Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Blue Ocean Park has announced the debut of the world-renowned Westin brand in Mauritius with the opening of The Westin Turtle Bay Resort & Spa, Mauritius. Nestled in lush tropical gardens, the resort enjoys a pristine beachfront location in the historic Turtle Bay of Balaclava on the North West coast of the island.

Donald Payen, board director. Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, Mauritius speaks to Breaking Travel News at the World Travel Awards Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony at Paradise Island Resort & Spa, Maldives.

The Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority is making a splash at this year’s World Travel Market with over 20 partners exhibiting on its stand, as the leading island showcases itself as a world class destination.

There are over 200,000 islands in the world, but at last month’s World Travel Awards 2010 Grand Final, Mauritius was voted the finest of them all. BTN takes a closer look at why the paradise island is currently enjoying such a rich run of form.

Mauritius has experienced a surge in tourism revenues in the first half of the year, boosted by strong growth in visitor numbers from Asia, particularly in India. However its core European markets remained sluggish, due to ongoing financial woes across the continent plus the weakness of the Euro.