Vision 2050: Tourism Initiates Sectoral Consultations
Over twenty organizations and stakeholders, including ministries, hotels of all sizes, the airline sector, NGOs, and promotional agencies, gathered for four hours to collaboratively shape the future of Mauritian tourism for the next 25 years. This was the first in a series of sectoral consultations led by the Ministry of Financial Services and Economic Planning, setting a forward-looking and action-oriented tone for the exercise.
Mauritian tourism is thriving: 1.4 million visitors by 2025, generating over Rs 103 billion in revenue and contributing approximately 8 to 9% to the GDP on average. However, it is precisely this strong performance that raises the most ambitious questions.
In her opening speech, Dr. Jyoti Jeetun framed the discussion: "How do we make this sector more sustainable? How do we diversify it? Are we aiming for volume or value creation while preserving our natural assets and culture?" She also raised the issue of integrating tourism into the local economy: how to create more opportunities by forging stronger links between the tourism sector and other areas of the Mauritian economy. Finally, she highlighted an underutilized potential: positioning Mauritius as a premier destination for MICE tourism by hosting international events such as the Africa CEO Forum or the FT Africa Summit, alongside its already strong leisure tourism brand.
Data at the Heart of the Discussions
Each sectoral consultation is co-chaired by a public sector representative and a private sector representative, who will submit their recommendations to the central authority of the Ministry of Financial Services and Economic Planning. In tourism, this co-chairmanship has been entrusted to Ashwin Seetaram, Director of Tourism, and Jocelyn Kwok, CEO of AHRIM.
Ashwin Seetaram took this opportunity to present, in advance, the main outlines of the tourism strategic plan, a document still in draft form, awaiting government validation, thus providing all stakeholders with a first glimpse of the foundational work on which Vision 2050 will build. He stated, "The vision of a high-performing Mauritian tourism sector relies on an integrated approach: culture, nature, resorts, cities, and villages must form a coherent whole that attracts visitors inland. The blue economy and green competitiveness are essential pillars of this vision, as is the gradual formalization of the informal sector."
Jocelyn Kwok emphasized the ambition of the discussions by calling for an additive logic rather than choosing one option over another: "It’s not about choosing between one option and another — it’s both this and that, and many more besides." The CEO of AHRIM also raised a central issue: half of tourists stay outside the hotel circuit, a reality still insufficiently captured by existing data. "We cannot plan what we do not measure," he reminded.
Dr. Jyoti Jeetun concluded by highlighting the pivotal role of the Ministry of Financial Services and Economic Planning: cohesion among all stakeholders — ministries, private sector, and civil society — is not optional but the starting point. Moving them in the same direction is the mission the Ministry has set for the construction of Vision 2050.
Three Working Groups, Concrete Recommendations
Participants divided into three thematic groups — prosperity, employment and income, and sustainability. Among the recommendations raised were strengthening air transport infrastructure; enhancing cultural heritage through better utilization of public museums; developing Rodrigues and Saint Brandon as full-fledged tourist destinations; creating skilled and specialized jobs to enhance the sector's added value; regulating taxi fares to provide visitors with a more transparent and competitive experience; and creating synergies between the formal and informal sectors.
The next sectoral consultations will involve stakeholders in the circular economy and those in the real estate, housing, and land use sectors, focusing on the major sustainability issues leading up to 2050.
