Should we remain optimistic with the plans in place for tourism for 2022 or redefine it? For the first quarter, the country welcomed only 158,818 tourists, 40,028 in January, 52,724 in February, and 66,066 in March. With the off-peak period from April to July, nothing optimistic can be predicted at this stage.
1 million tourists, an Utopia?
3 billion since Covid 19, Steven Obeebadoo, VPM and Minister of Tourism, announced that the objective of the recovery is one million tourists by the end of 2022. He had then launched the “Relaunching Tourism As One Mauritius” which is based on three axes: firstly, the concentration on the markets already interested since 2019 and maximize on the offers of long stays, secondly the improvement of tourist facilities for a better income per capita and thirdly the improvement of the experience of travel to Mauritius and better connectivity on the new markets… Optimism still reigned until Monday, April 11 with the quarterly statistics on tourist arrivals. The figure of 1 million tourists seems far from being achievable, though
TBI: Not achievable
Sen Ramsamy, Director General of Tourism Business Intelligence, does not go out of his way to say a big “no” to Le Matinal’s questions about what now seems utopian. “According to trends in the first quarter, the objective of one million tourists in 2022 will not be reached. Otherwise, we will still have about 850,000 tourists to find for the rest of the year. The government must give itself the means of its ambitions in terms of tourist offers, air access, marketing, and communications and especially in terms of the skills required to get tourism out of this situation. He points out that in terms of arrival rates. Mauritius does in three months what the Maldives does in one month.
ATP: Making the Round Table real
Daniel Saramandiff, President of the Association of Tourism Professionals (ATP), agrees. “When the launch of One Mauritius was announced, this figure left us skeptical. Optimism must prevail, but the objective must be revised downwards, especially with this slack period which has already started and which will last until July. According to our analyses, we can reach a little more than half, let’s say 600,000 at least, if we, the professionals accomplished in Tourism, start now. We are not going to be unkind, the Ministry of Tourism and the MTPA are doing what they think is in the interest of Tourism, but they are missing a lot of opportunities. The Tourism Board must make the Round Table with the tourism professionals real and consider proposals for these tourism strategies that will put the whole country forward instead of just a few hotels! It must be considered that the tourist comes to Mauritius because it is an island that abounds in natural and cultural riches and not for its luxury hotels or its beaches only.
Marketing and communication should be reviewed, especially when presenting Mauritius at these major exhibitions. SMEs in Tourism want to position Tourism as the second pillar of the economy. We are close to doing a new Master Plan to redefine Mauritian Tourism from the aspects that really define Mauritian Tourism. We can start with the ‘Mauritian tourists’ and how to depend on them to fill the hotels, secondly, the routes that serve Mauritius, the offers to the tourists and the new type of ‘tourism’ to be offered to the world, thirdly the redefinition of the sanitary restrictions to international standards and practices so that, no pun intended, the tourist does not feel suffocated in Mauritius And not to forget, the problems around hospitality in our establishments which is no longer assured by our young Mauritians who at the end of their studies in Tourism and Hospitality Management fly to other countries because they feel that they are paid what they are due, there and not here!”
