Essay

Contemporary Issues In Tourism Management 300

Assignment 2 – Essay

Topic: Island Tourism Planning and Policy Issues: Outline and critically discuss impact and influence of tourism in Mauritius. What are the major tourism planning issues and challenges?

This paper will aim to examine the planning and policy issues associated with Island Tourism, and in particular the island of Mauritius. The impact and influence of tourism in Mauritius will be analysed and the major tourism planning issues and challenges associated with island tourism and how to combat these identified.
Coastal tourism is defined by Michael Hall as “embracing the full range of tourism, leisure and recreationally orientated activities that take place in the coastal zone and the offshore coastal waters” (Hall 2001).
Tourism has a vast array of social, economic and environmental impacts on a destination. Planning and policy implementation is paramount in the tourism industry to manage and control these impacts of tourism and achieve sustainable development. Planning has many functions including; anticipating change, developing strategic visions and evaluating different options for the future.
The island of Mauritius is an increasingly popular luxury holiday destination and like many island tourist destinations is known for its sun- sand and sea approach of tourism. The island displays mass tourism, attracting nearly 1 million guests per year (Mauritius Attractions. 2013) with plans by the Mauritian government to substantially increase the number of air tourist arrivals to the island to 1.45 million by 2020 (Government of Mauritius. 2003).
Tourism is often recognised as a promising sector for the economic benefits and opportunities it yields for a destination however can also be criticised for the negative social and environmental effects it may bring. (Sinclair & Gooroochurn. N.d). It is important to recognise all three aspects when analysing the effect of tourism on an island destination which is what will be applied to the case of Mauritius. Like many island destinations tourism is an important component of the Mauritian economy and significant source of its foreign exchange revenues. The development from a low-income economy based on agriculture to a middle-income diversified economy over the past 30 years can be largely attributed to the ongoing expansion of the luxury tourism sector. In International tourist destinations such as Mauritius additional foreign currency and investment is brought into and spent in the host region, in turn creating additional business revenue, income, jobs and government revenue opposed to domestic tourism which simply is a re-distribution of currency (Theobald. 2005).
Other economic benefits that can be attributed to the development of tourism on the island include the provision of over 40,000 jobs to local residents (Mauritius Attractions. 2013) and the establishment of the Tourism Employee Welfare Fund in 2003 to provide support and extracurricular services to tourism employees (TEWF. 2008). The provision of such a large number of jobs and opportunities to local residents enhances the wealth of locals, their quality of life and standard of living.
A social benefit attributed to tourism and applicable to the island of Mauritius is the development of cultural diversity. The local residents of Mauritius as well as the tourists visiting are exposed to different nationalities and cultures which enrich their life experience. Quite often tourism can come under criticism for being associated with socials problems at the destination including; crime, gambling and drug and alcohol abuse as well as loss of cultural identity (Wilkinson. 1989). This has not yet been the case in Mauritius as their strategy to maintain and market the destination as upmarket, prestigious and luxurious has meant that these types of impacts are virtually non-existent in the destination (MTPA. 2011). Often considered the most detrimental impact of tourism is the environmental impact. A 1999 report of Mauritius showed that there is increasing environmental degradation on the coastal zone, where most of the tourist areas are located (Janvier 1999). Over history the usage and development of the coast in tourism around the world has evolved and continues to rapidly impact on the environment. The steady increase in tourist arrivals has been the main contributor to environmental issues including: coastal erosion through the development of bungalows and infrastructure concentrated on the coastline, environmental degradation and pollution of the lagoon from hotel waste disposal and oil leakages from boats and the increased popularity of water sports (Janvier 1999). A 2007 study conducted by scientists concluded that the mass tourism and associated activities of snorkelling, diving, water-skiing, anchoring damage, pollution, and hotel waste water have all played a heavy environmental impact on the coral of the island. (Reuters. 2007).
When visiting an island destination tourists desire to stay as close to the coast as possible which as a result means that majority of hotels, accommodation facilities and tourist activities are highly concentrated to these particular areas putting stress on and the natural environment and risking overexploitation. In the context of Mauritius majority of tourism is confined to three major zones along the coast which has resulted in the degradation and clearing of coastal plains in these regions.
There are different approaches that a country can take to tourism planning. Ad Hoc planning, an approach previously implemented in Mauritius and which is often exhibited in countries such as South East Asia, is the spontaneous planning in response to an issue or problem once it arises and does not predict future issues (Holmes. 2013). However most destinations are now recognising the need for and gravitating towards a sustainable approach to tourism planning which considers the social, economic and environmental resources of a destination and plans development appropriate to them. The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) defines sustainable tourism development as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities (UNWTO. 2013). This approach of tourism meets the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future. Hall (1998) supports this definition and approach by stating that a sustainable approach considers the economic, social and physical resources of the region and plans an appropriate form of development that conserves the social and physical environment whilst promoting the long term goals of the community (Holmes. 2013).
Features such as the pristine environment and unique culture and ecosystems present in Island locations such as Mauritius are what differentiate island tourism to tourism in other destinations. Research has shown that because of the unique attractions of island destinations as well as characteristics of being small in size and population, having a remote location and limited resources island tourist destinations are often susceptible to environmental problems and being economically reliant on tourism (Prayag 2010). As island tourism is so reliant on its natural features environmental preservation and conservation is especially critical and proposes a major challenge for tourism planners of island destinations to manage.
As can be supported by the impacts tourism has exhausted on Mauritius and as identified by Graci & Dodds (2010) the challenges and barriers that can be faced in planning sustainable tourism development of island destinations include but are not limited to: the development and implementation of an environmental management plan, stakeholder conflict and management, economic priority, lack of monitoring and measurement of policies and the limitations of physical and natural resources.
The carrying capacity of Small Island Developing States is often an important factor that can be overlooked in exchange for encouraging economic growth. An island with a limited land area of only 2,040 and 1.3 million residents (Gossling. 2006) cannot accommodate for huge numbers of people without compromising aspects of the destination. As seen in the steady increase of visitor numbers to there can be detrimental environmental and socio cultural impacts which continue to rise in line with the number of visitors if not managed efficiently.
Puckzo and Ratz (2000) have observed that poorly planned tourism development leads to increased stress on the destination and in turn negative changes to the destinations physical and socio cultural attributes. An Enclave model of tourism often refers to geographical areas that are isolated for tourism facilities and resorts to encourage tourists, resorts and tourist activities to be confined within a particular area (Cole & Morgan. 2010) which is the tourism model that Mauritius has historically exhibited.
It is only in recent years that the Mauritius Government have begun to evolve from an ad-hoc, enclave model of tourism to a more sustainable tourism planning approach by taking a more active approach in controlling and planning tourism in the country. The introduction of the National Tourism Development Plan, followed by the Tourism Authority Act in 2006 act as regulatory body in the operation of tourist enterprises and pleasure craft licences and enforcement notices. The act also urged hotel developers to install eco-friendly and energy saving practices such as desalination plants and recycling plants. (MUELEX. 2013) (Government of Mauritius 2013) .
With an aim to reflect the United Nations framework for the sustainable development for SIDS, and credit Mauritius with recognition for sustainable development the Mauritius Government launched the “Maurice Ile Durable” plan in 2008 (Maurice Ile Durable Commission. 2011). This plan focuses on monitoring tourism impacts, managing the environment and setting guidelines for managing biodiversity and achieving sustainable development. Since these introductions island tourism planners have claimed to be diversifying away from the mass tourism, sun-and-sand model of development and towards targeting high spending patterns and niche segments of the tourism market (Lockhart, 1997; Kokkranikal, 2003).
This enclave approach can be seen in Mauritius with majority of resorts and tourist activities being confined to few geographical locations. Although this approach can be noted to restrict the negative impacts to certain areas and away from local people (Cole & Morgan. 2010) it also imposes many limitations on secondary development at the island and restricts a sustainable approach of tourism. In the year 2000 the Mauritian Government introduced the National Tourism Development Plan which incorporates planning obligations such as a ‘Tourism Action Area Plan’ to increase the tourism industry through the broadening of the market segments and expanding tourist regions from three to six zones. This tourism strategy plans to differentiate each zone whilst emphasises maintaining a high quality, luxury type of accommodation, focusing on environmental protection as a priority throughout the development and expansion process and minimising the overexploitation of specific areas (Government of Mauritius. 2003)
A major environmental challenge that Island destinations face, as examined in the case of Mauritius, is the impact of waste management on the environment. With limited land mass and an increased number of people waste management can pose a major threat to the environment and is an issue that needs to be acknowledged and addressed by planning authorities.
In the case of Mauritius the neglect of waste management in favour of raising economic benefit to the island does not adhere to balancing the three triple bottom line components and has not been a sustainable approach of tourism planning. The Waste Water Regulations in place requiring large hotels to have a treatment plant are often inefficient and only apply to hotels of over 75 rooms. Without stricter guidelines and requirements in combination of monitoring and enforcement these regulations are simply ineffective in controlling waste management on the island.
As identified by Dodds (2007) the recognition and management of stakeholders poses a challenge in achieving sustainable tourism planning. Stakeholders are identified as “all individuals, groups or organisations that are directly influenced by actions others take to solve a problem” (Gray. 1989) (Holmes. 2013). When addressing stakeholder management there are numerous stakeholders to be considered and incorporated into the destinations strategic tourism planning (Getz & Timur 2005). The work of Freeman (1984) outlines four steps in the process of stakeholder management including; the identification of stakeholder groups, determining the stake or interest of each group, determining how effectively the needs of each group are currently being met and modifying the destinations tourism development policies and priorities to incorporate the identified needs. Incorporating stakeholder management theory into tourism planning is challenging for tourism planners as each stakeholder group may have different goals and approaches to Sustainable Tourism Development (Moisey and McCool, 2001) and some groups may influence greater power than others. Although this approach does have its challenges Getz & Timur (2005) argue that if the relative power of all stakeholder groups is neutralised then STD is achievable.
The Stakeholder Management approach allows destinations to act in a way that is responsive to the concerns of its stakeholders and consider a wider range of influences when developing planning and policy strategies. This approach balances a range of interests and encourages participation from all stakeholder groups.
It can be concluded that due to the restrictions that define island destinations the difficulties of developing a tourism plan and policies are often more prominent in island destinations opposed to other destinations. Although Mauritius have experienced some negative effects of tourism they have been able to control these to a reasonable extent due to their positioning as a high class, expensive, luxury style of destination. With the plans to increase tourist arrival numbers by such a substantial amount Mauritius will need to ensure that they strictly adhere to their tourism plan(s) that incorporate many aspects of sustainable development as set out by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation and adhere to guidelines by regulatory bodies. In conjunction with one another the National Tourism Development Plan, Tourism Authority Act and “Maurice Ile Durable” set out to balance the economic, social and environmental impacts of tourism on the Island of Mauritius. However as has been established by scholars it is important that policies and guidelines like these are not only developed correctly and with the stakeholders in mind but are also implemented, monitored and measured carefully and consistently. Island destinations are often economically reliant on tourism which provides employment and income for many locals involved in the tourism industry. As a result of this and due to stakeholder groups having an uneven distribution of power the economic benefits can be favoured over social and environmental impacts. With the increase in global awareness and pressure to be sustainable across all three economic, environmental and social pillars tourism planners have begun to defer away from the traditional ad-hoc planning approach of the ‘sun, sand and sea’ model and towards the development of Sustainable Tourism with a consideration for all stakeholder groups involved. This can safely be regarded as the most efficient and prosperous approach of tourism planning and is needed to ensure that the destination remains preserved and sustainable for successful tourism operation and development in the future.

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