The government has been striving to boost tourism for the past five years. By building new hotels (especially in Bel-Ombre), restructuring the airport and a few other initiatives, the authorities have managed to create more space and better quality service for our visitors. Of course, air access policy remains to be settled to make sure all hotel rooms are fully occupied. Likewise, the duty-free paradise may be a good initiative but concrete – especially infrastructure – changes have to be thought upon…

All this will most probably help the Mauritian economy but, as long as tourists don’t feel safe coming to Mauritius on holiday, we won’t move forward… That’s for sure. Tourism has faced a few accidents that could cost a lot to the industry if the authorities do not react to make sure visitors will feel safe and comfortable…

The recent accident at Ile-aux-Cerfs that killed a French tourist and badly injured another one and the more recent one at Le Morne, which has left a Russian tourist in a coma, are a proof that the authorities should take severe measures to prevent such accidents from happening again! The skipper's guilt has not been established yet but some say he didn’t respect the regulations for such activities.

When the minister of Tourism, Anil Gayan, insists on the need for a second skipper on board, he might be right. But the most urgent measure would be to settle the way licences are given and to ensure that people abide by the regulations…

Anyway, even if the skipper is proved guilty, this remains an accident, which could in no way be predicted by any authority or skipper… But, another incident, which happened a few weeks ago, could be more damaging for the industry as it brings into question the legendary Mauritian courtesy and welcome…

A Mauritian, back from South Africa came to the office last week after calling me several times to explain he had something important to show me… I could not understand his eagerness until I saw the South African newspaper he handed to me… On the first page of Weekend Argus (which he assured me has a wide readership in South Africa) I read (like most South Africans a few days before) “Nightmare in Paradise – SA honeymoon couple tell of ordeal in Mauritius”.

Just next to a big photograph of the newly elected pope, on the first page of a foreign newspaper, the story of how a couple was mistreated in MY country, supposed to be a honeymoon paradise… The first sentence? “It was the honeymoon from hell.”

The couple relates how excited they were when they arrived at the airport for what was to be their best and most romantic trip ever! Their enthusiasm died down when customs officers started searching their baggage and this lasted more than one hour. “I found this experience daunting and unpleasant but I understood that the customs were just doing their job,” the newly-married lady explains.

But the nightmare was far from over. Five hours later, the couple was woken up by a knock on their hotel room door. “Nine customs officials burst into our room, this time armed with a search warrant.” Convinced that the honeymoon couple was in fact a pair of drug smugglers, they searched every single corner of the room. But, as they found nothing, they verbally apologised and left. And the episode was over for the Mauritian officials…

As soon as the couple reached South Africa, they wrote a letter to the minister of Tourism to express their disappointment and anger but got no answer… Likewise, the South African newspaper tried to get a comment from the Mauritian High Commission in Pretoria, but in vain…

What kind of publicity do such events attract for the Mauritian dream destination? I am sure these customs officers were doing their job and had good reasons to behave as they did. After all, more than 865 South Africans are imprisoned for drug muling around the world. But apologies from the authorities would have been a minimum! Zeal and manners should be complementary!

The lady said, “I have no intention of going back…” and would prefer to go anywhere rather than face Mauritian officials again. This is exactly what we don’t need just now… Tourism is in jeopardy… France and South Africa are among our most important markets. The minister should pamper the image of Mauritius abroad if the government wants tourism to be a viable economic pillar in the long-term.