World Economic Forum: Tourism, Maurice Lost its Place as No. 1 in the IO

Indeed, the WEF report on " The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013 – Reducing Barriers to Economic Growth and job Creation" confirms that from 2011 to 2013, the Mauritian tourism downgraded globally as well as regionally with the Seychelles archipelago making a giant leap over the same period.

Thus, during the past two years, Mauritius has lost its place as No. 1 tourism in this region of the Indian Ocean and sub-Saharan Africa to benefit Seychelles. World Ranking of the World Economic Forum, Maurice finds himself in 58th place while Seychelles occupy a comfortable 38th place, a difference of 20 places. Maurice lost five places compared to last ranking in 2011 when the Seychelles was not even part of the charts world tourism two years ago.

This ranking is developed by the WEF on the basis of a series of parameters from Travel and Tourism Expenditure-to-GDP ratio to Marketing and Branding Campaigns without forgetting the part of the safety of tourists as well as prices. " Mauritius loses its number one spot in the regional rankings, overtaken by the entry of the Seychelles this year, and is ranked 58th overall” the report notes at the outset of the World Economic Forum. The biggest challenge facing the Mauritian tourism for competitive prices with the result that this factor weighs heavily in the equation.

" However, the country has seen its price competitiveness decline significantly (ranked 75th, down from 18th in the last assessment) — primarily the result of increasing hotel and fuel prices and high ticket taxes and airport charges. Additionally, in terms of challenges, the country’s environmental sustainability has received a weakened assessment, of particular concern given the importance of the natural environment for the country’s leisure tourism, "says the WEF in its analysis.

On the positive side, the report of the World Economic Forum notes that " The country’s tourism and ground infrastructure are well developed by regional standards (48th and 37th, respectively), and its policy environment is supportive of the development of the sector (ranked 28th). Mauritius also benefits from high marks for safety and security (36th)"

For its part, the Seychelles has benefited from the efforts made by the authorities in recent years. " The importance of Travel & Tourism for the country’s economy is reflected in its top ranking for the prioritization of the industry, with the 2nd highest T&T expenditure–to-GDP ratio in the world and effective marketing and branding campaigns. These efforts are reinforced by a strong national affinity for Travel & Tourism (5th) ; good tourism infrastructure, especially in terms of available hotel rooms (6th) ; and good ground and air transport infrastructures, particularly by regional standards (31st and 27th, respectively), "says the World Economic Forum.