Emirates set to add flights to paradise island

Emirates Airline on Tuesday announced plans to make its Mauritius service a double daily operation from early next month.

Two flights a day will leave Dubai heading to the paradise island from December 2, the airline said in a statement.

The 12th weekly flight was introduced on October 31 and two further frequencies will be added next month.

"The increase in frequencies will undoubtedly create more opportunities for the Mauritian tourism sector and local economy," said Ahmed Khoory, Emirates’ senior vice president, West Asia Indian Ocean.

"The island destination is very popular throughout our network and double daily flights will offer even more flexibility to travellers."

In January this year, Emirates and the government of Mauritius signed an agreement aimed at jointly promoting the island destination across the airline’s global network.

The two parties have engaged in the development of a series of joint activities to increase the visibility and awareness around the island in the 126 destinations to which the airline flies.

“The island destination is an important one for Emirates. We have committed ourselves towards promoting Mauritius and we will drive our efforts in this direction as the island becomes more accessible,” added Khoory.

More than 964,000 tourists visited Mauritius in 2011, representing an increase of 3.2 percent over the previous year.

European tourists accounted for 63.2 percent of total tourist arrivals with France being the leading market for the island.

Emirates is the largest operator of A380 and B777 aircraft in the world. The airline currently flies to 126 destinations in 74 countries.