Mauritius |
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“ Our strategy is to have more MICE business . Obviously , it will take more share , but the volume of leisure business we have will stay the same . We don ’ t want the volume of leisure business to decrease but we want MICE business to increase where we have space ,” Nunhukh said .
Flexibility and key markets Asked about the challenges presented by the MICE sector , there was not much that Sugar Beach could not do , Nunhukh argued : “ We have large resorts . If you are telling me that we need to accommodate 2,000 people for an event at this resort , OK we won ’ t be able to . But we will find a way to do it with our neighbours ( La Pirogue , for example ).”
MICE booking visibility is looking “ reasonable ” at the moment , the sales team reported , although certain markets like India and South Africa tend to be more last minute . In terms of MICE , France and South Africa are Sunlife ’ s biggest markets . The UK , which used to be the biggest MICE market , is Sunlife ’ s biggest market in terms of leisure and weddings , followed by Germany . “ We are keen to develop the UK as a MICE market because we believe we are missing something ,” Nunhukh added , flagging that although Sunlife is promoting the company at big shows such as WTM and IBTM , he believed they had not fully demonstrated Sunlife
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resorts ’ meetings and events potential .
Long Beach The second Sunlife resort for me in Mauritius was the 5-star Long Beach resort . Situated an hour ’ s drive away on the east coast and opened in 2010 , the difference in terms of size with Sugar Beach is striking , as the fleet of buggies for ferrying guests around the resort next to the reception shows , so too the large number and variety of event spaces and leisure facilities that are available .
In terms of indoor event space , Long Beach has a fully equipped conference centre , which can cater for up to 250 people , featuring individual rooms ( Balao , Bombora ) for seminars or smaller meetings , and its own veranda for breakout refreshments and dinners . The resort also has five restaurants .
In terms of outdoor venue space , Long Beach really comes into its own – for example the Piazza in the heart of the resort , the Green Lawn ( for up to 230 guests ), the Ocean Green lawn ( up to 1,500 ), the chef ’ s garden ( up to 100 ) and perhaps the jewel in the crown in terms of serene setting , Orizon , which can cater for up to 300 people .
Shirley Farreedun-Wick , MICE sales manager at the resort , was quick to flag the opportunities offered by the range of venues at the resort , that it is flexible on room cost to attract big MICE groups ,
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Right : Incorporate some local culture into your conference
Left : Roll out the red carpet for events in one of four resorts
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and that the ultimate aim is “ to make Long Beach the MICE hotel of the group ”. She highlighted the ability to hold numerous events at the same time without disturbing guests .
Love and golf island Love makes the world go around , as the saying goes , and Mauritius ’ s natural beauty provides an idyllic setting for a wedding and honeymoon . Consequently , demand for weddings or the renewal of vows , both locally and globally , is an important source of revenue for Sunlife , and the bigger , the more lavish the wedding , the more scope there is for a partial or even total total buyout at one of its resorts .
Sugar Beach has been able to accommodate a big wedding from India and there is a large Jewish wedding from France coming to the resort , which will include preparation of kosher food at one of its restaurants .
Money can ’ t buy me love , as the Beatles famously sang , but demand for getting married in idyllic romantic settings such as Mauritius is considerable and obviously requires deep pockets , all of which is good news for Sunlife revenues .
To cater for golf groups , Sunlife offers a spectacular Bernhard Langer designed course on Ile aux Cerfs , a 20-minute boat ride from near Long Beach , which can also be used for private events for up to 2,000 people as Sunlife has a 60- year lease on the island . The company also operates two other golf courses on Mauritius , Anahita Golf Club and Tamarina Golf Club , not far from Sugar Beach . n
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