Stand out from the crowd. This is the ultimate objective of adopting a unique brand for Mauritius. The branding will not only affect the tourism sector ? although it appears to be a major part of the project ? but it will also concern exports, investment, information and communication technologies, to mention only a few. A ministerial committee, chaired by the minister of Tourism, Xavier-Luc Duval, has been set up to study the concept of branding and it held its first meeting on 2nd July. But this appears to be only a first step?

?Marketing Mauritius, be it to entice more tourists, to sell our goods and services or to attract foreign investors in existing and new sectors is an unending task. It is also an undertaking that must be done on increasingly more fronts as we diversify our economy and maintain our openness thrust. Our competitors are investing massively in projecting a unique image. Mauritius must also distinguish itself from the crowd,? the minister of Finance, Rama Sithanen, declared in his last budget speech. He announced at the same time that he was granting Rs 35 million for this branding exercise ? ?spearheaded by the ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the Board of Investment, the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA), Enterprise Mauritius and other private and public sector organisations?.

The tourism sector has actually been waiting for this branding exercise for many years. The chairman of the Association of Hotels and Restaurant Owners of Mauritius (AHRIM), Jean-Michel Pitot, expressed his satisfaction that the preoccupations of AHRIM regarding branding had been considered in the budget.

Providing a unique image to the Mauritian destination is expected to help market the product with tourists.?Building a branding is important because it helps put the emphasis on the differentiation aspects of the destination. We must show we are different from all other islands that also have sun, sea and sand. We have specific points that we would like to highlight more,? comments the minister of Tourism.

<B>Meet tourists? expectations</B>

Of course, Mauritius is already benefiting from the reputation of its luxury hotels. But minister Duval recently warned, in an interview to l?express: ?With the expansion of the sector, we can have an erosion of the branding. To avoid this, we must offer the same brand to all tourists, whether they go in three-star or five-star hotels.?

For the minister, it is important that Mauritius meets the expectations of tourists. ?It is important to point at these elements and reinforce them. Welcome, hospitality, quality of services, beautiful lagoons, security, environment, beaches? these are all elements that need reinforcement (?) There is a need to impose a standard.? In fact, through the brand, tourists must see the culture and personality of the country and visitors must find it when they reach the destination.

For a source at the ministry of Tourism, the cultural riches of the country might have to be more developed. ?Not only do we have a great cultural diversity but Mauritius also benefits from the fact that it was already on the world map in 1502 when Australia and certain parts of America were not there yet,? said a source at the ministry of Tourism. ?We also have the most valuable archives of the Third World as well as valuable stamps. All this might be part of the branding,? he added.

But tourism is not the sole sector where the government intends to adopt a brand. The committee is actually composed of the minister of Agro-industry, Arvin Boolell, the attorney general, Rama Valayden, the minister of Industry, Rajesh Jeetah, and the minister of ICT, Etienne Sinatambou. It is a clear sign that the branding should affect all these sectors ? and even more.

As for the ICT sector, for instance, the senior adviser at the Prime Minister?s office on ICT matters, Jean Suzanne, made it clear that Mauritius needs a clear communication strategy. ?The image of Mauritius as an added value country in the ICT field must be built. If customers do not have this perception, they will simply not come. We have to do a branding on Mauritius and set up a strategy with marked actions like missions of industrial magnates in Mauritius so that they can see and feel what we?re talking about.?

The chairman of Enterprise Mauritius, Amédée Darga, is also of the opinion that a ?national branding will help make the country more visible and consequently boost our companies and exports?. The idea could be for instance to put a certain number of local brands in the limelight.

Every stakeholder involved in the branding exercise actually seems to agree on the importance of giving a unique image to the country in different sectors. Of course, strengthening of democracy, national development and economic integration are some factors that will also help develop a good image of the country and have a positive impact on the branding.

After the ministerial committee decides of the main avenues for the implementation of the branding project, a group of partners in the public and private sectors will be set up to develop the branding itself ? with special emphasis on national commitment.