1. Formation pour le Tourisme Pro Invest Scheme Tourism Marketing in Mauritius Daniel Saramandif Consultant February 2006 MEF

2. TOURISM IN MAURITIUS Brief Historical Background Early 1950’s - Birth of Tourism 1970 - Became a viable economic option (after Independence) 1985 - Grew into a powerful engine of growth for the economy 1990’s - A major economic force in Mauritius. Since 2000 - Tourism on a fast development track for more wealth and job creation. 2005 - Major Strategic Decisions

3. TOURISM IN FIGURES

4. Tourist Arrivals, Earnings & Contribution of Tourism to GDP Source: cso * Revised estimates ** forecast from BoM

5. 2. Growth in Tourist Arrivals, Room Capacity, Seat Capacity • Source: cso • Estimate

6. 3. Employment in Tourism (Hotels + Restaurants + Travel) *forecast Source: CSO

7. 4. Direct Investment in Tourism Rs 11.9 Billion since 2001, including renovation costs of 17 establishments and cost of 8 new establishments, as per Tables below. Another 16 Billion is in the pipeline for 15 additional establishments until 2008. Total Investment amounts to Rs 35.9 Billion. Source: BOI

8. 5. Tourist arrivals – Major Markets

9. Main Groups of Hotels

10. THE MAIN GROUPS OF HOTELS OPERATING IN MAURITIUS

11. Package or inclusive tour A package tour is defined as one in which airfare, accommodation and other items such as meals, sightseeing, car hire are included in the tour price paid before departure from the home country. The package may include other countries besides Mauritius. Nearly 75% of tourists come on a Package!

12. 98% of tourists travel by air

14. SUMMARY 2005 Number of Hotels : 103 Number of Rooms : 10,640 Average Occupancy Rates : 61.0% Number of Visitors - 2005 : 761,063 (5.9 %) (2006 Forecast) : 837,170 (10%) Average Length of Stay : 10.35 nights Total Receipts : Rs 25,600 millions Employment Opportunities : ± 72,100 (Direct and indirect) Capital investment : over Rs 15 Bn (2000-05) % Contribution to GDP : 7.8 % (approx)

15. Marketing • The hotel industry spend between 5-8% of their turnover for direct marketing and this is currently in excess of Rs1Bn pa, ie Euro 41/ tourist. • The MTPA spend of Euro7/ tourist is insufficient for an effective positioning of Mauritius as an up market destination.

16. How does the Private Sector Market its Products???

17. Participation in Fairs Hotels Participate in the following fairs:

20. Structured sales with large TO’s such as Nouvelles Frontieres, Thomas Cook, etc.. Major Groups all have Offices within the main markets

21. One to one presentations with the main TO’s Eductours organised for TO’s Targeted approach in specialized media

22. Aggressive marketing via the mail channel and above the line marketing ‘Fidelisation’ in view of repeated guests Preferential Packages for guests coming through TO’s

23. Promotion in off peak seasons where Room rates go as low as 35% of normal tariff Branding of the Hotels such as One&Only, Beachcomber, Naiade, etc..

24. Celebrity Marketing Usually associated with luxury Sponsorship of major international event Affiliation to major Associations such as Leading Hotels of the World

25. Events Management Accrued PR Management at hotel Management Cocktails every week in Hotels

26. An obsession for guest satisfaction Nothing but Excellence in the level of service Etc…

27. AHRIM POSITION ON DESTINATION MARKETING

28. Destination Marketing • Current Weaknesses • Low image in key markets – perceived as a price driven destination instead of quality driven destination. • Inadequate funding for the destination marketing • MTPA’s offices have limited resources and weak structures • Low destination brand awareness • Wide disequilibrium between Hotel groups’ visibility & Destination’s visibility.

31. To reduce the dichotomy between the hotel environment and the destination environment Mauritius needs to make a special effort to align the overall environment of the destination with that of hotels.

32. Thanking you