(Bloomberg) -- Hotel bookings in Mauritius have recovered after the Olympics and European elections delayed holiday travel decisions, according to the head of Sun Ltd., an operator of luxury hotels in the Indian Ocean island nation.
Sun’s reservations for the final quarter are 15% higher than a year ago, while the first three months of 2025 show growth of 25%, Chief Executive Officer Francois Eynaud said.
Typically, bookings for October-December occur in June or July. This year, they came in much later.
“It happened early September probably because of the elections and Olympics,” he said. “For the past five weeks, we have witnessed a peak in bookings compared with July and August, which was relatively flat. So, we are confident for a good high season.”
The high season in Mauritius runs October to March, when hotels, operators, airlines and associated businesses rake in the bulk of their earnings. Tourism is a key contributor for the economy and a main source of foreign currency income, estimated at about $2 billion in 2024.
Mauritius is targeting 1.4 million arrivals this year, 8% over 2023. Its post-pandemic recovery has been slower than in competing destinations like Maldives and Sri Lanka.
“We face more competition,” Eynaud said. “South of Asia is now open, well reconnected in terms of flights, at very competitive prices.”
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