Axys Stockbroking, licensed by Financial Services Commission, recently published an incendiary report on Tourism in Mauritius as of June 2014. The local media nonetheless missed out on the report conclusions, diffusing the loaded bombshell and annihilating its potential for change in this weakening pillar of our economy. L'Express was the only one to offer a simple surface compte-rendu, offering mere 336 words about what they deemed as the most important pieces of information. [LINK] Le Defi Media Group [LINK] contributed to the topic with a 436-word review of the press conference of Min. of Tourism on June 10, without ever putting forward the powerful statements mentioned in the report. Le Mauricien, on its side, decided it was not newsworthy, perhaps in such politically eventful times! But here I am thinking someone should speak up about this report! Although I can understand how juicy the political scene is right now, I find it unwise for this report [LINK] go unnoticed by journalists, who, I am certain of it, are longing to add to the on-going debate. After former Min. of Finances quit his position in government, it would be pretty easy for a nice pun on present Min. of Tourism probable departure from government as well. Should journalists have had time to peruse this 12-page report (which isn't that long really!), they would have seen the potential for news. proabbly The report qualifies Mauritian tourism as a "aimlessly drifting industry", a "headless industry" - if that does not put into question the position our Min. of Tourism, I do not know what will! Other than openly claiming that our tourism sector is basically left on its own, with no real leading figure, with obsolete market models and unrealistic targets, the report sets the tone as it slams down one final time in its conclusion about how "based on the gathered date, [they] do believe there exists room for airlines to lower their rates...; however, given the existing oligopoly, this is unlikely to happen..." Other than blatantly putting out clear data which do speaks for itself - there was no need to shoot the Ministry of Tourism down in flames as it did, this explicit report holds a plethora of ideas for the future of tourism in Mauritius, many of which I applaud. The report calls for collective action from within this sector, where, it has been seen, the market-driven stakeholders usually fight for gain on their own - solo ventures which reap no real benefit on the long-term for the sector. The report also calls for a re-structuring of hotel management, putting forward that hotel proprietorship and resort management should be separated. Another interesting idea, I thought, was that of re-glamorising Mauritius, not by re-branding it with another similar 'Mauritius, C'est un Plaisir' but by using out cultural assets; we need to show that we are more than Sun, Sea, and Sand. We have a colonial past, with British and French memoirs all over the island; yet there is NOT A SINGLE guided tour for monuments in Port Louis. If London and Hollywood Boulevard have their own open-top buses, why don't we do too? With our world-acclaimed golf courses, with the magnificent 18-Hole Championship golf club on Ile Aux Cerfs, why can't Mauritius host annual international golf rendez-vous? Road shows, our 'make-believe' carnivals are an over-used tourist attraction that no longer is enough in such difficult financial times. The one concept we are constantly reminded of in that report, and which is thus, by journalistic principles, from what I learned so far in my journalism degree, the most newsworthy piece given its prominence, is the "technocratic high level steering committee". Were journalists afraid of the term? Was it not mainstream for their readers? In any case, what does this 'technocratic high level steering committee' really mean? From the word technocracy, which is a system governed exclusively by technical experts in decision-making fields, this committee would basically consists of high level experts in the field of tourism and large stakeholders who would collectively guide the tourism industry into navigating towards our 1 million target in a sustainable manner. Meanwhile, all L'Express does is paint a rapid portrait of the report, missing out on the steering committee. The fact that airfare to Mauritius is 30% above the average, due to government, airport taxes and fees - the highest among Indian Ocean islands. If that is not a deterrent towards achieving our 1M target by 2015; a deterrent which is clearly in the hands of the authorities, who, on their side, still need to cover the costs on our new airport and will thus not reduce airfare so soon! As for Le Defi Media Group, the political angle was chosen, to no surprise. This all makes me wonder: do we need journalists with a specialisation in economy? Or simply more journalists who would then have time to actually read a complete report before presenting it to the public? I'd love to hear your views about our tourist industry! Until then, do read the Axys Stockbroking June 2014 Report! Sine Cera
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