The new year has also started off on a positive note. In January 2018, South African arrivals to the island totalled 7,196, an increase of 10.3% from the 2016 figure of 6,522. And, South Africa ranks as the fifth highest source market for the month, contributing 5.9% of market share.
In December, South Africa was the second best source market for arrivals to the island destination (behind France) with 20,838 arrivals (up 6.3% from 19,609 in 2016), and a 13.4% share in tourist arrivals for the month. Taking the entire year into consideration, South Africa represented an 8.4% share of overall tourist arrivals (that totalled 1,341,860), a slight increase from the 8.2% share for 2016, and was ranked the fifth best performing market (behind France, the UK, Reunion Island and Germany).
This upturn in the arrival figures to Mauritius bodes well for a similar pattern unfolding as we head into 2018. According to the latest figures released by the UN’s World Tourism Organisation in its World Tourism Barometer, international arrivals globally also grew by a remarkable 7% last year, with a total of 1.3 billion travellers. It expects this strong trend to continue this year, at an anticipated growth rate of 4-5%.
With international travel and tourism cited as a key economic driver for Mauritius to create jobs, grow the economy and prosper local communities, this is all good news.
A further endorsement for the Indian Ocean island as a favourite holiday destination came from the global company, Lonely Planet. It listed Mauritius among the Top 10 countries to visit in its recently-published Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2018. Mauritius presents an abundance of reasons to place it at the top of your bucket list of dream travel destinations.
It is also just a short, four-hour flight from South Africa, with flights departing from Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. No visa is required for South African travellers, which takes another travel hassle out of deciding where to book your next holiday. And, the wide selection of accommodation on offer, from five-star ultra-luxury hotels to all-inclusive hotel packages, beautiful villas and self-catering apartments, makes this island destination even more appealing to local travellers.
The destinations selected for the Lonely Planet publication must offer travellers an outstanding experience in the coming year, and this could be that something special is going on. That is certainly the case with Mauritius, as the island will be celebrating a momentous milestone in its history – the 50th Anniversary of Independence. Gearing up for this special celebration, a series of national events and activities are currently being organised to culminate in March 2018.
