Summary of Mauritian Tourist Industry - Assignment Example

Summary of Mauritian Tourist Industry The Ministry of Tourism and Leisure, and the Mauritius Tourism Promotion ity supervise the Mauritian tourism industry. Together, they conduct advertisements to promote the tourism industry and participate in tourism fairs on behalf of the other stakeholders. Their main mandate is to promote the various tourist attractions available in the country. Licensing of tourist sites and activities, regulation and supervision of tourism activities are conducted by the Tourism Authority. The tourism authority also promotes Rodrigues islands by providing technical assistance. The above agencies are assisted by the Association des Hoteliers et Restaurateurs de li’lle Maurice, which is a non profitable organization established in 1973 to represent and sponsor the interests of hoteliers and restaurant owners (International Travel and Tourism, 2012). Various natural attractions form the pride of Mauritius tourist business. They vary from man-made features, beaches, interesting fauna and flora, to the culture of the indigenous people. The sub – tropical climate is also exceptionally fine for holiday seekers. Five star beach resorts and hotels that offer top class accommodation services to visitors facilitate these attractions. The hotels and resorts are renowned for being among the best in the world in reliability (Reid & Bojanic 2006, p. 209 Mauritius has taken approximately 30 years to develop from a low-income country to a medium income country. The country started with an economy that heavily relied on agriculture but currently, the economy relies on several strong sectors. The economy was dependent on agricultural products such as sugar and textile products. A decline in the world sugar market and the dwindling textile industry prompted the government to explore other avenues including the expansion of the tourism industry. This has made tourism to be one of the sectors, which has promoted the state of the economy in recent years. The tourism industry has transformed from being a common tourist destination to one o the most luxurious in the world. This has made tourism to be the third pillar of the Mauritius economy. The sector has created approximately 30,000 full time vacancies by the year 2000 and the number has increased so far due to the growth. Statistics from the International Travel and Tourism organization (2012) indicate that Mauritius received 18,000 visitors in the year 1970. The figure has then risen to 103,000 in the year 1977 and subsequently to an approximate figure of 656,450 visitors in the year 2000. Most of the tourists visiting Mauritius come from European countries. However due to the economic downturn experienced in 2011 especially in Europe, the government was forced to act by searching for alternative markets. Statistics from the International Travel and Tourism (2012) also indicated that Mauritius received 964,642 tourists in the year 2011 that was low compared to 965,642 visitors in the year 2012. In the year 2012, the market was slightly improving. The first course of action that the government took in 2011 was to provide direct fights to Africa and Asia. The two regions boosted the country at a time when travelers from the other regions were adversely affected by the global economic crisis. The Mauritius government has been busy developing new strategies to compete in the tourism market. This includes the recent action plan dubbed the “opening of the sky”, which is aimed at improving the local tourism industry. The strategy puts emphasis on the development of new markets. To get new markets, the government will have to forge relationships with new countries and market their products in the new countries i.e. new countries represent potential markets. The authorities will also have to seek new client profiles (Mehta, Rosenbloom & Anderson 2000, p. 77). Future of Tourism in Mauritius The government has also put emphasis on the construction of new facilities such as hotels to accommodate the increasing number of visitors to the Island. There are also plans to launch an expansive Integrated Resort (IRS) project, which will increase the number of facilities tremendously. Furthermore, the government has plans to organize a variety of international cultural events that will attract more visitors. These moves by the government are extremely essential in this competitive market (Statsmauritius. 2013). The tourism sector in Mauritius has achieved a lot of progress. Stakeholders in this industry have invested a lot of time and money. The government and these stakeholders have been able to achieve this growth through various improvements such as developing infrastructure, improving labor quality, enhancing access to labor by the players in the tourism industry, providing attractive investment incentives and promoting the existing links with partners. Vital partners compose of countries mainly from the European Union, Eastern and Southern Africa. These partners present Mauritius with significant growth opportunities, which it can exploit further to achieve the much-needed growth. Through the various efforts outlined above, tourism in Mauritius is expected to achieve more growth and contribute more to the Gross Domestic product. The number of visitors is expected to rise to 2 million visitors by the year 2015. Analysis of Tourist Arrivals in the year 2010 and 2011 Most of the visitors to Mauritius were from Europe. In the year 2010, 608, 358 European visitors came to Mauritius. In the year 2011, the region provided 579, 509 visitors. Europe topped the list despite the economic hard ships the region was going through at the time. The second highest provider of visitors to Mauritius is Africa. In the year 2010, Africa provide Mauritius with 213, 868 visitors. The number however dropped to 204, 308 in the year 2011. This forms the basis of the reason why the government facilitated direct flights to the region during the economic turmoil in Europe in the 2011. This was aimed at reducing the cost of travelling. Connecting flights was an expensive option, which made the situation worse by discouraging travelers. Asia came third with 72,771 visitors in the year 2010, and 62, 131 in the year 2011. This region was also a target in the year 2011 since most countries in this region were not affected by the global crisis like American and European countries (Walker 2009, p. 76). Oceania, America and other regions contributed 20, 161, 13, 719 and 1,579 visitors respectively in the year 2010. They also contributed 11,143, 13,070 and 1195 visitors respectively in the year 2011. France was the highest producer of tourist in 2010 and 2011 since 260,054 visitors toured Malaysia from France in 2010 and 275,599 tourists in 2011. This therefore put France on top of the list of the most valued allies of Mauritius. The United Kingdom provided the second highest number of visitors in the year 2010 and 2011. Approximately 107,919 and 101, 996 visitors toured Malaysia from the United Kingdom in the two years respectively. Among African countries, Reunion provided the highest number of visitors to Mauritius in both years. The numbers were 96,174 in the year 2010 and 104,946 in the year 2011. The increase in number of visitors in 2011 indicates that the measures taken by the government of Mauritius to conduct more promotion s in Africa paid off. In Asia, most of the visitors originated from India. There were 43,911 tourists from India in 2010 and 39,252 in 2011. Australia was the leading provider of tourists from the Oceania region with 18, 852 visitors in 2010 and 10, 363 visitors in 2011. Among American countries, the United States of America was the leading country with 7,089 visitors and 6,951 visitors in the years 2010 and 2011 respectively. The drop in the number of visitors from the United States was due to the global financial crisis that affected most large economies. Most of the visitors begin to arrive in Mauritius from October to December. Even though there is activity in the other months, most of the visitors arrive in this period. The highest number of visitor sin one single month in the year 2011 was recorded in the month of December; 33, 781 tourists from France. The global financial crisis experienced in 2011 affected the tourism industry negatively. This is evident in the fall in number of tourists arriving in Mauritius. Overall, the number of visitors from each continent was higher in 2010 when compared to the numbers with the numbers in 2011. The most affected regions were Europe and America. Preliminary Results on Future of Tourism in Mauritius The Mauritian government has time to time emphasized its position on war on terrorism efforts. In all times they support such efforts for the good of all. Mauritius has also never suffered directly from major terrorist activities. Political violence and unrests either political or civil are also not common in Mauritius. Politicians and other groups with stake in the political running of a country facilitate political unrest. Unlike some countries such as Egypt, demonstrations in Mauritius are conducted in a peaceful manner and the police response is apposite (Baker, 2010, p. 164). There have been anti-American protests in Mauritius in the past. Such demonstrations however never pose serious threats to the running of the country. Increasing the number of tourists from the Unite Kingdom to the country can be challenging due to such a reason. The various political unrests in some countries recently has been taking place due to various reasons such as; people getting fed up with rulers who have been in power for too long and the government’s involvement with other states which are deemed “not suitable” (Voigt, 2008, p. 183). For the government of Mauritius to increase the number of visitors to the country from the United Kingdom, it will have to increase promotional activities in the United Kingdom. This would mean tightening the ties between the two countries; a thing that may not go well with some of the indigenous people. This is evident from the demonstrations conducted by the Chagossians against the government and the British government. The main target was the British High Commission in Mauritius. This case could pose a serious challenge to future expansion plans. The main fear is that further strengthening of the ties between the countries could trigger such demonstrations again. This has obvious triggered a cautious approach between the two countries i.e. Travel advisories were issued to British citizens visiting the country. They are required to avoid crowds that may appear to have gathered with a political agenda. This therefore means that future visits may not be full capacity due to the cautious approach (Kotler, Bowen & Makens, 2006, p. 326). The attitude of the British towards Mauritius as a tourist destination is always positive. This is despite the various challenges that have come up between the relationships of the two countries such as the protests. This is evident from the number of visitors that arrive at the national airports from the United Kingdom as seen in the above statistics. In fact, the second highest number of visitors per annum from Europe came from the United Kingdom for the two years analyzed. The general attitude of tourists from other corners of the word is also positive. The number of people arriving from the other countries is always on the rise provided economic conditions are constant or improving (Voigt, 2008, 256). Factors that may encourage tourists to revisit Mauritius Mauritius remains unrivaled in general calmness and security state of the country. Most tourists prefer a calm place where they can relax and hence Mauritius remains as the best place. The political environment is generally clam; a factor which many people desire of their favorite destination. The crime rate is also low except for minor muggings that take place infrequently. This cannot be compared with crime rates in other countries such as the United States. The natural attractions are also breathtaking. Some of the areas that would make one to consider revisiting this country include; the Grand Baie beach and tourist village, Chamarel village, the Le Chateau de Labourdonnais, the Black River Gorges and the Le Morne Brabant among others. Also other numerous tourist attraction sites would compel one to consider revisiting Mauritius. Moreover, the hotels and resorts also offer excellent accommodation. The services offered in these hotels are exemplary hence one will be tempted to return for another exclusive experience. In addition to the services, most of the hotels are equipped with the latest technology to cater for the needs of travelers from different places (Smith, Berry & Pulford, 2002, p. 61). Most of them also have saunas, private Jacuzzis, breathtaking gardens, and massage services. This combined with other features provide a fairy like ambience that many return to experience again. Factors that may discourage visitors from returning to Mauritius Travelling costs may hinder some people from travelling to the Mauritius. The cost of travelling from some places such as the United States and some parts of Africa such as West Africa is high therefore some people would not afford the trip for the second time. The increasing oil prices in the world oil market have also forced airlines and shipping companies to increase fare. This has even forced some people o stay at home rather than burn their savings on fare. Access to some amenities may also affect revisits. Some regions especially in rural areas are not fully developed in terms of infrastructure. Some tourists may visit such areas and get access problems during the tour. This may discourage them from considering a return trip. List of References Baker, M 2010, The Strategic Marketing Plan Audit: a detailed top management review of every aspect of your company’s marketing strategy, Axminster, Devon, Campridge Strategy Publ. Kotler, P, Bowen, J & Makens, J 2006, ‘Electronic marketing: Internet marketing, database marketing and direct marketing’, In Marketing for hospitality and tourism. Prentice Hall, New Jersey. Mehta, R, Rosenbloom, B & Anderson, R 2000, ‘The role of the sales manager in channel management: impact of organizational variables’, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 1-51. Reid, R & Bojanic, D 2006, ‘Product-Service Mix Strategy’, In Hospitality Marketing Management, John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey. Smith, P, Berry, C & Pulford, A 2002, Strategic marketing communications: New ways to build and integrate communications, Kogan Page, London. Statsmauritius. 2013, International Travel & Tourism: Year 2012, viewed April 2013, Voigt, C. (2008). Insights into Wellness Tourists: Segmentation by Benefits. Paper presented at the New Zealand Tourism & Hospitality Research Conference. Walker, J 2009, Hospitality Marketing: Introduction to Hospitality, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. Read More