Turquiose blue shallow crystal clear waters to wade around, dreamy lagoons, white sandy beaches encircled by coral reefs...we all know Mauritius is well known for these. And there is more like walking with the lions, feeding the crocodiles, jeep safaris, dolphin and whale watching and so on.
For the sports minded there are golf courses to tee around and for the more adventurous kinds there is sky diving, sea-karting, submarine rides, chopper tours, et al. If you just want to relax and wind up there are long drives to be made, world class spas, night life, shopping and multi-cultural cuisine.
Is it any wonder there has been sizeable Indian tourist arrivals last year - about 83,000! This year, the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) expects the number to touch one lakh mark or an increase of 20%, according to Vivek Anand, country manager, MPTA, India.
The MPTA delegation with 23 member delegation from hoteliers and others was in Hyderabad on Friday as part of the five-city roadshow across the country to showcase what’s on offer to the travel partners here. Calling Mauritius an “affordable luxury destination”, Chandrani Chakraborty, public relations and marketing manager, says there are more enquiries for destination Indian weddings and film shoots.
They point out that the country has all the facilities required for organising successful meetings, conferences and events. Indians are eligible for free visa for a maximum stay of 60 days if they have a confirmed booking for accommodation, return ticket and funds to cover their stay. Each Mauritian rupee is equal to two Indian rupees.
Most people there are fluent in Creole and French but the official language is English. Best time to visit the country is between April and June, September and December.
