- The Chikungunya epidemic in the popular Indian Ocean islands destinations has had an uneven effect. In Réunion, the hardest hit island, the season is described as a disaster and strategies to "reconstruct" the entire sector are being launched. In Mauritius, on the other hand, tourist arrivals increased by six percent in the first quarter of 2006.
According to the Mauritian government, "tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2006 reached 209,248 compared to 197,351 for the corresponding period in 2005, which represents an increase of 6 percent." Around 91 percent of the tourists had come mainly for holidays, defying the regional Chikungunya epidemic.
Mauritius' tourism sector nevertheless has been hit by the Chikungunya outbreak. Arrivals from France, the island's leading market, had dropped by 5.0 percent to attain 59,845 during this period. French tour operators like Exotismes have confirmed that travellers had shied away from the entire region, with sales to Seychelles, Mauritius and Réunion dropping, while preferring the Caribbean.
The French market had reacted to the large media coverage of the Chikungunya epidemic, covering cases in the entire region. In other markets, media coverage seems to have focused more on the stronghold of the mosquito-borne disease; the French-governed island of La Réunion. Italians, Germans, Britons, South Africans and Asians seem to have changed Réunion travel plans with a trip to Mauritius. Arrival from Italy to Mauritius had even grown by 87 percent in one year.
In Réunion, the hardships of the outbreak resulted in a total disaster for the tourism sector the first half of this year. Many tour operators skipped the popular destination all together. George Colson, leader of the Réunionnaise travel agents' trade union, recently stated that "the situation remains disastrous and the season is spoilt. During the [upcoming] school holidays, parents do not want to run risks with their children," meaning that bookings remain very low.
French Tourism Minister Léon Bertrand has had to announce a large relief programme to "reconstruct" the tourism industry of Réunion. Paris has already approved of a euro 4.5 million programme that mainly is to re-launch and market the destination on lost markets. The Minister reminded the Réunionnaise that "tourism was already in recession before the epidemic," so it would now be a good "occasion to instigate it and diversify it."
The re-branding of Réunion on European markets has already started, and islanders are optimistic they will soon step out of the crisis. Already in May, the Réunionnaise Tourism Commission made sure to have an overwhelming presence at the Paris tourism fair. Commission leader Paul Caro told the Réunionnaise daily 'Témoignages' that among the estimated 400,000 visitors to the Réunion stand, "nobody dared to ask ... about the Chikungunya crisis."
Questioning would however have been appropriate. While the disease never got out of control in Mauritius, the spread of Chikungunya was unheard of in Réunion. According to Minister Bertrand, only in February, some 47.000 cases had been reported. Infection rates are now down at 1,400 a week. "We have not won yet, but the numbers have dropped strongly," the Minister noted when presenting his relief programme for the industry.
In Mauritius, there is no need of a crisis programme. According to the forecast of the Mauritian Central Statistics Office, "tourist arrivals in 2006 are expected to reach 825,000." Tourism receipts are estimated at around Rupees 29,424 million (euro 755 million), remaining the island state's leading economic sector.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
front page
| news
| countries
| archive
| currencies
| news alerts login
| about afrol News
| contact
| advertise
| español