According to @Travel_daily , there are 8.3 million potential long haul Australian travellers.
8.3 million long haul travellers – can you believe it ? The population is just under 23 million according to census data collected in 2011.
There are 8.3 million potential Australian long-haul travellers – an increase of 22% since 2007 according to a new CTC report
— Travel Daily (@travel_daily) January 4, 2012
In the last year the number of Australian tourists to visit the island of Mauritius has reached just over 12,000. That is right, 12,000 !
France sends up to to 400,000 tourists a year to Mauritius.
Thousands of Australians annually visit Bali ( 2012 – 700,000 plus ) Fiji ( 2012 – 180,000 plus ) New Zealand ( 2012 – Over 1 million ) Hawaii ( 2012 -50,00 plus ), Tahiti, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, mainland USA and Europe.
Massive tourism numbers by anyone’s reckoning, yet only 12,000 to the tiny little island of Mauritius.
Mauritius has been a Australian tourist destination for a long time – Air Mauritius have flown to Australia for since the 1990′s. The island is recognised world wide as being a refined high end tourist destination – which it is. Mauritius’ location is no more remote that Hawaii – and is almost the same distance from the east coast. From Perth, it is even closer !
Is it a pre conceived idea that it is an expensive exclusive destination ? Maybe.
Is it the idea that the island is full of resorts only for honeymooners and couples ? This is a maybe also.
Do Australians think about Mauritius when they think about an overseas island holiday ? Probably not !
There are a hundred different resorts all with different price ranges and options to suit everyone – from 3 star properties all the way up to six star deluxe. A holiday to Mauritius is no more expensive than a holiday to Hawaii.
French families with young children, infants and teenagers alike holiday on the island year round. As do honeymooners and couples. Each resorts is different, some more suited to honeymooners and some more suited to families ! So the island isn’t just for honeymooners and celebrities !
Amongst all the other island and resort options like Bali, Fiji, Hawaii, Thailand and Tahiti, let alone the Whitsundays and Gold Coast, Mauritius struggles to get a look in ! Promotion of the island with large budget would be needed to make any impact on the psyche of the Australian traveller.
Remember 100% Pure New Zealand ?
#Dubai Tourism to boost marketing funds 5-fold in Aus to push the emirate as a stand-alone destination – details revealed in @travel_daily
— Travel Daily (@travel_daily) February 17, 2012
We know Mauritius has one of the best island resort tourism offerings in the world – and we know that Australians are on of the most mature travelling markets in the world.
There has however been an an increase in traffic to the islands from Australian tourists. @Travel_daily reported an increase in passenger numbers for Air Mauritius
Air Mauritius saw a 37% increase in Australian passengers in 2011, with numbers up more than 4,000 people year on year.
— Travel Daily (@travel_daily) February 2, 2012
If you love Mauritius, have been to Mauritius or are from Mauritius we implore you to tell other Australians what they are missing out on !!!
To tell them how welcoming Mauritians are – and to show them the amazing holiday experience they can have on our island !
Don’t be shy tell us how much you love Mauritius below in the comments section ! If you like this post use our Twitter and Facebook buttons to share this post with your friends !
Check out this great amateur video from Benoit Aubin showing the stunning beaches and lagoons all over the island | Divine Ile Maurice
