The opening of the borders on 15 July does not seem to have had the desired effect. The actors who make their living from the tourism industry are not at the end of their tether.
The long-awaited opening of the borders to attract tourists is far from feeding its man.
King Leung is the owner of the Grand Bay Bazaar. It’s 10am and there’s not a single tourist in sight. It is an unprecedented crisis for King: “The Bazaar has 200 stalls. Nearly 175 operators have given up their stands since the successive confinements. I am now left with 25 stalls of which only two are currently operating.
According to King, the opening is useless if the State does not lower the cost of air tickets: “I think that the government must find a partnership with Air Mauritius to lower the price of tickets. This could encourage the people of Reunion to visit us to give a little colour to the tourism industry.”
Koki Kowlessur, 47, has been selling clothes and handicrafts for 25 years. He has not worked for 17 months: “I thought that the opening of the borders would attract tourists, but unfortunately this is not the case. If it wasn’t for the help of the Mauritius Revenue Authority, I don’t know how I would have managed.
A taxi driver, Prakash has, with his wife, started a creperie. Attached to a hotel on the northern coast, he is considering surrendering his operating licence: “Border opening or not, I don’t want to depend on tourism to support my family. It is a sector with no future. That’s why I will soon stop working for the hotel circuit.
