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Introduction
Mauritius has emerged as one of the best performing tourist destination in Africa over the last ten years. The country has registered a growth of 82 per cent in tourist arrivals over the period 1993 to 2002. Gross receipts from tourism amounted to approximately US$655 million and 681, 648 tourists arrivals were recorded during the year 2002 ([67] Ministry of Tourism and Leisure, Mauritius, 2002). The profile of international visitors has also changed with the targeting of new markets such as India, China, Russia and Eastern European Countries. Traditionally, Mauritius has relied on France, Reunion Island and UK as principal tourist generating markets. The success of the tourism industry can be attributed to the strong and ongoing partnership of the local airline, Air Mauritius (MK), with its partners Air France, British Airways and more recently Emirates ([69] MK (Air Mauritius), 2004). Being a small island economy, the government has strongly supported the growth of Air Mauritius to enable the tourism industry to flourish. The flag carrier has reinforced the upmarket image of the destination over the years.
MK has its early beginning in the 1930s and, like any other national carrier, the growth of the airline was dependent on government support and funding. Today, the airline flies 25 destinations around the world with a work force of around 2,600 staff worldwide serving the various on and off-line offices. The number of passengers flying Air Mauritius worldwide was approximately 850, 000 for the financial year 2002/2003 and an increase of 1.7 per cent was noted for the financial year 2003/2004 ([69] MK (Air Mauritius), 2004). The "limited open sky policy" and "no charter flights" of the government has enabled Air Mauritius to survive and grow successfully over the years. More recently, the pressure from the private sector to increase tourist arrivals in order to sustain growth of the tourism industry, has led the government to consider gradually implementing an "open sky policy". In this respect, the local airline has to improve its service levels to remain competitive vis-à-vis the looming competition.
The company is in the process of reviewing its service strategy to increase customer satisfaction. The airline has a strong commitment to service excellence as it acts as an ambassador for the country and...