130 retail agents from around Australia recently returned from seven days in Mauritius with glowing reports of this relatively undiscovered destination and stopover to Europe.

The extraordinary programme was put together by Australia’s major Mauritius operators; Beachcomber, Fiesta Holidays, Air Mauritius Holidays and Wildlife Safari and by the national airline, Air Mauritius. The event follows the success of last year’s LIVE 07 event.

Many agents were surprised by the high standard of resortfacilities and the beauty of the beaches and rated them higher than most tropical island destinations.

Live 08 took place between 10th and 17th June with a major educational workshop for attendees on 12th June.

Extensive destination education, touring components, accommodation experiences and inspections gave Australian agents thorough insights into a tropical island with French and English colonial history.

Matthew Murtagh, assistant manager of Noosa Heads Flight Centre has been recommending Mauritius as a destination and stopover since his return. “It’s really changed my mindset about Mauritius. It’s not a destination we would have sold as a stopover to Europe before but now I recommend it to everyone, especially people looking for something different to the standard Southeast Asian stopover. There’s no difference in flying time or price to Europe via Mauritius and you get this fantastic new experience.”

Most resorts in Mauritius are located on white sand beachesand look out over the sheltered aquamarine blue lagoon. Agents were particularly impressed by the amount of free activities on offer at Mauritian resorts.

Murtagh said, “Even basic accommodation rates include two superb meals, buffet or a la carte, and a huge range of free water activities like water skiing, kayaking and sailing. Everywhere else in the world you pay extra for activities.”

“The beaches look exactly like they do in the brochure,”Murtagh added. “There’s no colouring up. They are perfect white beaches with beautiful blue waters. The hospitality was great and Mauritian people were friendly everywhere we went. It’s a destination just waiting to be discovered by Australians.”

Safety on the island and provisions for couples and familiesalso impressed agents. Murtagh said he felt completely safe everywhere he went, in marketplaces, nightclubs or on the bustling streets of the capital, PortLouis.

Sue McPherson, manager of Travel World, Toowoomba, loved the intimacy of the resorts. “Mauritius is a great destination for honeymoons and couples. But I was also impressed with the quality of child minding services. Every resort has a kids club and children are very well looked after from morning to night, often by several staff. The staff everywhere was polite and gracious.”

Mc Pherson, who plans to take a group of 120 there next year, said the food was “very gourmet” at all resorts and every resort offered aslightly different menu. “It’s also a small island so everything is accessible, everything is easily available.”

The diversity of Mauritian culture with English, French, Indian and Creole influences creates a wealth of experiences away from the resorts.

“Recent booking figures show that Mauritius is coming of age in the Australian market,” said Greg Wren, director of The Wren Partnership, Australian agent for the MTPA. “While Australians are still having a love affair with Asia they are now looking for deeper & richer cultural experiences. It was important for agents to really feel the magic of Mauritius. The organization of LIVE 08 was indeed timely and we are all very grateful to the operators who staged the event and who have made such a major commitment to the Mauritius market from Australia.”

Live 08 was generously supported by four key wholesalers to Mauritius including Beachcomber, Fiesta Holidays, Air Mauritius Holidays and Wildlife Safari, with Air Mauritius providing seats for the 130 strong agent group.

The Wren Partnership - Greg Wren, Managing Director (03)9685 2600