New Mauritius immigration policy exempts French nationals

The government of Indian Ocean nation Mauritius has modified its immigration policy to attract more French tourists, especially the ones that had booked to French Caribbean colonies Guadeloupe and Martinique and that want to change destination because of the strikes that have been paralyzing these French islands.

French nationals now only require an identity card and a hotel voucher, and the clients need to register prior to departure on the Mauritius Promotional Tourism Authority (MPTA)’s website.

The goal is to will make Mauritius a key destination for the French tourists looking for a tropical island destination.

However, it is already being reported that tour operators from other European countries are astonished by the move, stating that Mauritius is adopting a two-tier system with the French being favored partners.

French tour operators re-directing tourists from Guadeloupe have said that over 40 percent of those booked have accepted to change and travel to Mauritius and even to the Seychelles, where they have been able to negotiate the same rates as a Guadeloupe holiday for these stranded holidaymakers.

It is believed that the situation in Martinique is calm and that Guadeloupe is settling down as well. The recent cases in these two destinations prove once again that unrest in always takes a toll on visitor arrival numbers.