Mauritius tourism bounces back

Since the reopening of Mauritius’ borders to fully vaccinated visitors on October 1, the Indian Ocean Island has welcomed over 80 000 holidaymakers to its shores.

Bookings through to year end are looking “extremely promising” according to a spokesperson for the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA), which is targeting growth of 25% in arrivals.

Mauritius Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Steven Obeegadoo, said: “In Mauritius, we continue to prioritise the health of our population, and our staggered reopening was part of this carefully planned policy.”

The MTPA added that the reopening was only made possible by the country’s exceptional vaccination programme. The Mauritian health authorities are continuing to implement a wide-ranging COVID-19 response, and are presently prioritising the rollout of booster doses for those who are already double-vaccinated,” said the MTPA in a statement.

The vaccination of 15 to 18-year-olds is also well underway. Close to 85% of the adult population in Mauritius is already double-vaccinated – one of the highest rates in the world.

This week Mauritius is hosting a familiarisation trip, with tour operators from France, UK, Germany, Austria, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, India, Reunion, South Africa, and Kenya to showcase the attractions, as well as the safety, of the destination.

The MTPA pointed out that the country has seen a recent increase in infection rates, which is unfortunately part of the new normal in most countries where restrictions are removed.

“In order to contain the spread, the government recently took the measure to temporarily close schools, and introduced some further sanitary measures, mainly to limit large gatherings. All this is done while further accelerating the booster vaccine programme and the vaccination drive across the youth population.

“The health authorities remain confident in their ability to manage the recent increase in infection rates and will continue to follow world-leading scientific advice in this regard,” said the MTPA spokesperson.

Source

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