The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the necessity to explore new grounds for tourism in the Republic of Mauritius. In the ongoing global pandemic context, the country aims at attracting more senior tourists and digital nomads - two promising yet different markets segments. To reimagine the local tourism value chain, the UNDP Mauritius and Seychelles Accelerator Lab is testing hypotheses about the country’s ability to reach these two target markets, while upholding a tourism model that is sustainable, inclusive, and respectful of the cultural and ecological nature of our islands.

The budget statement for FY2021-22 further outlines the necessity to reposition the tourism industry against a changing tourism landscape globally. The UNDP and the Accelerator Lab are assisting in this endeavour, framing the scope for the two-day dialogue on the future of the tourism sector for the Republic of Mauritius held on December 16 and 17 2021.

During the dialogue, we addressed four hypotheses, two on each day. The first two directly tackle the silver economy and the last two cover the digital nomads:

1.     Our public and private medical health infrastructure is ready and able to provide services to the silver economy;

2.     Artisanal fishers are ready and able to play an integrated role to provide community-based services to the silver economy;

3.     Mauritius has all the capabilities to deliver on a resilient, eco-friendly, and sustainable tourism model, which is attractive to digital nomads;

4.     Existing information and communication technologies in Mauritius can be leveraged to expand access to these two market segments for small operators.

Each hypothesis discussed emphasised the complexity of the local tourism value chain, however, the biggest insight was unsurprising: the future of tourism needs to be responsible and sustainable.

Our public and private medical health infrastructures are ready and able to provide services to the silver economy.

90% of the participants of the two-day dialogue, including representatives from ministries, parastatal bodies and MSMEs, think that Mauritius is ready and able to provide services to the silver economy market segment. However, participants who joined online from Rodrigues highlighted the island’s limitations to effectively attract such a market, as Rodrigues itself relies on Mauritius for more complex medical services and is mainly dependent on public health services.

A recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) study outlines that the quality of healthcare of a tourist destination will be pivotal in its post-pandemic tourism recovery. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the way decisions are made regarding travel and tourism has been altered, and destinations need to quickly adjust their offer. One solution for Mauritius is to invest in innovative technologies to digitalise healthcare and healthcare systems and bolster our local capacity to deal with health issues facing tourists in a quick and effective manner. A new government project involving the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the UNDP on the long-term Digital Health Transformation Strategy Framework brings a lot of hope. However, increased partnerships and synergies between the public and private sectors are required to enhance the overall offer of the country in terms of healthcare.

Improving the local mobility infrastructure

During the conversations, it became clear that tackling health infrastructure alone is not enough. Ensuring the resilience of the new local tourism model will require more adaptation as tourist behaviour and consumption patterns are changing. For example, UNWTO identifies accessible and inclusive mobility as a new gamechanger for destinations. To this end, the participants stressed on the importance of improving the local mobility infrastructure, which is currently 99% motorised and not adapted to people with disabilities.

The repurposing of road spaces was mentioned as a solution that could become a reality via public-private financing mechanisms. Moreover, additional efforts are needed on decarbonising the (public) transportation system while ensuring accessibility. To this end, a new budget has been announced by the Government, financing a ’10-year Electric Vehicle Integration Roadmap’.

Regarding the necessity to adapt infrastructure to the silver economy, some participants mentioned ‘tourist villages’ with integrated services such as accommodation, medical, transportation, outdoor activities, culinary experiences, meet-the-locals, etc. The Republic of Mauritius needs interconnected, integrated and inclusive policies that have the potential to build on the current momentum to do things differently.

Stay tuned for the next blog where we will share insights on our second hypothesis during this two-day dialogue on the integration of artisanal fishing in the local tourism value chain.

If you are interested to partner with the Accelerator Lab, please reach out to us at acclab.mu.sey@undp.org