The new guidance from the country’s tourism authority has been endorsed by the WTTC, and aims to bring uniformity to the island nation’s ongoing efforts to reopen to tourism.
Advice is tailored for different businesses, ranging from car rental and golf courses to guesthouses.
Measures include recommendations on cleaning and disinfection, social distancing, contactless trading and operation, and protocols to follow for suspected Covid-19 cases.
Regular inspections will be carried out by the tourism authority to ensure the measures are being implemented correctly, while failure to comply may result in businesses having their licences cancelled.
The tourism authority has also partnered with Mauritius Telecom to roll out a Safe Travels app, which all tourism providers and operators must download.
The app breaks down tourism businesses into different categories by operation, and sets out the protective measures each business category needs to follow when providing services.
It then generates a Safe Travel certificate bearing the seal of the WTTC and the tourism authority constituting official accreditation, allowing consumers to identify tourism suppliers they can trust.
The tourism authority’s video, meanwhile, demonstrates post-Covid travel to Mauritius, and showcases some of the measures being implemented across the country to protect visitors and tourism staff – including at the island’s international airport, and in its hotels and public spaces.
Arvind Bundhun, Director of the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, said: “The safety of visitors to Mauritius and staff working in the leisure, tourism and hospitality sector is of utmost importance to our organisation; we felt it was important to provide a list of sanitary guidelines for businesses to follow as they plan to resume operations.
"We are working closely with our private sector and stakeholder partners to prepare for the return of visitors to the destination so that we are ready to welcome them back to Mauritius as soon as travel restrictions are lifted.”
