Air Mauritius begins direct flights to Shanghai and its website goes direct too

Air Mauritius now offers deven flight options to China each weekas it already features direct flights to Hong Kong on Thursdays and Sundays and then has three flights via Kuala Lumpurwith codeshare partner Malaysia Airlines to Shanghai, Hong Kong and Beijing .

The airline CEO Andre Viljoen, sais: “This initiative is part of our revised operating model under the ‘seven step’ plan. We are rebalancing growth towards emerging markets and have every reason to be hopeful.

“Since the inaugural flight to Shanghai on the 4th of July 2011, tourist arrivals figures from China to Mauritius have known robust growth. Last year, the number of tourists arriving from China grew by 38 %. We are increasing capacity on China substantially and given current trends, we are thrilled at the growth prospects in this high potential market. “

The new website is part of the move to make for Chinese nationals more aware of the airline. It is written in simplified Chinese which is read across the country. It provides basic information on Air Mauritius flights, its contact details and services.

Meanwhile the airline is working on a fully localised e-commerce website with booking engine, also in simplified Chinese which should be operational in April.