This is Vajpayee's third visit to Mauritius. On his first visit in January 1979 as minister of external affairs, he had met the first prime minister of independent Mauritius, late Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, also known as "chacha" to the people. He visited Mauritius again in June 1995 when he met the then Leader of the Opposition and present Mauritius prime minister Navin Chandra Ramgoolam son of the late Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam. In 1996 Mauritius refused to sign the CTBT agreement, saying that it was shighly discriminatory.

With some 68 per cent of the Mauritian population being of Indian origin, India and Mauritius share much in common. During his current visit, the Indian Prime Minister will lay a wreath at the Samadhi of late Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam and then will have wide ranging discussions with his SMauritian counterpart. He will also be the host of a civic reception in his honour and will attend a receiption to be hosted by India's High Commissioner in Mauritius.

During his visit, the Indian prime minister will participate in an investment protection agreement signing ceremony ratified by the Indian Cabinet last week. Another agreement to be signed relates to the telecast of satellite transmitted Doordarshan programmes by the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation. Business and cultural ties between the two countries are strong. Air Mauritius, the national airline of Mauritius, in collaboration with Air India, runs three flights weekly to Mumbai and one to Delhi. According to Mumbai based Ouma Seebaluck, Air Mauritius Regional Manager for India and South Asia, about 16,000 Indian tourists visited Mauritius last year and the number is expected to increase. Mauritius is a multifaceted destination which offers first class beach hotels, some with golf courses and among the best duty free bargains.

Last year, India exported goods worth nearly Rs 8 billion to Mauritius, while Mauritian exports to India amounted to about Rs 5 million. Mauritius is keen to try and correct the trade imbalance with India.