Mauritius’ international borders reopened in full on 1st October 2021. In the 50 days following, we welcomed over 100,000 tourists, which gave our tourism industry the kickstart it needed. We continue to see very strong demand, from all our markets. As we enter the peak holiday period, which is now to the end of January, we are expecting figures to grow positively.
Mauritius took a more cautious approach to reopening , in line with its public health-first approach to managing the pandemic. We took the decision early to wait until 60 per cent of the adult population were fully vaccinated before reopening, recognising that a high vaccination rate is the most effective way to ensure the safety and security of our citizens, residents and visitors. 60 per cent was achieved in early September, and as it stands, the vaccination rate is at 89 per cent for the 18 and above.
As well as a high vaccination rate, we have developed a range of highly effective public health protocols which have been continually refined over the course of a year. Working with industry partners and the health authorities, we have ensured that these are implemented throughout the tourism value chain. Our sanitary protocols have been endorsed by the WTTC. As it stands, less than 0.1 per cent of tourist arrivals have been tested positive for Covid-19. Those who have been tested positive have been swiftly isolated, and none has required hospitalization.
These conditions mean that Mauritius can offer its visitors the highest guarantee of safety and security.
Regular updates on our vaccine roll out, sanitary protocols and Covid-19 infection rates are regularly updated and publicly available.
The entire tourism sector in Mauritius is grateful for the continued support from diplomatic missions in the country as we continue to welcome visitors back to our country.
Key information
- Vaccination
- Vaccination started in late January 2021. At this point in time, more than 900,000 people - which is 72% of the total population and 89% of the adult population - are fully vaccinated.
- Booster campaign
- The national vaccination booster campaign continues with the recent arrival of further Pfizer and Jansen vaccines. Over 55,000 people have now received booster vaccines with the campaign continuing throughout November and December 2021 into 2022.
- Vaccinated tourism sector
- Mauritius was among the first to prioritise tourism workers for vaccination , meaning are tourism workers were prioritized for vaccination. As a result, visitors will be serviced exclusively by fully vaccinated staff, from airlines to airport workers, hotel staff to those working for destination management companies. Laws were enacted to ensure that only vaccinated persons can enter the airport, port, hotels and restaurants.
- Sanitary Protocols
- Sanitary protocols for the tourism value chain were developed, implemented and refined to ensure both the protection of our guests and frontline staff. Frontline tourism workers, along with taxi drivers based at the airport and hotels, were trained in protocols that were made bespoke for their occupations. Our sanitary protocols have been endorsed by the WTTC and we have been awarded Safe Travel recognition.
