Air Mauritius recently organised a meeting with several travel agencies to present Singapore as a destination for Mauritians. This approach will in return bring visibility for Mauritius and Singapore.
The meeting in Mauritius was organised in collaboration with Changi Airport Singapore and it was the occasion for Raj Deenanath, the VP Sales Support and Distribution for Air Mauritius, to review all the direct flights proposed by the airline company on Singapore since March 2016. It is confirmed that there has been a constant progress in the occupancy rate of Air Mauritius with 10 points difference between financial years 2015/2016 and 2016/2017, reaching 80.7%. The first quarter of the current financial year is very positive. Air Mauritius transported 17,000 passengers on this route representing an increase of 10% compared to the same period in 2016.
The various assets of the Singaporian hub have also been presented. Air Mauritius offers connections to 15 destinations from this hub: Shanghai, Hong Kong, Perth, Sydney, Jakarta, Denpasar, Medan, Palembang, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Bangkok, Samui, Manilla, Phnom Penh, Ho Chi Minh. The code share agreement with Singapore Airlines also offers other options.
With the increasing demand on the Mauritius-Singapore route, Air Mauritius decided to increase its flights as from December this year passing to four weekly flights, and according to Raj Deenanath, there could even be a fifth flight operated in 2018.
Changi Airport Singapore was represented by Sarah Ong Mei Shan, Manager Airport Development, and Neo Wei Shan, Manager Passenger Development. Sarah Ong Mei Shan who made a presentation on Singapore, talked about the touristic best sellers - the zoo, river safari, Sentosa Shopping, stunning hotels, leisure parks, cruising offers, and F1 races that could interest Mauritians. She also mentioned the various new and ongoing projects, namely the opening of the fourth terminal at Changi Airport before the end of this year and the opening of the Jewel Changi Airport in 2019 and that will offer a unique experience with an unexpected architecture.
The travel agents have been able to meet two Singaporean DMCs who came to Mauritius for the occasion, The Traveller and Luxury Tours.