Meropa and Mauritius – a winning partnership

If you have this inexplicable urge to ‘Rather be in Mauritius’, there are two women you should blame – Janet and Philippa.

At the recent 50th anniversary gala dinner hosted by the Mauritius High Commission, two members of the consumer division at Meropa Communications were presented with “an award of excellence for outstanding partnership”.Award winners Janet de Kretser and Philippa Piguet have been working on marketing Mauritius to South African travellers for over two years. The event itself was held to commemorate the 50th year of independence for the African island nation. The recipients see the award as recognition for the excellent partnership that they have established with the High Commission and various stakeholders.

Piguet said: “It is really a collaboration between the High Commission, travel trade organisations and ourselves as the South African representative of the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA), to ensure that consumers have a better knowledge of the immersive experience that Mauritius offers as a luxury island destination.”

The collaboration is working – at the end of 2017, annual figures for South African tourists to Mauritius had increased by 7%, and this positive trend has continued into 2018. Between January and March this year, South African arrivals stood at 23,654, up 26.3% from 18,732 for the first three months of 2017.

John Boyd, head of Meropa’s consumer division, was pleased by “this wonderful acknowledgement”, explaining that the recognition was “meaningful in that it endorsed a tangible difference to their business – unlike many industry awards”.

When asked what they could identify as the key element that contributed to the recognition of their efforts, the MTPA team was unanimous: “always being available”.

“We are always available for our partners, whether this is attending their events or supporting their promotional efforts: we strive to maintain meaningful relationships.

“We also take our product knowledge seriously – they see us as an extension of themselves. Also, our willingness to collaborate makes their lives so much easier,” said Boyd.

The successful digital campaign, “Rather Be in Mauritius”, is a creative campaign designed to create awareness of the destination and direct consumers to the campaign website where all the latest Mauritius deals and packages from the travel trade are listed. The result is a one-stop site that enables consumers to compare all the various travel and accommodation options available to them and find out more about the island and the many exciting tourism offerings.

If you’d rather be in Mauritius, visit www.ratherbeinmauritius.co.za.