Challenges and Coping Strategies of Covid-2019 in the Tourism Industry in Mauritius

Abstract

The tourism industry of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) where Mauritius is one of them has been heavily impacted by 2019-nCoV due to its high reliance on foreign tourism. The study seeks to measure the effect of 2019-nCoV on the Mauritian tourism industry as well as its coping mechanism. The study methodology employs secondary data which has been sourced from academic journal publications, literature, documents from the Ministry of Tourism, government papers and other research readings. Secondary data was analysed through literature reviews and findings among others reveal negative impacts on economic activity and employment as a good percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) comes from the Mauritian tourism industry. However, the small island of Mauritius has not given up in its struggle towards recovering its tourism industry to a certain extent. Although the small island has been declared a free zone of 2019-nCoV by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), the increase in the number of cases from other countries is likely to have a strong bearing on the tourism industry of Mauritius. It is imperative that the island adopts a rigorous recovery approach in responding to the pandemic before the inflows and outflows of tourists occur again. It is recommended that taking proactive measures through planning the strict health-related safety measures and guidelines, green-focused tourism interventions amongst others and implementation thereof, should be undertaken by both the employees in the hospitality sector and the visiting tourists while the small island awaits for the upliftment of quarantine restrictions.