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The purpose of this paper is to assess the extent to which Mauritius has structured its adaptation to and mitigation of the climate change and its effects on the tourism industry based on the UNEP framework on tourism and climate change.

The UNEP framework is used as a guideline based on which an assessment of the various policies, laws or regulations existent in Mauritius is carried out.

The paper highlights the significant lacunas that exist in Mauritius with regard to this subject matter with measures taken in good faith but not structured and oriented enough to meet long-term goals.

This paper adds to the meagre literature that exists in Mauritius on the legal or normative framework that exists in Mauritius concerning climate change and the tourism industry.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the trend and forecast the number of tourists from different regions of the world to Mauritius.

The paper adopts two grey system models, the even model GM(1,1) and the non-homogeneous discrete grey model (NDGM), to forecast the total number of international tourism to Mauritius and its structure from different regions tourist arrivals to Mauritius for the next three years. Grey system theory models were used to account for uncertainties and the dynamism of the tourism sector environment. The two models were applied as a comparison to obtain more reliable forecasting figures.

The results demonstrate that both of the grey system models can be successfully applied with high accuracy for Mauritian tourism prediction, and also the number of tourist arrivals to Mauritius shows a continued augmentation for the upcoming years.

Forecasting is meaningful since the Government of Mauritius, private companies or any concerned authority can adopt the forecasting methods exposed in this paper for the development of the tourism sector through managerial and economic decision making.

Mauritius is a charming travel destination. Through this paper, it can be seen that future tourism travel to Mauritius has been successfully predicted based on previous data. Moreover, it seems that the grey system theory models have not been utilised yet as forecasting tools for the tourism sector of Mauritius as opposed to other countries such as China and Taiwan.

Most existing studies on the impact of tourism on economic growth adopt an econometric approach that is insufficient to confirm that tourism actually leads to economic growth. Moreover, it cannot explain the causalities of different variables. Taking Mauritius as an example, this study aims to use the dynamic stochastic general equilibrium approach to investigate the contribution of tourism to economic growth when there is a productivity shock in the tourism sector.

A two-sector, small, open economy is modelled under the dynamic stochastic general equilibrium framework. The model is estimated using the Bayesian method based on real tourism and macroeconomic data from Mauritius for the period from 1999 to 2014. The impulse response functions are used to simulate the contribution of tourism to economic growth when there is a productivity shock in the tourism sector.

The simulation results show that the Mauritian gross domestic product (GDP) would increase by 0.09 per cent if the productivity of tourism is improved by 1 per cent, indicating that tourism could lead to economic growth. Considering the average annual growth rate of the Mauritian GDP, the contribution of tourism to its economic growth is significant. Furthermore, the effects of tourism on economic growth are moderated by price elasticities in international tourism demand.

This is the first study that estimates the dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model using the Bayesian method in tourism economic field. By correcting the prior information with real tourism and macroeconomic data, the estimation and simulation results are more robust compared with the calibration method, which has been used frequently in tourism studies.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the suitability of a single brand for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the hospitality sector to boost sustainable development in Mauritius.

The research design focuses on a literature review, face-to-face interviews and focus groups. The focus group method was used to consult 24 MSMEs and to gather their opinions on the value of a single brand for the hospitality sector. Other stakeholders were interviewed via face-to-face unstructured interviews, including at least one representative from the government, intergovernmental agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

The findings demonstrated that MSMEs in the accommodation sector have yet to realize the importance of effective brand management. Currently, they are focusing on short-term business strategies that could jeopardize their survival. Meanwhile, some businesses have noted a change in the profile of tourists and that more of them are looking for an authentic tourism experience. Respondents feel that the process of becoming certified is tedious and for a family business, and time consuming but perhaps necessary in the medium term. The survey also revealed that MSMEs involved in the hospitality sector in Mauritius are turning toward the digitalization of their offering. Respondents felt that this will help them to deliver a better service to the customers and provide a worthy experience.

The main limitation of this study is the modest sample size. Emphasis was placed on targeting key respondents to provide expert opinions on the topic.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this paper is the first study of its kind in Mauritius to analyze the suitability of an existing ecosystem for a single branding approach that integrates with the sustainable development goals in a practical way.

In recent years, the number of small independent tourism social enterprises has soared globally due to the rise of the Internet and tourists’ search for unique local experiences. These organizations are driven by a social purpose and have emerged as a reaction to conventional tourism development. They adopt a social justice approach with the aim to enhance community well-being. Importantly, they now exist as an accompaniment to the experiences provided by mainstream tourism that may not adequately satisfy the tourists’ quests for local, authentic, and high involvement experiences. This chapter reviews this independent operator context in Mauritius and examines the factors which contribute to meaningful local experiences.

Destination and resort managers have little knowledge regarding the Chinese outbound tourist market, yet its enormous potential cannot be overlooked. Providing services to this often unfamiliar segment can be difficult and may result in poor service delivery which can be detrimental to both enclave resorts and small island destinations, such as Mauritius. This study uses in-depth interviews among key informants from three- to five-star enclave resorts targeting Chinese tourists. The main challenges experienced by the resorts are cultural behavior, language barriers, different food habits, and the need to improve the service facilities and experience. Based on insights from industry practitioners, the study identifies service modifications provided by enclave resorts to provide Chinese tourists with a positive experience.

Hotels in Mauritius have faced difficult times during the 1990s because of changing customer demands and increasing competition from other tourist destinations like the Seychelles, the Pacific and Caribbean islands. The country’s hospitality and tourism sectors are trying to augment and offer more than the traditional “sea, sun and sand” concept which, until recently, has formed the core of the tourism product. Hotels have also not responded satisfactorily to the demands of customers owing to lack of management and staff training in service quality. The purpose of this study was to assess customers’ expectations and perceptions of service provided by hotels of Mauritius and to highlight how the service factors were related to customer satisfaction. The hotel managers’ perceptions of tourists’ expectations and the tourists’ actual expectations were also evaluated. Factor analysis with Varimax rotation was carried out and nine service quality dimensions were derived of 39 service attributes. The results also showed that customers’ perceptions of service quality in the hotel industry for Mauritius fell short of their expectations, with the “empathy” dimension having the largest gap.

Given the strategic importance of service quality in hotels of Mauritius, this paper investigates the perceptions of international tourists in hotels of Mauritius by employing a modified SERVQUAL approach Using a principal component factor analysis with a Varimax rotation technique, this study identifies nine hotel factors out of 39 hotel attributes and determines the levels of satisfaction among international tourists and their overall evaluation of service quality prevailing in the hotels. The results from the regression analysis suggest that the overall level of service quality is primarily derived from the “Reliability” factor. This study is strategically and managerially important to the hotel industry in Mauritius. From the results of the study, hotel managers can focus their efforts to provide quality service and facilities that international tourists perceive as being important in determining their overall service quality of the hotels.