Tourism in Mauritius

Tourism in Mauritius is an important component of the Mauritian economy as well as a significant source of its foreign exchange revenues. The tourism industry is also a major economic pillar on the island of Rodrigues, however tourism has not been developed in Agaléga Islands. Mauritius is mostly appreciated by tourist for its natural beauty and man-made attractions, multi-ethnic and cultural diversity of the population, tropical climate, beautiful beaches and water sports.[1]

History

In the past thirty years,[2] Mauritius has developed from a low-income economy based on agriculture to a middle-income diversified economy. Much of this economic growth has been the result of the expansion of the luxury tourism sector. Mauritius was mainly dependent on the sugar and textiles industries, as world sugar prices declined and the production of textiles became economically unfeasible, the government decided to expand the tourist industry. Over the years visitors to Mauritius has been mostly from European countries, due to the economic downturn in Europe in 2011, the government decided to diversify its market by providing direct flights to Asian and African countries which were experiencing higher growth in terms of their arrival.

Overview

Flic en Flac, a beach on the western part of the island

The tourism sector is supervised by the Ministry of Tourism and Leisure, the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) promotes Mauritius by conducting advertising campaigns, participating in tourism fairs and organizing, in collaboration with the local tourism industry, promotional campaign and activities in Mauritius and abroad. The Tourism Authority (TA) is responsible for licensing, regulating and supervising the activities of tourist enterprises, pleasure crafts, skippers and canvassers. It also contributes to the uplifting of the destination and provides technical assistance to Rodrigues island. The Association des Hôteliers et Restaurateurs de l'île Maurice (AHRIM) is a non-profitable organization set up in 1973 to represent and promote the interests of hotels and restaurants in Mauritius.

Major Mauritian hotel groups include LUX* Resorts & Hotels, Beachcomber, Sun Resorts, Constance, Long Beach resorts, Attitude and VLH/Heritage.

Statistics

According Statistics Mauritius, total passenger arrivals to Mauritius in 2011 was 1,294,387 and tourist arrivals for the year attained 964,642.[3] In 2012 emerging markets, Russian Federation and People’s Republic of China, registered positive growths of 58.9% and 38.0% respectively. According to the Bank of Mauritius the gross tourism receipts was Rs44 billion in 2012. The forecast number of tourist arrival for 2013 is 1 million.[4][5]

Country2011 2012 2013 2014 % Change
 France 302,004 262,100 244,752 243,665 Decrease 0.4
 Réunion 113,000 139,169 143,114 141,665 Decrease 1.0
 United Kingdom 88,182 87,648 98,017 115,326 Increase 17.7
 South Africa 86,232 89,058 94,208 93,120 Decrease 1.2
 China 15,133 20,885 41,913 63,365 Increase 51.2
 Germany 56,331 55,186 60,530 62,231 Increase 2.8
 India 53,955 55,197 57,255 61,167 Increase 6.8
Other countries 212,191 237,074 253,317 258,429 Increase 2.0
Total 964,642 965,441 993,106 1,038,968 Increase 4.6

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Overview of Tourism Sector in Mauiritius". Government of Mauritius. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  2. ↑ history of the tourism industry in mauritius
  3. ↑ Statistics Mauritius (2011). "NTERNATIONAL TRAVEL & TOURISM" (PDF). Government of Mauritius. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  4. ↑ Statistics Mauritius (2012). "International Travel and Tourism Year 2012". Government of Mauritius. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  5. ↑ International Travel and Tourism Year 2014
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