Tourism is obviously doing better in 2022 than 2021, but certainly will not reach the heights of the pre-pandemic period. According to a press release from the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA), Mauritius has welcomed over half a million tourists since the grand reopening in October 2021. The MTPA remains very optimistic about the destination and the second half of 2022, especially with the major relaxations on sanitary measures.
Hopeful statistics
The count of tourist arrivals in May 2022, according to Tourism Analytics, is 313,548 (that is, 40,28 in January, 52,724 in February, 66,066 in March, 84,268 in April and 70,462 in May). For the same period in 2021, the rate was 2,945, in 2020, the rate was 304,872 and in the pre-pandemic period of 2019, the rate was of course higher with 557,684 tourists. For 2022, according to Tourism Analytics, our 4 biggest markets remain France with 83,938 tourists, the United Kingdom with 47,401 tourists, South Africa with 33,601 and Germany with 31,636.
IMF: Not more than 60%
With this trend, as predicted by Finance Minister, Renganaden Padayachy in the 2022-2023 Budget, will the goal of reaching one million tourists be achieved? Observers remain skeptical, as well as the ministerial cabinet, which was presented with the 482,371 tourist arrivals from 01 October 2021 to 31 May this year, during the last session on 1 July. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in its Article IV Consultations in May, predicted that Mauritius’ threshold in tourist arrivals might not exceed 800,000, or about 60% of its 2019 rate of 1,383,488 tourists.
MTPA’s satisfaction and optimism
The MTPA has focused all its promotional campaigns on security. It relies heavily on the recent relaxation of masks except in specific areas and the elimination of arrival tests for both vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers, but also on the fact that more than 90% of the population is doubly vaccinated, as well as 2/3 of the population under 18 years old. “It is with great satisfaction that we have reached the milestone of over half a million visitors since 01 October 2021. I am confident that the recovery from the pandemic is well underway. The easing of sanitary measures will further boost bookings for the second half of 2022,” said Arvind Bundhun, Director of the MTPA, adding that “tourism demand continues to grow“. Mauritius is still closed to several countries, such as Australia and China, among other markets. Negotiations with previous and new airline partners are underway for more traffic and new destinations.
