Yours Mauritiusly: A new wave of Tourism

'Literary tourism creates opportunities to diversify the local economy and provide equitable income and other economic benefits, which comply with the definition of community-based tourism, an ‘effective tool for achieving economic and social development, particularly in rural and underdeveloped areas where options for alternative economic development are constrained by geographical and economic factors’ (Tuan-Anh, Weaver, & Lawton, 2016)

It is high time to re-invent tourism in Mauritius. We are talking about investing in tourists who build a direct relationship with the locals; this can generate job opportunities as hosts and local guides, and promote local arts and crafts. Those are the tourists who will promote the art and culture of the island by investing time and thereby money in such projects.

Tourists who will visit heritage sites of cultural importance linked through our history and literature. A whole market of eco-friendly tourists.

We need to re-evaluate our reliance on the Tourism industry, so it is beneficial for the locals and outsiders.

It is clear that Tourists are not the problem but our mismanagement of tourism is. It is time to review this and promote Mauritius as a cultural hub rather than just a sandy beach destination. The right investments can help re-build the island and re-claim the old Mauritius.

We have an exhaustive list we can work on:

Endemic plants, animals

Natural landscape

Sugar mills and plantation

Saltpans

History of slavery and indentureship

China Town

Writers, Musicians, Artists- Turning their homes into museums for examples.

Please check out this awesome guy Ali J. already working on a green Mauritius promoting eco-friendly tourism for those who want a culture trip: https://letsdiscovermauritius.com/

‘To him that will, ways are wanting” – George Herbert (1640)

Yours Mauritiusly,

FH 16/2/2021

Bibliography:

Tuan-Anh, L., Weaver, D., & Lawton, L. (2016). Community-based tourism and development in the periphery/semi-periphery interface: A case study from viet Nam. In S. McCool & K. Bosak (Eds.), Reframing sustainable tourism 2 (pp. 161–162). Dordrecht: Springer.