This research attempts to assess the attitudes of residents towards the perceived tourism impacts on their lives and communities in selected tourism coastal villages in Mauritius. A survey was used to examine residents' attitudes toward tourism development. The survey results show that tourism is a major pillar of the economy. Tourism has been a key contributor to economic growth and has led to increased job and investment opportunities, to the expansion of local amenities and infrastructural improvement. However, tourism is also generating inflationary pressures. The local community views on the social impact of tourism development in the region suggest positive social impact, except in the area of sports/leisure facilities. As such the respondents consider that the development of tourism has some negative impact on society. As far as local communities' views on the tourism development impact on the environment are concerned, residents' perceptions are negative. However, it is noted that the respondents are of the opinion that it is residents, not tourists, who are responsible for the degradation of the environment. Interestingly, the respondents admitted that tourism development has led to greater cleanliness of their localities. In contrast, tourism development is associated with crowded beaches and even, at times, restricted access to the beaches.
About the Authors:
Jashveer Hosany is a graduate from the University of Technology,Mauriitus. He is presently working as research assistant in some projects funded by the ADB and World Bank. His research interest is in financial development and in tourism as well
Dr. R V Sannassee is an Associate Prof of International Business at the Uni of Mauritius with research interest in foreign direct investment, international trade and also in Finance. He is actually a consultant for a number of organisation including the UNDP, ADB and the World Bank.
Dr B Seetanah is the faculty research advisor and senior lecturer at the faculty of Law and Management at the UoM. His research area is related to transport, economic develpment, tourism and finance as well. He has been consulting with numerous bodies such as the ILO, UNDP, World Bank and ADB among others
Kesseven Padachi is a Senior Lecturer in the field of Accounting and Finance at the University of Technology, Mauritius. He is a PhD holder in small business finance and a fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants.