Africa, Eastern: Mauritius

Delicious Mauritius Awaits South African Taste Buds
Mauritius looking forward to achieve 25% growth in tourists from South Africa this year.

The rich, colourful and diverse historical influences have provided a wonderful platform to showcase a fusion of culinary experiences across the island of Mauritius. Following periods of Portuguese, Dutch, British and French colonial rule, Mauritius provides a unique fusion of European, African and Asian variants that appeal to drive this growth in tourists to the Island.

Mauritian cooking is in a class of its own, with a combination of flavours nurtured through the variety of cultural heritages and cooking traditions. The most notable, and perhaps unique to Mauritian restaurants is the proliferation of Creole cuisine. With primary influence from old French, Hindi, Urdu and Mandarin cultures, the Creole cuisine of Mauritius is not dissimilar to those of Louisiana, the Seychelles or other islands of the Indian Ocean or the West Indies. Rice and tomato are the most popular ingredients, with a cornucopia of fragrant spices adding a uniquely Mauritian touch.

For quick snacks, a number of street vendors offer Indian breads – parathas, purris, dhol purris normally stuffed with a bean and rice curry and a tomato and garlic sauce. Essential fayre for any visitor to Mauritius – with or without chilli according to taste.

For more serene dining experiences, the abundant sealife provides restaurants with excellent quality fresh lobster, and the many international branded hotels offer five star dining with local executive chefs creating recipes of their own, where traditional and local ingredients are used boldly to provide a perfect blend that is uniquely Mauritian.

Claudia Bleyenheuft, Account Manager of the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority in South Africa, “We are certainly blessed with a wonderful multi-cultural destination that caters for every taste, and through these niches and more established travel motivators, we seek to create an awareness of the full range of unique attributes and opportunities to explore the full Island on their stays.”

The Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) has placed much emphasis on several other communication and promotional themes to diversify the perceptions held in South Africa.

"Our message for the South African market is to consider the full diversity offered from a visit to Mauritius. We are focussing efforts to think ‘beyond the beach’, and encourage greater participation with local smaller tourism enterprises within Mauritius” she added.

Miss Bleyenheuft adds, “Mauritius remains a value for money destination for South Africans, and with increased and improved air access, our responsibility is to ensure that travellers are made aware of the full extent of accommodation options, particularly when availability in peak seasons for the established resorts is high.”

Statistics received so far for South African travelers into Mauritius indicate a growth of over 18 per cent, and with the high season of October-December to still be reflected, the Mauritian industry is in for a bumper time.

December sees the annual Festival Kreol, a celebration of the rich Mauritian cultural heritage, which should add an exciting element to any visit at that period. Poetry, music and traditional Sega dancing will be on show at various locations across the Island.

MTPA in South Africa has taken strides to combining all aspects of the unique experiences on offer in Mauritius through a variety of joint co-operative marketing agreements with leading tour operators, placing emphasis on extending the product awareness and availability.

For further information and enquiries, please visit www.tourism-mauritius.mu

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