Achillea

by | Mar 12, 2018 | Achillea

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Organization

The political head of the Ministry is the Minister for Tourism. Senior staff include the Permanent Secretary and other members of the Administration Section.[1] The work of the Ministry is divided between the Technical Unit, which covers policy and planning, and the Leisure Unit, which promotes leisure activities for citizens and tourists.[2]

Other public bodies also operate under the aegis of the Ministry: the Tourism Authority, which regulates the tourist industry,[3] the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, which promotes Mauritius as a tourist destination,[4] and the Tourism Employees Welfare Fund.

Policy

According to the Ministry, "[T]he National Tourism Policy emphasizes low impact, high spending tourism",[5] and sees Mauritius as a high-end tourist destination.[6] The government's National Long-Term Perspective Study, published in 1997, noted the growth in tourist arrivals and proposed a "green ceiling" on the number of tourists to prevent overdevelopment of the island's environment, with increased revenue coming from higher spending per tourist.[7] Tourist arrivals have grown from 422,463 in 1995[8] to a forecasted 1,030,000 for 2014.[9] The continued growth in tourist arrivals has been criticized by We Love Mauritius, an environmental non-governmental organization.[10]

In 1997, there were 87 hotels with a total capacity of 6,800 rooms and 14,100 bedplaces. Average room occupancy rates were 72% for all hotels and 78% for large hotels (defined as established beach hotels with more than 80 rooms). Figures for bed occupancy rates were 64% and 70% respectively. Several beachside resort hotels are owned and/or operated by large groups such as Sun International and Beachcomber Hotels. It is estimated that around 25% of visitors stay in non-hotel accommodation, such as boarding houses, self-catering bungalows and with friends and relatives.[5]

The Ministry's Strategic Direction for 2013 to 2015 states that it seeks continued growth of at least 5% annually in the tourism sector, and addresses declining demand from traditional markets such as Europe by seeking customers from other regions such as China, India, and Russia.[11] Mauritius also participates with other island nations in the Indian Ocean in the Vanilla Islands scheme to promote themselves collectively as a tourist destination.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Ministry of Tourism and Leisure-Senior Staff". Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  2. ^ "Pay Review 2013" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  3. ^ "Tourism Authority (home page)". Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  4. ^ "About the MTPA". Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Tourism Sector". Ministry of Tourism and Leisure. Archived from the original on 4 June 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  6. ^ "Q&A Hon. Michael Yeung Sik Yuen - Minister of Tourism and Leisure". The Report Company. June 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  7. ^ "Back to the future : Vision 2020". 27 May 2009. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  8. ^ "Forestry outlook studies in Africa (FOSA) -- Mauritius". Food and Agriculture Organization. July 2001. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  9. ^ "International Travel and Tourism Year 2013". Statistics Mauritius. 2013. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  10. ^ "Tourism strategy". We Love Mauritius. 2009. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  11. ^ "Ministry of Tourism and Leisure" (PDF). Ministry of Finance, Mauritius. 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  12. ^ Wolfgang H Thorne (6 April 2014). "Did Mauritius' Minister for Tourism tell his parliament the truth about the Vanilla Islands?". Retrieved 28 August 2014.


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