Miss World at the Mauritian stand with Robert Desvaux, Chairman of the MTPA and Karl Mootoosamy, Director of the MTPA

The 2011 edition of World Travel Market, the premier global event for the travel industry has opened in London and will last until 10 November 2011.

The fair brings together the tourism industry partners for knowledge sharing and bilateral trading forum among tourism promotion agencies, operators, hotels, travel agencies, consultancies and experts in international tourism management and development.

The U.K Market

The positioning of the destination in UK is mainly on:
- Mauritius, a family-friendly island
- Mauritius, a paradise for diving and golf lovers
- Mauritius, a romantic destination (The theme of romance was the major attraction of the stand for this year. A champagne and bridal event was set up at the stand to attract and highlight this market)
- Mauritius, a cultural encounter in the Indian Ocean
- And above all a children-friendly destination.

Bigger efforts are also being made position ourselves in the ethnic weddings and MICE segment with our wide range of added valued offer.

In line with this positioning, a series of activities were conducted this year to make Mauritius prominent in the luxury media, and well-positioned as the playground for the rich and famous and through celebrity, fashion and co-branding namely Cartier polo, London fashion week etc. the plan focused on the travel trade and consumers with significant emphasis on co-branding, joint projects and online activities.

Emphasis on quality is and will be our strength in order to remain competitive and be the ultimate destination of choice. Our differentiating factor will not only rely in our wide range of products but in the quality we offer.

The publication of our code of ethics for tourism will reinstate the label of quality of the destination and act as a guarantee for a memorable stay for the traveler.

The focus

This is a time where MTPA has to join its efforts with the private sector and bring back Mauritius to the mind of the traveler. The sense of loyalty and dedication to the destination among the travel trade is primordial during such competitive times.
Although we will continue to promote the attractiveness of Mauritius including; Luxury, Beach, Sports, Spa and Activity, this year there will be a major highlight on the theme of romance in order to create the required buzz and attract interest in the destination.

Meetings

A separate breakfast meeting that involves the three Small and Medium hotels associations (AHRIM, SMHA and ATO) is also being held to introduce this segment to Tour Operators interested in selling small and medium facilities.

Moreover, a vanilla islands working session in collaboration with the Tourism Offices of the region namely Reunion, Seychelles and Madagascar, is also scheduled through a breakfast meeting.

Important meetings are scheduled during the three days with Tour operators and airlines namely, British Airways holidays, Virgin holidays, Kuoni, Thomas Cook, TUI/Hayes & Jarvis among others.

Way forward/2012

For 2012, the MTPA plan will have equal focus on the consumers and the travel trade. The MTPA will concentrate on innovative projects with joint private sector participations to maximise on returns and firm bookings.

Follow up through our meetings at World Travel Market from 07 -10 November to materialize some joint MTPA and private sector projects for 2012.

The stand

MTPA has once again reserved a booth of 228 m2 and partners will be able to share the space and schedule meetings with their clients.

For this year’s edition, 31 private sector participants will be co-exhibiting in the MTPA stand namely: AHRIM, Rodrigues, Association des Hotels de Charme, ATO, Anahita, Blue lagoon, Silver beach, Solis, Casuarina, Pearle Beach , Concorde Travel Tours, Mautourco, Summertimes, Mauritours, Maritim, Sofitel, Hilton, Intercontinental, One and only, Preskil beach Resort, Attitude Resorts, The Residence, Veranda, Maradiva, Starwood, Naiade Resorts, Beachcomber Hotels, Air Mauritius, Sun Resorts, White Palm Trading and Shanti Maurice.