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Mauritius has been committed to sustainable and meaningful development since 2008. Responsible tourism is a priority and preserving our island’s natural beauty is key. Sustainable tourism also means ensuring everyone benefits from economic and social growth, as well as protecting our cultural heritage. We are striving to become one of the world’s leading sustainable island destinations. Here are just a few of the steps and projects undertaken on the island, working towards these three key missions.
In 2008, the Sustainable Island Mauritius Project was created to make Mauritius a leading and sustainable island destination. The objective of the SIM Project is to promote sustainable tourism, scaling up sustainability impacts and improving awareness.
In 2019, the Blue Oasis label was created by the Mauritius Standard Bureau for a more sustainable tourism industry recognised by the GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council).
Mauritius was one of the first countries to make it compulsory for companies to pay 2% of their profits to CSR activities.
In 2017, Mauritius launched the Transforming Tourism Value Chains project to improve the sector’s resource consumption and reduce its carbon footprint.
SigneNatir is a sustainable pact between business and nature. Around 100 local companies have pledged to energy transition, biodiversity, vibrant communities, inclusive development and a circular economy.
In 2020, the Environment Protection Act officially banned the use of plastic bags in Mauritius.
The Made in Moris certification helps support local craftspeople, artists and suppliers on the island, so travellers can easily shop locally-made products.
Tourism accommodation and operators have implemented eco-friendly actions, including:
The Mauritius Tourism Strategic Plan 2018-2021 marked a new chapter and stated the ambition to become a leading and sustainable island destination. Mauritius is working towards obtaining “Green Destinations” status in horizon 2030, through the new Mauritian Tourism Development Plan.
2022 saw the launch of the Sustainable Tourism Mauritius Awards, promoting and rewarding those making a positive difference in the tourism sector.
3500 operators in the Mauritian tourism sector have been trained in the principles of sustainable development, the protection of marine biodiversity and sustainable tourism.
Around 40 hotels have reached standards recognised by the Global Sustainability Tourism Council and been awarded labels such as Travelife, Green Globe, Green Key, Blue Oasis or Earth Check.
With 110 hotels, 854 registered residences and 222 guesthouses, Mauritius has a wide variety of accommodation. This allows the inhabitants of the island to benefit directly from the positive effects of tourism. Find out more about where to stay in Mauritius.
We encourage visitors to learn about our diverse, multi-ethnic culture and heritage. We have two UNESCO World Heritage Sites on the island. Aapravasi Ghat and Le Morne Brabant. We also have intangible cultural heritage such as Sega, which includes Sega music and dance.
Fascinating historical sites, rare wildlife and endemic plants. Here are some of the sights, reasons and areas we are protecting in Mauritius.
We have endemic plant species found nowhere else in the world. Mauritius is home to 671 native species of flowering plants and 311 of these are endemic to the island. Over 90% are considered to be threatened and about 100 species have less than 100 individuals in the wild. The Rare Plants Conservation Project aims to propagate Critically Endangered plants and find new sites for these rare endemic plant species to thrive.
Mauritius is home to 25 species of indigenous land vertebrates. These endemic land vertebrates include mammals, birds, reptiles, insects and molluscs. The National Parks and Conservation Service is responsible for these protected areas of the country.
In September 2001, Mauritius adopted the Convention on Wetlands to protect and conserve the local marshes and to use them wisely in a sustainable way. Also called the Ramsar Convention (after the city in Iran in which it was first adopted), three sites of international importance were nominated in Mauritius. They are the Rivulet Terre Rouge Estuary Bird Sanctuary, the Blue Bay Marine Park and the Pointe D’Esny Wetland.
Blue Bay Marine Park was declared a Marine Protected Area and designated a Marine Park in 2000. In January 2008, it was officially proclaimed as a RAMSAR site due to its marine species and ecological diversity. Covering an area of 353 hectares from Pointe Corps de Garde to Pointe Vacoas, it includes a rich marine ecosystem with diverse communities of marine flora and fauna. In 2012, under the ‘Partnerships for Marine Protected Areas in Mauritius and Rodrigues’ project of the United Nations Development Programme, the Global Environment Facility and the Mauritian government, an inventory of species was drawn up. The park includes about 108 species of corals, 200 species of molluscs, 38 species of echinoderms, 30 species of algae and 233 species of fish.
There are protected mangroves in Pointe d’Esny. Pointe d’Esny Wetland is a rare example of a wetland, characterised by a subtropical mangrove forest. It is home to Rhizophora mucronata and, reportedly, the rarer Bruguiera gymnorhiza, mud flats, and a sub-mangrove belt of pan-tropical coastal plants. The site provides habitat for some threatened plants and the native butterflies Phalanta phalantha and Eurema floricola ceres.
Rivulet Terre Rouge Estuary Bird Sanctuary is an important wintering ground and refuge for hundreds of migratory birds which yearly escape the rigorous winter months prevailing in the northern hemisphere. This site is a humid coastal zone, which was proclaimed as a Wetland Reserve in August 1997 and listed as a RAMSAR Site (wetlands of international importance designated under the Ramsar Convention) in September 2001.
The National Parks and Conservation Service helps look after our island’s native biodiversity and ecosystems in Black River Gorges, Bras d’Eau and Islet National Parks. Find out more about National Parks in Mauritius.
Active local NGOs include:
Mauritian Wildlife Foundation
Reef Conservation
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