Mauritius: The Sustainability Excellence Award 2023 was bagged by Rogers Hospitality for this second edition of the Sustainable Tourism Mauritius Awards.
Awards were remitted to the winners of six other categories during a ceremony held yesterday, in the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM), Minister of Housing and Land Use Planning, Minister of Tourism, Louis Steven Obeegadoo, and the Minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change, Kavydass Ramano, at Le Méridien Mauritius, in Pointe aux Piments.
Other dignitaries, including the Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union (EU), Mr Vincent Degert; the Commissioner for Tourism of Rodrigues Regional Assembly, Mr Jean Alain Wong So; and the Chairman of the Mauritius Tourism Authority, Mr Avinash Gopee; were also present on the occasion.
In his address, the DPM Obeegadoo rejoiced that Mauritius is already seeing a strong rebound in tourist arrivals from January to May 2023 compared to the same period in 2019. He pointed out that the recovery rate stands at 92% and lauded the unwavering efforts of all stakeholders and operators involved in the tourism sector.
He dwelt on the leading position of Mauritius as the preferred tourist destination among various countries and recalled that the annual conference of the French organisation regrouping key players in the tourism sector, Les Entreprises du Voyage, is being held in Mauritius.
Furthermore, he commended the initiatives of tourism operators with the government’s support to foster sustainable tourism in Mauritius through endeavours such as the ban of single-use plastic products, rainwater harvesting, and using solar energy. He also underlined the need to meet tourists’ new expectations pertaining to sustainable tourism.
The Sustainable Tourism Mauritius Awards 2023, he emphasised, is yet another testimony of Government’s commitment to promote good sustainable practices in the Tourism Industry and reward the collaboration and contribution of the private sector and tourism operators.
As for the Environment Minister, he underlined that travellers are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of their travel choices and look for destinations that value sustainability, environmental protection, and the preservation of local culture.
Thus, he added, the protection of the environment and the responsible management of natural resources become an economic issue and an essential condition for ensuring the sustainability of tourist destinations and their competitiveness in the world tourism market.
“We should ensure a harmonious coexistence between tourism and the environment which can be attained through sustainable tourism”, he further stated.
Speaking about the selected participants of the competition, Mr Kavydass Ramano lauded their commitment and achievement in balancing sustainability and profitability whilst reconciling tourism and environmental preservation.
He qualified them as models and encouraged them to continue to work together with the Government to preserve our environment, promote sustainability, and make Mauritius a sustainable tourist destination par excellence.
For his part, Mr Avinash Gopee highlighted that the second edition of the Sustainable Tourism Mauritius Awards 2023 seeks to celebrate operators who have been constantly dedicated to their aspirational and actionable sustainability goals, while also being instrumental in building back better post-pandemic.
This second edition, he said, honours organisations both in Mauritius and Rodrigues for their outstanding work in reducing their carbon footprint in 2022 to date and contributing to the ever-growing expectations about sustainable travel.
It also recognises those who are driving environmental and responsible awareness by adopting tangible measures to ensure enhanced sustainability within the tourism sector, underlined the Chairman.
Furthermore, Gopee expressed gratitude to Ambassador Vincent Degert for the EU’s support in the Sustainable Island Mauritius project, which he emphasised, has been instrumental in redesigning the way forward for the Tourism Authority by giving it a momentum to drive forward with a motivational aspiration, that of thriving towards a Green Destination Status.
He announced that the Tourism Authority is assisting the region of Bel Ombre to be the first small destination within the Republic of Mauritius to obtain a Green Destination Certification.
Sustainable Tourism Mauritius Awards 2023
The Sustainable Tourism Mauritius Awards 2023 is an initiative of the Mauritius Tourism Authority, under its project Sustainable Island Mauritius, which is co-funded by the EU.
This second edition sought to honour organisations and/or individuals in Mauritius and Rodrigues for their outstanding work in reducing their carbon footprint in 2022 to date, and contributing to sustainable travel.
It aimed at rewarding those who undertook environmental and responsible awareness and adopting tangible measures to ensure enhanced sustainability within the tourism sector.
Other awards were remitted as follows:
Boat and Pleasure Craft
- Gold: Folkloric Explorer Zero Pollution eBoat
- Silver: Croisières Australes Ltée
- Bronze: Blue Water Diving Centre Ltd
Nature-based Activities
- Gold: Francois Leguat Ltd, Rodrigues
- Silver: La Vallée des Couleurs Nature Park
- Bronze Exaequo: Bel Ombre Nature Reserve (Cap D’Abondance Ltd)
- Bronze Exaequo: Ebony Forest
- Coup de Cœur: Magic Boat Co. Ltd
- Gold: Restaurant l’Atelier Gourmand, Rodrigues
- Silver: Chez M
- Bronze: Le Chamarel Restaurant (Cap D’Abondance Ltd)
Tourist Accommodations
- Gold: Origin Eco Chalet, Rodrigues
- Silver: The Good Life
- Bronze: La Giraudière Ecolodge, Rodrigues
Tour Operators
- Gold: Mautourco Ltd
- Silver: SummerTimes
- Bronze: Kreola Ltd
Hotel
- Gold: La Pirogue Hotel
- Silver: Zilwa Attitude
- Bronze Exaequo: Canonnier Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa
- Bronze Exaequo: Heritage Awali
- Coup de Cœur: The Westin Turtle Bay Resort and Spa