Africa-Press – Mauritius. The tourism sector will bounce back and emerge more stronger than it was before the pandemic through measures implemented and concerted actions of both the public and private sector, stated the Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, this evening, at the inauguration of new Sunrise Attitude hotel in Belle Mare.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Mr Louis Steven Obeegadoo, the Chief Executive Officer of Attitude Hotels, Mr Jean Michel Pitot and other personalities were also present at the ceremony.
Prime Minister Jugnauth pointed out that the collaboration of the public and private sector has led to concerted actions in terms of marketing the destination of Mauritius while emphasising that the Mauritius Now project is an integral part of this partnership, positioning Mauritius as an attractive and safe destination.
The tourism sector, he noted will be once again prosperous and with the engagement of the private sector, the goal of reaching the set target for touristic arrivals for the current financial year will be attained. The Prime Minister assured all partners that it is time for the tourism sector to kick off.
He commended the efforts of the promoters, Lavastone, and the Attitude Hotels for coming up with this project despite the trying time due to the COVID-19 pandemic hence showing their contribution to the socioeconomic development of the country.
The inauguration of the hotel, Prime Minister Jugnauth highlighted, demonstrates the willingness of the tourism industry to overcome hurdles and tap into the potential of the sector.
He observed that tourism enterprises have shown determination and resilience to overcome obstacles adding that the country has been able to handle the sanitary situation and is coping with the economic recovery in the best possible conditions.
The reopening of borders on 1st of October, the roll out of the vaccination programme and the kickstart of the activities of the national airline bring optimism for a better future for the tourism industry, he underscored.
Mauritius, Mr Jugnauth said distinguishes itself with its rich cultural heritage, beautiful beaches, plurality of cultures and hospitality. He recalled that vaccinated tourists can move freely on the island.
“In joining our forces we will be able to envisage the future of this crucial industry with 111 hotels generating directly and indirectly around 100 000 employment contributing 23% to GDP before the pandemic”, indicated the Prime Minister.
To support the industry, Prime Minister Jugnauth underlined that Government has come up with various measures such as the Wage Assistance Scheme and the Self-Employed Assistance Scheme.
He mentioned that from March 2020 to September 2021, the Government has disbursed more than Rs 10.5 billion and the scheme has been extended till December 2021, amounting to an additional sum of Rs 2.4 billion.
Mr Jugnauth elaborated on other measures put in place comprising the financial support programme of up to Rs 15.9 billion for hotel enterprises and tourism operators through the Mauritius investment Corporation; the introduction of the Apart hotel scheme enabling hotel to transform their hotel rooms into apartment that can be sold; and exemption of payment of licence fee for a period of two years for licensees of Beach Authority and Tourism Authority; and the revised support programme for renovation and construction of hotels on state lands.
The Deputy Prime Minister, for his part, expressed enthusiasm on the opening of the hotel following closed borders. He lauded the initiate undertaken by the hotel to renovate and trained its personnel, showing confidence in this sector during this challenging phase.
He observed that after 18 months of closed borders, the country has been able to open itself to visitors. On the vaccination programme, Mr Obeegadoo pointed out that 90% of adults have been vaccinated and 40% of adolescents have been inoculated with the vaccine.
To this end, he underlined that the country has been able to overcome this trying time adding that since the reopening of borders, out of 29 000 incoming passengers, nineteen COVID-19 cases have been detected.
For his part, Mr Pitot pointed out that the launch of this new attitude hotel marks a special chapter as Mauritius opens its borders which will help to give a new impetus to the tourism industry.
He expressed thankfulness to the Government for coming up with measures such as the Wage assistance scheme to provide support to workers of the tourism sector.
Speaking on hotel rooms occupancy, he indicated that L’Association des Hôteliers et Restaurateurs de l’Ile Maurice has registered around 45% of occupancy for October and above 50% for November which indicates a good sign for the industry.
The new Sunrise Attitude, an exclusively adult and four-star hotel in Belle Mare renovated from 61 to 145 rooms is in line with the Attitude Group to promote sustainable development and support local products.
