Mauritius - Economy

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Like many reputable holiday companies we are ABTA registered, our ABTA membership number is 65310.

We also use ATOL protected tour operators. However if you wish to use a tour operator who is not ATOL protected then we will take our supplier failure insurance on your behalf.

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Fishing and agriculture provide the livelihood of Rodriguans although the young hanker for employment either with government or in commerce. There is little vibrant private sector, in contrast to Mauritius.

Onions and garlic are grown for export to Mauritius and maize and chicken are produced for home consumption. Livestock (cattle, pigs, sheep) are also reared for the Mauritian and local markets. Octopus is dried and fish salted for export.

The traditional system of farmers growing maize and beans, helping each other with harvesting and existing on a barter basis has died out. People have become money and subsidy minded. As a district of Mauritius, social benefits filter through to the island from central government and international aid agencies.

A decline in agriculture over the last decade has resulted in a boom in small handicraft units, which is being encouraged by the growth of tourism.

The island’s fishing industry is organised on a co-operative basis under the auspices of the Rodriguan Fishermen’s Cooperative Federation. Fish is delivered to the area co-operative for distribution and sale on the island or for cold storage at the plant in Port Mathurin. Training in fishing methods, assistance with boat and equipment purchase, catch monitoring and marketing, and foreign aid funding are all provided under various schemes to sustain a viable fishing industry.

The tourism industry in Rodrigues is gradually being developed and has the potential to become one of the island’s greatest income earners. The airport has been expanded and several mid-range hotels have been built, some of which are managed by groups with hotels in Mauritius. Rodriguans have, by and large, reacted positively to the establishment of tourism, with many families opening their homes to offer guesthouse-style accommodation. However, according to locals in 2011, tourism in Rodrigues was off to a slow start and the island was not receiving the number of visitors that had been expected.

It is vital that tourism in Rodrigues is developed gradually and thoughtfully. The Rodriguan way of life will be vulnerable to overdevelopment and the island’s already stretched resources, water and waste disposal in particular, will be further tested. Rodrigues will never compete with Mauritius’s beaches, luxury hotels and first-class service. Nor should it try to. It has a charm of its own, which will attract visitors who will relish the island as it is.

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