Eco Tourism - who cares ?

Vanessa de Vere on 05 June 2018
In the 1980's I was fortunate enough to spend some time in Mauritius. I was writing a thesis for my degree in Oceanography. Mauritius is an island in the south west Indian Ocean around 2400km south-east of coast of Africa and 855km east of Madagascar.

Back then we didn't know what we were doing to our planet. Plastic was big news in the 80's as it was seen as the new and better alternative to paper bags and adoption grew rapidly across the globe. Global warming was a mumbling in University lecture halls after its first appearance is academic journals in 1975 - but no one took it seriously.

I went to Mauritius to study the effect of ocean currents on coral reefs and around the lagoon area of Ile aux Cerfs just off the Trou d'Eau Douce and the Ile aux Aigrettes. I spent time diving and researching, measuring water current speeds and flows. What I did see was the most spectacular marine life and stunning corals. What I didn't see was pollution, apart from the occasional bottle floating by with the letter in it!

Eco this and eco that is something we've all heard about but not perhaps actively doing anything about. When I was there, the country was dipping into recession and times were pretty hard. Tourism was just starting to get a foot hold with the introduction of Air Mauritius in the 60's (although it initially had no aircraft of its own) by Air France and BOAC who operated services on their behalf. As the island nation became more accessible tourism started to boom and together with a really smart economic policies have brought the island nation into the modern day world. And with it modern day problems - like plastic pollution.

What inspired me to write this article is the way in which eco-tourism is embraced by the Ministry of Tourism, how hoteliers adopt policies for change and the care and respect with which the human footprint is dealt with. Like it or not we all leave a mark wherever we go; taking that plane trip, that car ride, the food we eat whilst away, flushing a toilet, throwing away our empty bottles of lotions and potions before we embark on our return journey home - it all adds up.

In this mini series of articles, I will share with you what makes Mauritius my go to holiday destination for eco-tourism and what makes it so very special. Because there is more to Mauritius than all-inclusive holidays, pristine beaches and palm trees.