MAURITIUS CAPTURES 7 WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS AT SINGAPORE CEREMONY
Inspite of Mauritius’s Tourism Promotion Authority’s less than impressive run over the past year have the island’s private sector stakeholders risen to the occasion in staying on top of their class in the Indian Ocean area, and subsequently scooped 7 top honours for the island.\
The Hilton Mauritius was awarded the World Travel Award for ‘Indian Ocean Leading Spa’, the Maradiva was recognized as ‘Mauritius’Leading Resort’, the Le Meridien Ile Maurice handed the honours as ‘Mauritius’ Leading Hotel’ while Le Paradise Hotel & Golf Club took the honours as ‘Mauritius’ Leading Golf Resort. Alongside did the port of Port Louis capture the title as ‘Indian Ocean’s Best Cruise Port’ while the 2012 title as the ‘Indian Ocean’s Leading Resort’ went to the One&Only Le Saint Geran. Finally did Air Mauritius claim the title as ‘The Indian Ocean’s Leading Airline’
Congratulation to all the winners who deserve to stand in the spotlight and enjoy the fruits of hard work by their staff and management. Well done indeed.
On the downside it has to be mentioned again that the Africa award ceremony should have taken place in Nairobi / Kenya, which had been selected by the organizers of the World Travel Awards. The event got booted off when Kenya’s tourism ministry suddenly declared they had no money to pay up their share of the expenses to host this prestigious event, much to the disappointment of Kenya’s tourism industry, which will now have to collect their awards in London at WTM. According to a source spoken with yesterday this is: ‘a huge embarrassment for Kenya that our ministry should fail so publicly. They had committed and failed us. It shows that our minister has lost it and he should really go home. They are spending all that money which was meant for promotion and marketing and such high profile events on setting up half a dozen parastatals instead of one solid and strong tourism authority. It is a black spot on our clean record that we should invite and then tell our guest last minute, when almost in a taxi to our home, to turn around and go back’. Can’t say one can disagree much with this sentiment as after all that was an untimely hammer blow if not insult to the tourism private sector. Watch this space.
