Mauritius

In September 2013, thirteen bloggers and one videographer from Europe, China, North America and South Africa spent a week in the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. This#MyMauritius blogger trip was the largest travel blogger and social media tourism campaign that Mauritius had ever organised. The bloggers represented a variety of niches; from luxury and family travel to food, culture, adventure, golf and kite-surfing. During their stay, they stayed in different parts of the island, following flexible itineraries that were crafted to match their niches and individual interests. Caspar Diederik, our videographer, followed the bloggers as they explored the island.

The results captured the imagination of a global audience, from Brazil to China and across Europe to North America. The #MyMauritius hashtag tied in all the bloggers’ social media content, creating a rich and varied picture of Mauritius. People from around the world followed the #MyMauritius hashtag with great enthusiasm, sharing and commenting on the content. Many were stunned by the island’s natural beauty and great variety of activities, and expressed an interest in visiting Mauritius whilst some others reminisced about their past trips (and honeymoons).

Social media coverage during the trip

During their week in Mauritius, the bloggers utilised their social media channels such as Twitter, facebook, Instagram and Vine to share their experiences with their followers. According to BrandsEye, a social media tracking agency, the #MyMauritius hashtag generated 66 million opportunities to see across Twitter, facebook and Instagram during the bloggers’ one-week stay on the island. Their algorithm shows that this social media coverage generated an AVE of approximately USD 1.48 million. In other words, the #MyMauritius social media coverage during this period was equivalent to an advertising spend of USD 1.48 million.

Social media and blog output

Two months after returning home, the bloggers continued to use the hashtag #MyMauritius. More than 50 blog posts have been published so far and shared on social media, ensuring a continuation of buzz around Mauritius, and creating additional interest in the destination. Opportunities to see (OTS) in social media continued to grow. As at 30th November 2013, OTS on Twitter alone exceeded 85 million, reaching in excess of 2 million Twitter users. On facebook, the photos, videos and blog posts from #MyMauritius reached more than 800,000 people. 964 photos were posted on Instagram. BrandsEye calculated total online OTS of 94.4 million, representing an AVE of  USD 2 million.

Two 30-second teaser videos and a #MyMauritius – The Movie were created by the videographer, Caspar Diederik, about the campaign.

In addition, a #MyMauritius ebook was created, capturing the bloggers experiences through their social media coverage and blog posts.

THANK YOUs!

This campaign was made possible thanks to the partnerships between all the stakeholders in the tourism industry in Mauritius, and their collaboration with iambassador, XII Monkeys and London Advertising. It was driven by AHRIM (Association of Hotels and Restaurants in Mauritius) in partnership with Air Mauritius, the MTPA (Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority) and the AIOM (Association of Inbound Operators in Mauritius).