism industry.

The industry can she make up for the delay in the first half of the year? Nobody can yet answer, says Jocelyn Kwok, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Association of Hoteliers and Restaurateurs of Mauritius (AHRIM), in a statement to Matinal. However, the situation is hardly shiny and hoteliers are already facing significant losses.

Jocelyn Kwok hope we can make up a good portion of the show without delay unduly optimistic. "There was only one positive thing is that the second part of the year is better than last year," he said. Regarding our main market, Europe, accounting for 54% market share, arrivals fell 1.3% in August 2013. 34,763 tourists from Europe came against 35,228 in August 2012. For the first nine months of 2013, 336,223 Europeans landed in Mauritius against 346,270 for the same period in 2012, a decrease of 2.9%. A fall of 7.2% was noted in France with 13,183 arrivals last month against 14,205 in August 2012. A decrease of 13.8% was also found in Italy with 2,594 arrivals.

Regarding the total tourist arrival from January to August this year an increase of 2, 2% was noted. 622,492 tourists arrived in Mauritius against 609,215 for the same period in 2012. This is mainly due to emerging markets the country can pull out of the game for the first nine months of this year, an increase of 28.5% was recorded in this market. 88,238 people from Asia have walked to Mauritius so far this year against 68,756 in the corresponding period last year.

As for hotel groups, they frown. New Mauritius Hotels (NMH), the largest hotel group in the country, recorded a turnover of Rs 1.55 billion and a net loss of Rs 218 million. According to NMH, the main reasons are that tourist arrivals stagnated and restrictions on air capacity and excessive price tickets. In addition to its nine months of operation ended in June, the NMH posted a net profit of Rs 557 million, compared to Rs 754 million recorded for the same period last year.

Sun Resorts Limited, with a turnover of Rs 3.6 billion in 2012, does not show either form. For the first half ended June 30, 2013, it recorded a loss of Rs 92 million against a net profit of Rs 4 million for the same period in 2012. The losses are higher for the second quarter of this year, Rs 212 million against Rs 146 million in 2012.