Variety adds the spice
June 2008
The deputy Prime Minister of Mauritius, Xavier Luc Duval, led the largest delegation ever to visit Australia last month, to spread the word that there is more to his island home than beautiful beaches and stunning resorts.
Despite its compact size, Mauritius has enormous environmental variety, and with its diverse range of microclimates, every corner of the island offers a different experience. From azure ocean against white sand beach scenes that take your breath away, to lush rainforests and mysterious coloured earth reflecting eerie pre-historic hues – this is not your run of the mill tropical destination.
The island’s key tourism stakeholders, including its national airline, Air Mauritius, will join forces to promote Mauritius as a sophisticated and diverse destination – encouraging visitors to venture beyond the boundaries of their world-class resorts to experience all Mauritius has to offer.
And it seems Australians are catching on quick, with Air Mauritius reporting arrivals from Australia are up 60 per cent in the last four years, leading the airline to treble its direct services from Australia in the past 12 months.
“Many Australians are only just beginning to scratch the surface of all Mauritius has to offer and are pleasantly surprised to discover world-class sports, great shopping, a wealth of quality wellness and health spas and fabulous adventure tourism products alongside the string of outstanding resorts,” said the minister.
“With French, Indian, Creole and Malay influences, our cuisine is as richly diverse as our culture.
“This visit is an acknowledgement of the growth in Australian travel to Mauritius and the closeness of the two countries – just eight hours across the Indian Ocean,” he said.
Liz Sinclair