Optimism is reborn. After more than a year, the country is preparing to reopen its borders. Long-awaited announcement by operators in the sector, this reopening will take place in two phases.
Initially, on July 15, Mauritius will welcome vaccinated tourists under certain conditions. Visitors will be required to stay within their hotel grounds for 14 days. After this period, they will need to undergo a PCR test before they can leave the hotel. This 14-day stay in an establishment in the country will be at the expense of the traveler. But, for now, the amount has not been specified.
Secondly, on October 1, there will be no more restrictions. It will still be necessary to be vaccinated to enter the territory.
As part of this gradual recovery, Mauritius aims to attract 650,000 tourists for the next 12 months.
Rs 420 million have been allocated to the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority to start promotional exercises on several destinations, such as France, Reunion Island, United Kingdom, Germany, ‘Italy, South Africa and China.
Several initiatives will be launched, including e-marketing exercises and online events. Tour operators and airlines will be called upon to take part. Cultural tourism has not been forgotten. Among other plans to attract tourists, “Fêtes l’Art dan Vilaz” will be organized and the gradual upgrading of leisure facilities in four large public beaches, namely Mon-Choisy, Flic-en-Flac, Belle-Mare and La Prairie is on the agenda.
For operators in the sector, state financial support will be extended. It is therefore planned that the Wage Assistance Scheme and the Self-Employed Assistance Scheme to tourism-related companies will be extended until September.
Jean-Michel Pitot, President of AHRIM: “We hope to see reservations falling by next week”
“We especially note that the dates of the various phases of the reopening of the borders have been announced. We have a lot of work starting now. We hope to see reservations fall by Monday or Tuesday next, knowing that our competitors were in the game before us. The wage assistance extended until September 30 is good news. “