Move now if you plan to buy an apartment in Mauritius for tourist rentals. True, the country’s tourism sector is headed for a significant drop from its nearly 1.5 million visitor arrivals in 2019. But don’t let this adverse impact of the Covid-19 pandemic scare you. The staycations that domestic tourism fosters can partly absorb the loss from foreign tourist arrivals.
Since 2015, the expenditure in Mauritian domestic tourism has been growing towards a 5 percent annual rate to hit estimated spending of $360 million in 2019. A continuing uptick remains possible despite the pandemic-induced economic constraints. International travel restrictions are likely to persist in the short term, making local staycations quite attractive. This is especially so for the country’s sizable ex-pat community who’d likely miss outbound travel the most.
Domestic tourism plays a vital role in the Mauritian travel industry regaining its vigour.
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Spearhead of recovery
Significantly, the country’s Ministry of Tourism is counting on domestic tourists to jumpstart its recovery plan for the Mauritian travel industry. According to Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, the recovery of the tourism sector is expected to commence only towards the end of 2020, judging from the expected trajectory of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Recovery measures for regional tourism and international tourism will follow next year, on the heels of the domestic tourism spearhead. The steps to be taken shall be based on the demand-and-supply scenario of each sub-sector of the travel industry. Strategic interventions are being identified for a revival of tourism’s domestic supply side, along with the alignment of the recovery plan with international frameworks.
Physical distancing which is part of the new norms should notably be a plus point for those planning to buy an apartment in Mauritius for tourist rentals. Apartments with their less dense capacity should be a favoured choice over larger hotels where strict virus-screening measures like temperature checks at entrances have been set.
Robust healing platforms
Overall, Mauritius is well-positioned to regain the strength of its tourism industry, whether in its domestic, regional, or international market. The island nation, for one, counts as amongst the first few countries to have effectively stemmed the spread of Covid-19. Resumption of economic activity is also set in calibrated phases starting the 1st of June to prevent the occurrence of a new outbreak.
The absence of tourist traffic in recent months, on a closer look, may have brought a blessing too for those planning to buy an apartment in Mauritius for tourist rental. The travel destinations in Mauritius got some breathing spell, allowing them to rejuvenate in their natural splendour. This presents an opportunity for the government’s tourism recovery plans not only to promote staycations. It also opens the further promotion of sustainable tourism amongst locals, thus forming a more robust platform for the return of regional and international visitors in Mauritius.
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