Faced with stiff competition from Seychelles and Maldives in the Indian Ocean, Mauritius, one of Africa's prime holiday destinations, is seeking to attract more Chinese tourists as the growth of its European visitors stagnates.

"We have witnessed a growing number of Chinese visitors in recent years. In 2012, about 20,000 Chinese visitors came to Mauritius, an increase of 77 percent compared with 2011. And we are expecting to have 40,000 Chinese tourists by the end of this year," said Michael Sik Yeung, minister for Tourism and Leisure in Mauritius.

"China is a very important driver for the future development of Mauritius' travel industry. But at the moment, many Chinese people do not know us enough," Yeung said.

In order to pull in more Chinese visitors to compensate for the loss of its European markets, Mauritius is conducting plans to improve its tailored service and business operations for Chinese visitors.