BEIJING, June 21 -- A new direct flight is to be launched on June 27 to connect south China's Shenzhen with Port Louis, capital city of Mauritius, to meet growing demands of Chinese travelers.

The flight CZ6659, operated by China Southern Airlines, will run once a week, taking off from Shenzhen at 23:00 local time every Friday and arriving in Port Louis at 4:30 local time, according to the China office of Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA).

The return flight CZ6660 will take off at 7:30 local time in Port Louis and arrive in Shenzhen at 21:00 local time on Saturday.

This will add to the existing three direct flights between China, in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai respectively, and the eastern African country.

The resort received 41,000 Chinese tourists in 2013, up from the previous year's 19,000, according to the MTPA.