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Ministry of Tourism (Mauritius)
OrganizationThe political head of the Ministry is the Minister for Tourism. Senior staff include the Permanent Secretary and other members of the Administration Section.[1] The work of the Ministry is divided between the Technical Unit, which covers policy and planning, and the Leisure Unit, which promotes leisure activities for citizens and tourists.[2] Other public bodies also operate under the aegis of the Ministry: the Tourism Authority, which regulates the tourist industry,[3] the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, which promotes Mauritius as a tourist destination,[4] and the Tourism Employees Welfare Fund. PolicyAccording to the Ministry, "[T]he National Tourism Policy emphasizes low impact, high spending tourism",[5] and sees Mauritius as a high-end tourist destination.[6] The government's National Long-Term Perspective Study, published in 1997, noted the growth in tourist arrivals and proposed a "green ceiling" on the number of tourists to prevent overdevelopment of the island's environment, with increased revenue coming from higher spending per tourist.[7] Tourist arrivals have grown from 422,463 in 1995[8] to a forecasted 1,030,000 for 2014.[9] The continued growth in tourist arrivals has been criticized by We Love Mauritius, an environmental non-governmental organization.[10] In 1997, there were 87 hotels with a total capacity of 6,800 rooms and 14,100 bedplaces. Average room occupancy rates were 72% for all hotels and 78% for large hotels (defined as established beach hotels with more than 80 rooms). Figures for bed occupancy rates were 64% and 70% respectively. Several beachside resort hotels are owned and/or operated by large groups such as Sun International and Beachcomber Hotels. It is estimated that around 25% of visitors stay in non-hotel accommodation, such as boarding houses, self-catering bungalows and with friends and relatives.[5] The Ministry's Strategic Direction for 2013 to 2015 states that it seeks continued growth of at least 5% annually in the tourism sector, and addresses declining demand from traditional markets such as Europe by seeking customers from other regions such as China, India, and Russia.[11] Mauritius also participates with other island nations in the Indian Ocean in the Vanilla Islands scheme to promote themselves collectively as a tourist destination.[12] See alsoReferences
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