The Private Notice Question yesterday focused on tourist arrivals during the year 2021-2022. In his opening response, Steve Obeegadoo justified the decisions taken by the government. “We made the choice to save lives,” he boasted.
He also made a comparison between the damage of Covid-19 in the Seychelles and Mauritius. Steven Obeegadoo explained that out of 100,000 inhabitants, the virus has caused more than 46,505 infections in Seychelles compared to only 3,161 in Mauritius. The situation is also better in Mauritius in terms of deaths, he said. The Seychelles recorded 117 deaths against only 18 for Mauritius. This is where the serious stuff started.
Steven Obeegadoo argued that the figures, for the period of 2019-2020, are “clear”: “The percentage drop in tourism earning is less than the percentage drop in tourism arrival”. During this same period, tourist arrivals are 28% less than before Covid-19, while revenues are 17% less.
Xavier-Luc Duval said that all the Covid-19 figures for Mauritius are false and manipulated. This was strongly contested by Steven Obeegadoo. “These same figures are used by the WHO but also the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund,” he said.
The two men also had an argument about tourism revenues. Steven Obeegadoo argued that while Mauritius has received fewer tourists, the decline in revenue is comparatively less. Because they spend more. Xavier-Luc Duval disputed this. He said that it is inflation that also affects the dollar. Xavier Duval pointed out that the figures presented – even in terms of dollars – are subject to inflation. “Revenue per tourist is less in real terms,” he noted, questioning the minister on his understanding of “nominal and real terms.
