Africa-Press – Mauritius. The arrival of tourists has surpassed the expectations of Government and the tourism industry post COVID-19 with the arrival of 997,290 tourists as at 31 December 2022, stated the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Housing and Land Use Planning, Minister of Tourism, Mr Louis Steven Obeegadoo, yesterday, at a cocktail party where he received representatives of the travel and tourism industry at the Rooftop Restaurant in Ebène.
Deputy Prime Minister Obeegadoo recalled that Government has set a target of reaching one million tourists by December 2022 adding that 99,7% of the target has been achieved.
Tourism earnings have increased by almost 13%, the number of tourist arrival has shown significant growth and the length of stay in Mauritius has also increased, he highlighted.
Speaking on the rate of recovery of different markets for the months of October to December 2022, he indicated that the European markets accounts up to 40%.
The three main countries are Germany, France, and Great Britain with a recovery rate of 89%, 97%, and 109% respectively. As for the African countries, the recovery rate stands at 92% and for Reunion Island, it is at 95%.
India is also doing fairly well with 58%, he remarked. Mauritius, observed Mr Obeegadoo, has witnessed the worst economic recession during the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The year 2022, he underlined, has been a year of major challenges and relaunch of different sectors of the Mauritian economy.
“It was not easy to reach the target of one million tourists but it has been possible through measures implemented and concerted actions through public-private partnerships as well as all actors of the tourism industry,” he said.
Furthermore, he expressed gratitude to all stakeholders of the industry and the Mauritian population at large who contribute in reviving the tourism sector.
This vision of fraternity, solidarity and collaboration should serve as an example as well as a driving force to further boost the tourism industry for the year 2023, he highlighted.
The Deputy Prime Minister moreover observed that the industry has made a good start for the month of January 2023 compared to January 2019 according to figures of the Association des Hoteliers et Restaurateurs de L’Ile Maurice. He also dwelt on the importance of promoting sustainable and green tourism and making Mauritius more visible on the international front.
As regards projects to be implemented by his Ministry, he said that it is currently working on robust strategies for the financial year 2022-2023 adding that it is also planning to devise strategies for the year 2023-2024 to ensure that the tourism sector thrives more and remains robust and resilient in the face of future challenges.
For More News And Analysis About Mauritius Follow Africa-Press
