EXOTIC and far-flung destinations such as Mauritius and Madagascar in the south-west Indian Ocean, and Israel in the Middle East, are becoming more popular with well-heeled travellers from mainland China.
Lisa Zhuge, manager China office of Happy Planet, a Mauritius DMC, said there had been burgeoning demand for Mauritius and Madagascar from the high-end Chinese segment, mostly from tier-one cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, ever since the company opened its Beijing office in 2009.
“Mainland Chinese are looking out for new and exotic leisure destinations. They are tired of the Maldives and Hawaii,” she said.
According to Zhuge, Happy Planet handled about 10,000 Mauritius-bound passengers last year, some of whom extended their itineraries by adding Madagascar, and to a lesser extent, Réunion Island.
Year-to-date, the company has catered to about 8,000 mainland Chinese passengers to Mauritius, a 50 per cent increase over the same period last year.
“They stay an average of four to six nights, in four- to five-star hotels. Their budget is about RMB12,000 (US$1,889) to RMB17,000 per pax, including airfare,” she said.
Zhuge said convenient connections such as Air Mauritius’ thrice-weekly direct services from Hong Kong to Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius, and weekly Shanghai-Port Louis flights, which started in July, made the destination more appealing.
Meanwhile, for Israel, arrivals from various parts of mainland China have been growing at an estimated 30 per cent per year since 2009, according to Itay Friedjung, director, Israel government tourist office Beijing of the Israel Ministry of Tourism. The Israel Ministry of Tourism has been hosting Chinese media for familiarisation trips and promoting the destination through Chinese new media platforms.
“Israel is a new destination for the mainland Chinese,” he said.
Mainland Chinese leisure travellers to Israel usually go in groups and stay an average of eight days to enjoy historical and cultural sights. Shopping is also a big draw.
“The diamond center in Israel is popular with this market,” he said, adding that specialty products from Israel, such as Dead Sea cosmetics, are in demand too.
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