Skift Take
Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, March 29, in New York City. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
Today’s edition of Skift’s daily podcast explains why Mauritius tourism officials are targeting global nomads, how Delta aims to expand its transcontinental market share, and AirAsia’s subscription plan for in-flight services.
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Episode Notes
Mauritius has set an ambitious target of attracting 1 million foreign tourists by the end of 2022. But what markets are its tourism officials, who have long focused on luxury visitors, targeting in its attempt to reach the lofty goal? Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia writes Mauritius travel executives are setting their sights on digital nomads and retirees.
Tourism officials in the Indian Ocean nation have launched a premium visa scheme offering long-term visas to tap into those aforementioned segments. Arvind Bundhun, the director of the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, said the agency has seen an enormous demand among digital nomads and retirees for the premium visa. Roughly 3,000 people have applied for the visa, and 2,000 of them have already arrived in the country.
But Mauritius faces an uphill climb in hitting its goal of 1 million visitors for 2022. The country attracted a little more than 90,000 tourist arrivals during the first two months of the year, and citizens of China — a lucrative market for Mauritius — are still largely prohibited by their government from traveling overseas.
Next, the premium transcontinental market has been one of most lucrative and competitive in the U.S. in recent years, and Delta Air Lines is not ceding any ground in the competition. The carrier has announced plans to unveil lie-flat business class suites on transcontinental flights, writes Airlines Reporter Edward Russell.
Delta will configure 21 A321neos with 148 seats — 16 of…