Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
UNDERSTAND MAURITIUS
TOP OF CHAPTER
Mauritius Today
A symbol of just how Mauritius is travelling can be answered by a simple question: when
was the last time Mauritius made international headlines? The answer, with one notable ex-
ception, is almost never. Despite a robust political culture, the country remains stable,
democratic and relatively properous for the region.
The island's brief foray into the international media occurred in late March 2013, when
intense rains swept across the island. While often in the path of cyclones and other vagaries
of Indian Ocean weather, the rains left a trail of devastation in Port Louis - flooding,
largely the result of blocked drains, left 11 people dead. The tragedy was a wake-up call for
the authorities who, critics said, had failed to heed earlier warning signs that the island's in-
frastructure was at best poorly maintained and at worst inadequate.
On the economic front, the diversification of the Mauritian economy continues to pay di-
vidends - although sugar is grown on 90% of the island's agricultural lands, it now ac-
counts for just 15% of the country's exports. The sugar industry is being downsized and
vast work forces have been laid off because of increased mechanisation or factory closures.
Former prime minister Paul Bérenger envisaged Mauritius enjoying a 'quantum leap' to
a 'knowledge island' during his brief premiership, making Mauritius the Indian Ocean's in-
ternet hub, and while progress continues to be made along these lines, traditional agricul-
tural activities, tourism and textiles continue to provide most of the jobs in the country. You
can expect to see lots more call centres here (with much of the population speaking fluent
Hindi or Mandarin there's plenty of scope for service industries for both China and India
being based here) as well as IT free-trade zones. The banking industry - Mauritius' secret
world of international money transfers and tax loopholes - also continues to see huge bene-
fits for the economy despite the global downturn.
In difficult international economic conditions, the 3.4% growth of the country's economy
in 2012 is a pretty respectable figure, while GDP per capita for Mauritians stood at an im-
pressive US$15,600 in the same year. Unemployment was 8%, a figure that was the envy
of many a European country during the same period.
