New tourism strategy: Rejuvenate the industry to respond to the highest expectations
The Mauritian tourism industry revives with a new spirit. The Hon. Charles Gaëtan Xavier- Luc Duval, G.C.S.K., F.C.A, Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Tourism & External Communications, has revealed his vision for the Mauritian tourism sector with his strategic paper published on Tuesday March 17, 2015.
With the aim to rejuvenate the industry and reposition Mauritius as the leading island destination, the Ministry of Tourism & External Communications will adopt a customer-centric approach to respond to the highest expectations of a wide range of segments and markets; thus, seeking that tourists experience, as far as possible, a perfect holiday in the island.
The Ministry of Tourism and External Communications is proposing a plan of action which is pivoted around enhancing the product, accentuating accessibility, revitalising our marketing strategy and restructuring our institutions.
Enhancing the Product
A renewed sense of place will be instilled in the tourism sector through a symphony of the Mauritian wildlife, its vibrant heritage and unique local assets. A new focus on cultural tourism will lead tourists to experience the pulsating culture of Mauritius through its rich heritage.
The attractiveness of major iconic places on the Island will be uplifted with clean beaches, pristine lagoons and tourist sites to be among the top priorities. The Mauritian tourism industry will step up the game to further offer breathtaking experiences (through numerous activities) alongside the inescapable beaches.
Mauritius is definitely going towards responsible tourism and keeps in line with the green expectations of the millennial tourists. This encompasses to conserve the environment, sustain the well-being of the local people as well as involve interpretation and education at the same time.
Human capital remains the greatest asset of the Mauritian tourism industry with the quality of the welcome and service being an essential part of the product offering. Providing an enabling environment is a must for skills development and to propel the industry forward; thus ensuring that the world famous Mauritius smile is to last for generations to come.
Measures are to be taken for creating a homely feeling for the people from emerging markets, such as China and India, visiting the island.
The MICE segment will be actively promoted by the setting up of a dedicated desk at the MTPA. The MTPA will thus organise special promotional activities and programmes to boost this important sector.
With the quality and diversity of medical treatments available locally, combined with the attractiveness of the island, Mauritius will be evolving into a tropical hub for medical tourism to cater for the growing demand from travellers for health care holidays.
A seasonal strategy will be deployed to boost the tourism industry during the low season. A special focus will be made on improving the attractiveness of the destination during those months in appropriate markets.
Additional tourist sites will be created giving, at the same time, a boost to the cultural tourism and the duty-free shopping aspect of Mauritius and thus rejuvenating the product offering.
A hotel classification system will be introduced to ensure that tourists make informed decisions. This will also encourage hoteliers to upgrade their product and invest in quality.
A 2 year moratorium is put on opening of new hotels to restore a sustainable balance between supply and demand. Existing hotels would be encouraged to refurbish their premises and improve quality generally.
Accentuating Accessibility
Accentuating the Ministry’s endeavour to pursue new routes and accessibility strategies within existing and new markets, new flights have been programmed during the high season.
There will be twice weekly flights by Lufthansa from Frankfurt. An additional weekly service will be conducted by Condor also from Frankfurt and twice weekly flights by Austrian Airlines from Vienna will be in operation. A direct weekly service, with a possibility of a second one, will be done by Air Mauritius from Chengdu in China and a new weekly flight will be introduced by TUI from Poland.
Revitalising the Marketing Strategy
The Ministry of Tourism & External Communications will aim to have a more harmonious approach in the way Mauritius is portrayed on the different targeted markets. There will be a greater use of technology for e-marketing/digital marketing as it will be more efficient, productive and user-friendly.
An Asian and African strategy will be further developed for a more pronounced exploitation of the potential of these source markets. Revitalising the strategy will ensure that Mauritius remains an inspirational destination in all the segments that Mauritius operate.
Establishing a Complaint’s Service
In order to give tourists an interactive platform through which they can voice out their tourism experiences of Mauritius, a platform, set up through the MTPA, would allow the Mauritian tourism industry to quickly address the industry failures from the customer perspective.
Restructuring for Revival
The Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) and the Tourism Authority (TA) will be restructured and staffed to perform efficiently and meet the objectives set for the tourism industry.