For over two decades, Emirates has played a key role in supporting Mauritius’ tourism ambitions, driving visitor arrivals and opening doors to new source markets globally.

Since 2022, over one million of Mauritius’ tourist arrivals recorded were carried by Emirates, representing more than 20% of the total number of tourists landing in Mauritius during the 2022 – 2025 period. Visitor growth has fuelled positive impact across the tourism value chain, from hotels and restaurants to tour operators, supporting thousands of jobs and delivering meaningful benefits to the local economy.

Drawing on its network of over 150 destinations, plus its wider network of more than 1,700 offline points served through its airline partners, Emirates has been instrumental in Mauritius’ tourism rebound, with 2025 marking a record year for visitor arrivals to the island.

Last year, Emirates brought close to 309,000 tourists into Mauritius from key source markets across Europe including the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, France, Italy, Belgium, Poland, the Netherlands and Switzerland, among others. The airline has also worked with travel industry partners to cultivate other key leisure source markets like the United States, China, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, significantly uplifting visitor arrivals while adding considerable momentum to Mauritius’ tourism growth.

According to the latest official tourism figures, Mauritius welcomed a record 1,436,250 visitors in 2025, a 3.9% rise over 2024 tourist arrivals. Emirates matched this momentum, delivering a 5.7% increase in tourists flown to Mauritius in 2025 over the previous year.

Nabil Sultan, Emirates’ Executive Vice President Passenger Sales & Country Management said: “Mauritius remains a jewel in our Indian Ocean portfolio and one of the most aspirational destinations for travellers across our network. Emirates is committed to elevating the island’s global profile through strategic partnerships across the tourism value chain, working with tourism bodies, leading hotels and other travel partners to create curated, upmarket travel experiences that showcase Mauritius’ natural beauty and warm hospitality.

We would like to thank the Mauritian authorities for their continued support in ensuring the smooth operation of our flagship A380 and Boeing 777 services. Our consistent flight schedule has been critical to unlocking connectivity to key markets on our global network and interest from international travel buyers, helping us deliver on our shared commitment of driving sustainable visitor growth. We are also pleased to support and complement the operations of the national carrier, Air Mauritius, whose services have contributed significantly to the success of this route.

Driven by our commitment to Mauritius and the evolving needs of customers across our network, we are proud to introduce our retrofitted Boeing 777 featuring Premium Economy from 29 March, to be operated daily on EK709 and EK710. This aircraft will also offer many other inflight enhancements that will elevate the travel experience for customers on the Mauritius-Dubai route while providing exceptional value for travellers.”

Championing Mauritius on the global stage

With the shared strategic objective of promoting Mauritius as a key leisure destination to global audiences, Emirates has been working hand in hand with the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) since 2012, supported by its regular scheduled services which reached three daily since December 2025. Emirates operates two daily A380 services and a third daily flight with a Boeing 777 aircraft, offering around 10,500 seats into Mauritius weekly.

The sustained push in the joint promotional efforts with the MTPA, borne out of Emirates’ unwavering commitment to the country, resulted in more than 30 top travel agents from key European and GCC markets participating in familiarisation trips since 2022 to experience Mauritius firsthand, enabling them to promote its appeal to travellers across a range of budgets, tastes and preferences.

Travel agents from Emirates’ extensive network have also engaged in hospitality roadshows, workshops and presentations, in addition to joint collaborations with hotels, organised by Emirates and have been provided incentives and value-added benefits to promote the destination to their customer base, with exclusive and tailor-made packages.

Through its public relations and marketing efforts, Emirates also continuously supports the destination via targeted ad campaigns to showcase Mauritius as an ideal holiday spot to its global audiences. The airline also regularly arranges curated experiential trips for influencers and media to enjoy the island’s unique offerings and provide inspiration to their highly-engaged audiences.

In the last year alone, Emirates had featured Mauritian holidays in numerous seasonal campaigns, incentivised customers through a double Emirates Skywards promotion for stays at Marriott Hotels and collaborated with RIU Resorts to promote the hospitality offerings through familiarisation trips. To support the sales of packages, top-performing travel agents from major source markets across the Emirates network were awarded trips to Mauritius for their contributions, provided in-house trainings, and the opportunity to participate in presentations and webinars, sales events and roadshows focused on the destination.

Thanking Emirates for its continued support and efforts in serving the Mauritian tourism industry, Dinesh Burrenchobay, Chairman of the MTPA said: “Emirates has played a key role in driving tourism numbers to Destination Mauritius since 2002 through their Dubai hub connecting us to the rest of the world. They have also provided our destination offering and our guests with the unique A380 aircraft which is now a daily feature at SSR International Airport. We look forward to future collaborations for the benefit of the Mauritius destination and to ensure that we achieve the bold objectives that the MTPA has set.”

Leading post-pandemic tourism growth

When Mauritius re-opened for tourism in 2021, Emirates played a key role in Mauritius’ tourism rebound, helping visitor arrivals surpass pre-pandemic levels in 2025. The airline flew 309,000 tourists into Mauritius last year, 50% up from 2022 levels which saw 207,000 tourist arrivals.

Due to successful promotional efforts across its global network, Emirates has progressively carried more passengers into Mauritius, with tourists hailing from some 60 countries – not only from points in Emirates’ network, but also from markets such as Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Romania and other European countries, carried by its codeshare partner flydubai.

Mauritius in the Spotlight at Emirates Holidays

Emirates Holidays, the tour operating arm of the Emirates Group, promotes Mauritius prominently across all its paid and owned media channels, including its digital publications, social media, and global website. With expanded visibility across Emirates Holidays’ global platforms, the airline is taking its support for the Mauritian tourism sector to new heights.

Mauritius remains a core destination for Emirates Holidays across its key markets, including the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Germany, Denmark, Saudi Arabia, and Sweden. A growing number of customers are booking holiday packages, often combining beach relaxation with excursions, gastronomy, and cultural experiences.

The Emirates Holidays website features Mauritius extensively with a dedicated destination page, curated packages and tailor-made experiences for various customer profiles including couples, families and honeymooners.

Emirates Holidays’ destination experts provide personalised recommendations based on customer interests, from idyllic beach stays to immersive cultural experiences, ensuring Mauritius continues to be presented as a premium, experience-rich destination to international audiences.

Rising Demand, Expanded Connectivity, and Elevated Experiences

Mauritius continues to gain traction among Emirates’ customers worldwide. According to Emirates’ latest 2025 summer travel trends report, searches for flights to Mauritius rose by 41% last summer, making the island the second most sought-after destination across the airline’s network just behind Vietnam.

As a result, Emirates introduced a third daily flight to Mauritius to meet demand during peak seasons, further enhancing connectivity and providing a 30% capacity boost between Dubai and the island.

In 2025, Emirates launched its new experiential Travel Store in Port-Louis, yet another investment in the airline’s long-standing commitment to Mauritius. The new store provides another channel for customers to plan travel, explore the latest Emirates inflight products, and receive personalised assistance to book tickets, and manage their travel preferences.

Emirates is the only airline today to serve the island with the A380, the world’s largest passenger aircraft, and the only carrier offering First Class seats on the route.

Emirates’ long-standing partnership with Mauritius goes back to 2002. Today, hundreds of Mauritians work for Emirates, from pilots and cabin crew to engineering, customer service, and corporate roles.