Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority(MTPA) recently hosted a Familiarization (FAM) trip for 8 Indian tour operators from 12th July to 16th July 2013. This was in the continuity of the MTPA 3 city Roadshow and the over whelming response that MTPA got from these cities of Chandigarh, Bangalore and Ahmedabad. The tour operators were chosen from, Mumbai and North India.

The aim of the trip was to establish a connection with travel agents and to have a better understanding of the destination Mauritius as a potential market. It was a great opportunity for Travel Trade to experience and enrich the knowledge of the beautiful island, friendly people and come back as a specialist of the destination.

The well-planned itinerary was aimed at introducing travel professionals to the Luxury Travel destination and to showcase their best excursions, guides and other offerings. The trip was designed to showcase what Mauritius has to offer as a world-class magnificent destination; the five-day trip was fully hosted by MTPA and air tickets were sponsored by Air Mauritius. The group also indulged in different kind of activities such as interaction with lions, jeep safari, parasailing, submarine which gave them first-hand experience of the products and offerings. The group also had an opportunity to experience leisure time at the serene beaches of Mauritius and end the day with a beautiful sunset. With in these five days, the group was also able to visit some of the very renowned and new hotels in Mauritius.

Mr. Vijaye Haulder, Deputy Director, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority said, “It was a pleasure to host Travel Trade in Mauritius. FAM trip helped the tour operators to get a taste of the product, and understand the destination better by experiencing the luxury. The visit provided a great opportunity for travel agents to experience the cosmopolitan culture, tropical climate and the crystal blue seas. We hope that this will help them to design more customized packages for Mauritius and promote the destination with more innovative products.”

The familiarization trip helped the trade to identify with the destination better. And with this they are more confident to sell it better to the Indian customers. Mauritius as a luxury holiday destination has a lot for Indians to indulge.

Source : Sachin Murdeshwar