Meet in Mauritiius

THERE has been a notable

increase in demand from

South African companies

for Mauritius as a MICE

destination over the past few

years.

“Mauritius is not only a

fantastic leisure and MICE

destination but it is also full

of investment opportunities,”

says Kathy Basson, sales

manager at Mauritius

Incentive Connection. She

adds that tax incentives have

not gone unnoticed by SA

corporates and programmes

including a quick or casual

conference element for tax

benefits have increased in

popularity.

The island offers 15%

corporation tax; exemption

from customs and excise

duties on imports of

equipment and raw materials;

exemption from tax on

dividends and capital gains;

as well as free repatriation of

profits, dividends and capital.

Also, its proximity to SA

is an important reason why

Mauritius has flourished as

a MICE destination. “Trends

over the last few years

have shown a high demand

for shorter stays, making

Mauritius an ideal option, as

it is only four hours away,”

Kathy says.

The availability of allinclusive

packages has

further added to the

destination’s appeal in

difficult economic times.

SA corporate clients have

become savvier when it

comes to Mauritius, says

Kathy. “They know exactly

what they want for their

conferences and incentives.”

Rolph Schmid, md of Indigo

Hotels, says South Africa has

always been an important

component of the corporate

market for Mauritius in

sectors such as finance,

IT, banking and various

spheres of more specialised

businesses. “In the past few

years, we have seen growth

and development in shopping

centres and malls, prompting

the development of SA retail

companies and franchises

mainly in the food and

beverage sector and textiles.

“Facilities have improved

over the years, whether it’s

conference space, hotels

or road infrastructure. The

South African market is not

using Mauritius to its full

potential when it comes to

conferences, despite being

well promoted by the national

airline and the government,”

says Rolph

For example, the Mauritian

exhibition sector has gone

unnoticed, Rolph says. “We

have seen development

in this sector from the

south-east Asian countries,

particularly in tertiary

education. Recently, we saw

various trade fairs taking

place as well.”

Rolph says these sectors

should be highlighted to SA

corporates, especially since

the island is strategically

located between Africa and

south-east Asia, with easy

connections to the Far East

and Europe.

Carla da Silva, Air

Mauritius regional manager

for Southern Africa and

Latin America, agrees that

Mauritius has the ideal

geographical location,

with easy access to India,

Australia and the East. This

has led most Mauritian hotels

to establish a powerful MICE

value proposition, appealing

to businesses all over the

world. She says the airline is

capitalising on the location

by offering free stopovers

for businesses wanting to

combine trips in Mauritius

and other destinations.

Obstacles

Mauritius’s biggest drawback

is cost, with high airfares

and hotel prices making it

expensive compared with

other destinations.

Mike Gray, ceo of Uniglobe

Travel Sub-Saharan Africa,

says although business and

conference travel from SA

to Mauritius has increased

over the last five years,

budget restraints remain

an obstacle. “The rand has

devalued against the rupee

by over 50% over this period,

which makes Mauritius

expensive.”

Carla agrees that

corporates cutting back on

travel and incentives is one

of the main obstacles for

MICE travel to Mauritius.

She adds, however, that

Mauritius offers different

value propositions for

different budgets, and the

Mauritian travel industry

is focusing on overcoming

budget constraints by finding

innovative ways of offering

more value for money.

One of the ways to

overcome budget constraints

is by carefully planning the

dates for a conference or

meeting, as the Mauritian

government is actively

trying to boost low-season

tourism. Kathy says the

island offers budget-friendly,

low-season deals from May

to September. “Four-night

packages during this time are

extremely competitive and

affordable. If the corporate

client were to incorporate a

weekend into this, it would

also limit time out of the

office to two nights.”

Mauritius Minister of

Tourism and Leisure, Michael

Sik Yuen, has designed

a strategic plan to boost

low-season tourist arrivals

in Mauritius. The Minister

recently mentioned that

special packages would

be offered to large travel

groups from South Africa,

comprising 100 or more

people, as part of the Rs25m

(R8,78m) special fund to

boost arrivals from regional

destinations during the low

season outlined in the 2014

Mauritius budget.

This fund will provide

financial incentives for shorthaul

regional flights. Hoteliers

and service providers

will be invited to join in

this promotion exercise

complemented by a discount

shopping package.