Mauritius: A strategic and key growth market for TUI Group

Travel to foreign countries is getting increasingly popular among Europeans. At TUI Group, the world’s largest travel group, this segment has continually grown for many years. Year-round sunshine destinations are proving particularly attractive, prompting the company to invest in destinations in the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean over the next few years. “Apart from the Maldives and Sri Lanka, we above all see major potential in Mauritius. This destination is clearly one of out top growth markets of the future,” says Dr. Oliver Dörschuck, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of TUI Germany, Germany’s largest tour operator. With bookings up 50 per cent, Mauritius is one of its fastest-growing destinations this summer.

TUI UK, the Group’s UK organisation - with Thomson Airways Dreamliner B787 weekly flight from Gatwick since April 2014 and as from November of this year, a new weekly route from Manchester - is also recording double-digit growth as well as Benelux.

For TUI France, with Corsair International since 2006, Mauritius is the number two long-haul destination in terms of customer numbers. In the Netherlands, the island state is the top newcomer in the long-haul segment. Scandinavia too, reports high growth rates for Mauritius with TUI Nordic’s flight from Stockholm, Helsinki and Copenhagen since December 2015. Mauritius is also an important destination for Poland with flights since November last year.

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German customers can choose from TUI’s current portfolio of more than 100 hotels in the island. Sensimar is TUI Group’s international hotel concept designed exclusively for couples. The four-star Sensimar Lagoon hotel is located at Anse la Raie and features typical regional architecture. “In the past three years, the number of German customers has doubled,” Oliver Dörschuck reports. “I expect demand for Mauritius to continue to rise over the next few years. That is why we are planning to consistently expand our flight and hotel portfolios.”

Dörschuck is currently staying in Mauritius with around 100 German and Austrian journalists and travel bloggers. At the RIU Le Morne hotel, the company will launch its new Winter 2016/17 brochures and present its current travel trends from 18 to 22 June. The media representatives will also have the opportunity to discover the island during excursions. “Our stay in Mauritius is also a major PR campaign for this fantastic destination,” says Oliver Dörschuck.

TUI Germany will also present its luxury brand air tours via a road show that will last several days during which more than 200 German travel agents, bloggers and journalists will take part.