Tourism in Mauritius: Theory and practice (a dynamic version)

As underlined by the above figures, the importance of tourism both at national and international level cannot be underestimated. In this first (draft) issue of Tourism in Mauritius by Bouzermaurice.com yellow pages, directory and shopping guide, our team discusses a few major aspects of the Mauritian tourism industry. After a brief analysis of the pull factors of tourism to Mauritius, we have a look a few of the major attractions on the island. We then move on to the impact of the financial crisis on the tourism sector. Emphasis will also be laid on the 2009 Budget presented to the Assembly on 22 May 2009 with regard to the tourism sector.

Before going to an in-depth analysis of the SWOT of Mauritius let us first consider what are the factors which make a destination popular and subject to repeat visits. It would require statistical analysis to determine a priority list but in general the following factors contribute somehow to the success of a destination.

1. Accessibility ie how far potential and actual tourists can reach the destination. The more remote a destination is from its source markets, the more difficult and costly it is to access. Technology and the use of faster and more efficient aircrafts have been very beneficial to destinations without any form of access by road.

2. Safety and Security: While allocentrics are risk takers and look for the exclusiveness, most tourists rank as psychocentrics and thus to most tourists being in a safe and familiar environment is vital. The safety and security measures hence have to be addressed to ensure a good perception of the destination. When a psychocentric traveler moves from his Tourism Generating Region to a Tourism Destination Region, he expects safety and

3. Infrastructure is a major issue. Tourists require the basic amenities and expect to have similar if not better infrastructure abroad. There is a degree of tolerance in this sense which has to be respected for repeat visits to occur. Nowadays, marketers think in terms of relationship building and are no longer in the unsustainable tell and sell paradigm. We have to bear in mind that the Tourism industry’s concern is to deliver the best experience to its clients to ensure fidelity continuous influx of revenue.

What makes Mauritius so attractive otherwise said what are the pull factors?

Mauritius is a tropical island found in the Indian Ocean to the East of Madagascar and can be considered to be the twin sister of Reunion island.

The climate is very pleasant over the whole year and the Mauritian people speaking both English and French are very friendly and helpful.

What has attracted tourists to Mauritius since so long, is mainly the 3S i.e. Sea, Sun and Sand. This resulted in tourists being kept within the four walls of the luxurious hotels. Our blue lagoons, the sandy beaches and the everlasting sun are significant pull factors to Mauritius.

Marketing and air access have also played a significant role of making the destination known and accessible to the world and especially to our major inbound markets.

More and more the government is moving towards what we call special interest tourism. Appravasi Ghatt and Le Morne are now recognized as UNESCO World Heritage which paves the way for the development of Heritage tourism on the island. Of course, nature based tourism and urban tourism are also aspects which could easily be developed in Mauritius.
Port Louis can be considered as a major urban destination in Mauritius and even in the Indian ocean combining both modern and historical attractions as the Champs de Mars and Caudan Waterfront. Of course there is still a lot to be done to make the tourist experience something special, with more interpretive facilities and guided tours. Mass tourism has often been considered as an evil in many destinations. The development of mass tourism is in fact not so damaging depending on the policy adopted and the planning undertaken. Mauritius has for long targeted the upmarket, but time for diversification has maybe come. However the diversification should not be detrimental to quality. For instance, guest houses should be monitored and inspectors should ensure that established norms are being respected.

Mass tourism is at times more beneficial and sustainable than upmarket tourism as the revenues generated, go directly to the local people and not necessarily to a selected few.

Cultural tourism could as well be a major avenue for tourism growth if we are able to build on our very varied cultural base to attract the Diaspora to for example to rediscover the Maha Shivratree. Mauritius is still lagging behind as regards online marketing. Even if AHRIM has done a significant job in this direction, it is clear that the communication strategy requires fine tuning. In the future, the development of new forms of tourism will be seen but Mauritius should definitely consider diversifying its markets both geographically and on the basis of motivation.

6 main tourist attractions in Mauritius

North

Pamplemousses Botanical Garden

Created in 1767, it is one of the richest gardens in the Indian ocean by its wide variety of plants.

South

Crocodile Park- If you like crocodiles, otherwise just go to Gris Gris.

East

Ile Aux Cerfs

You will be mesmerized by the this small island on the East of Maurtius having a very nice barbecue by the beach.

West
Casela
As a kid living in Mauritius, if there is one place where we have all been is Casela zoo found in the western part of the island. Casela is like wine bettering over time. With better and better amenities, it is one of the oldest and most popular attractions on the island.
Appravasi Ghatt
This UNESCO World Heritage found in Port Louis bears testimony of the arrival of the first indian indentured labourers in Mauritius. Nowadays the offspring of these labourers constitute the majority of the population in Mauritius.
Le Morne
This site has very recently been recognized UNESCO World Heritage. Several sega songs have described the tragedy behind le Morne mountain, one of the saddest chapters in the history of the island.

Tourism in Mauritius and the financial crisis
Mauritius has reached international recognition as a quality destination over time. This is maybe one of the reasons why the toll taken by the financial crisis on this sector is not yet that significant. Tourism operators on the island are confident on the rebound of the sector in a very near future. New air links are being developed and hotels refurbished only to make way for forthcoming boom. The government and MTPA have been very dynamic and have reacted promptly by increasing their promotional efforts on mature destinations especially European ones. Maybe one of the lessons to be drawn from this crisis is that our markets are not diverse enough.