INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS

Running head: INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
A STUDY TO ANALYZE THE SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT CAUSED
BY INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY IN MAURITIUS
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study is to analyze the social and environmental impact caused by increasing
investments in the tourism industry in Mauritius. The researcher for the attainment of this end
had taken the help of pragmatic research philosophy, descriptive research design, deductive
research approach, primary data collection method (interviewed 5 local residents of Mauritius)
and qualitative data analysis method. The results of the study indicate that although the
increasing amount of investments that the tourism industry of Mauritius had received in the
recent years positively impacted its economy however the same cannot be said regarding its
society and environment. For instance, the condition of the environment had deteriorated,
increased amount of deforestation is being undertaken for the construction of five-star hotels,
resorts and others, natural ecosystem of the nation is getting disrupted because of the increasing
amount of water sports, forest tourism activities and others, the air quality had deteriorated
because of increasing amount of pollution and others. On the other hand, the society of the
concerned nation had also been adversely affected since the culture of the nation had undergone
commodification to cater to the needs of the tourists, the common people are losing touch with
the cultural values, beliefs, ideologies, traditions and others that had dominated the nation and its
people since the traditional times, they are being forced to embrace the language and the culture
of the tourists and others. Thus, the researcher on the basis of the results of the study
recommends measures like usage of the framework of sustainable tourism or responsible
tourism, restricting the number of tourists who visit the nation, reducing tourism activities near
the water bodies and the forests, reducing deforestation and others

2INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would firstly like to thank my Professor, Mr. ………., for offering me the opportunity to
complete my research on the topic “A Study to analyze the social and environmental impact
caused by increasing investments in the tourism industry in Mauritius”. Furthermore, I would
also like to thank my Supervisor for helping me during each of the stages of the study.
Lastly, I would also like to thank my friends and family members for the constant support and
help offered by them.
Thank You
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(Name of the Researcher)

3INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................7
1.1 Introduction............................................................................................................................7
1.2 Background of the Study.......................................................................................................7
1.3 Tourism Industry of Mauritius...............................................................................................8
1.4 Problem Statement.................................................................................................................9
1.5 Research Aim.......................................................................................................................10
1.6 Research Objectives.............................................................................................................11
1.7 Research Questions..............................................................................................................11
1.8 Rationale of the Study.........................................................................................................11
1.9 Significance of the Study.....................................................................................................12
1.10 Structure of the Study........................................................................................................13
1.11 Summary............................................................................................................................14
Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW............................................................................................15
2.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................15
2.2 Tourism Industry and Investments......................................................................................15
2.3 Factors which have contributed towards increased investments in the tourism industry....18
2.3.1 Industry Growth Rate...................................................................................................18
2.3.2 Government and its Policies.........................................................................................19
2.3.3 Infrastructure and Tourist Attractions..........................................................................21

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2.3.4 Hospitality Industry and other associated industries....................................................22
2.4 Impact of increased investments in the tourism industry....................................................23
2.4.1 Economic Impact..........................................................................................................23
2.4.2 Environmental Impact..................................................................................................25
2.4.3 Social Impact................................................................................................................27
2.5 Concept of Sustainability.....................................................................................................28
2.6 Sustainability and Tourism..................................................................................................30
2.7 Literature Gap......................................................................................................................30
2.8 Summary..............................................................................................................................31
Chapter 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.................................................................................32
3.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................32
3.2 Research philosophy............................................................................................................32
3.2.1 Justification for the selection of the Pragmatic Research Philosophy..........................33
3.3 Research Design..................................................................................................................33
3.3.1 Justification for the selection of the Descriptive Research Design..............................34
3.4 Research Approach..............................................................................................................34
3.4.1 Justification for the selection of the Deductive Research Approach............................35
3.5 Data Collection Method.......................................................................................................35
3.5.1 Justification for the selection of the Primary Data Collection Method........................35
3.6 Data Analysis Method.........................................................................................................36

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3.6.1 Justification for the selection of the Qualitative Data Analysis Method......................36
3.7 Ethical Considerations.........................................................................................................37
3.8 Research Limitations...........................................................................................................37
3.9 Summary..............................................................................................................................38
Chapter 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION.................................................................................39
4.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................39
4.2 Interview Transcripts...........................................................................................................39
4.2.1 Interview 1....................................................................................................................39
4.2.2. Interview 2...................................................................................................................41
4.2.3 Interview 3....................................................................................................................43
4.2.4 Interview 4....................................................................................................................45
4.2.5 Interview 5....................................................................................................................46
4.3 Discussion of the Findings...................................................................................................48
4.4 Summary..............................................................................................................................56
Chapter 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS........................................................57
5.1 Conclusion...........................................................................................................................57
5.2 Linking with Objectives......................................................................................................58
5.3 Recommendations................................................................................................................60
5.4 Future Scope........................................................................................................................61
References......................................................................................................................................62

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Appendix 1: Interview Questions..................................................................................................71

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Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
This chapter highlights the research aim, research questions, research objectives, problem
statement and other important aspects on the basis of which the entire study had been conducted.
Furthermore, the researcher had also outlined the structure that had been followed for the
completion of the study along with the significance of the study as well.
1.2 Background of the Study
According to the report of Wttc.org (2020), the global tourism industry in the year 2018
generated annual revenue of more than $8.9 trillion with a growth rate of around 4.9% while
offering employment to more than 319 million people from all over the world. Dabeedooal et al.
(2019) are of the viewpoint that the profitability earned by the global tourism industry accounts
for more than 11.9% of the total GDP of the world and the resultant effect of this is that the
tourism industry had become the backbone of the national economy of the different nations of
the world. More importantly, because of the economic benefits offered by a well-developed
tourism industry towards the national economy it is seen that the different nations of the world
like Mauritius are trying to facilitated the development of tourism industry for undertaking the
growth as well as the development of their national economy (Pirthee, 2017). Furthermore, along
with the initiatives undertaken by the national government of these nations in collaboration with
their tourism board it is seen that these nations had been able to attract numerous investments in
the present times which in turn had substantially enhanced the scope of their tourism industry
along with the services offered by them to the tourists (Bingemer, Grimme and Maertens, 2019).
However, at the same time it had been seen that although these investments had offered

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numerous economic benefits to the nations yet they have also adversely affected the environment
and the society of the concerned nations as well (Solarin, 2018). It is in this particular backdrop
that the researcher intends to conduct the research.
1.3 Tourism Industry of Mauritius
Bingemer, Grimme and Maertens (2019) are of the viewpoint that the tourism industry is
one of the most important pillars of the national economy of the nation of Mauritius and it also
had facilitated the growth or the development of the other industries of the concerned nation like
hospitality, transportation, entertainment and others. As per the official statistics offered by
Statsmauritius.govmu.org (2020), the concerned nation experience an increase of 2.5% in the
total number of tourist footfall received by it in the year 2019 from 2018 and the number of
tourists that the concerned nation received in the year 2019 was more than 1,450,000 in
comparison to 1.38,000 tourists attracted by it in the year 2018. In addition to this, revenue
generated by the tourism industry of Mauritius for the year 2019 was more than Rs 66.0 billion
which in turn showed a growth rate of 4.5% in comparison to the previous year (Wttc.org, 2020).
In this relation, it needs to be said that revenue growth rate of the tourism industry of Mauritius
is higher in comparison to the tourism industries of the some of the developed nations of the
world like France, Germany, Italy and others (Seetanah and Fauzel, 2019). More importantly, the
tourism industry of Mauritius presently offers employment to more than 49,000 workers of the
concerned nation which in turn had substantially contributed towards the reduction of the
unemployment rate of the concerned nation (Statsmauritius.govmu.org, 2020).
According to Makoondlall-Chadee, Bokhoree and Sumputh (2017), an important factor
which had promulgated the growth of the tourism industry of Mauritius is the different initiatives
undertaken by the tourism board of the concerned nation in collaboration with its national

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government along with the various investments within the concerned industry that Mauritius had
received in the recent years. These initiatives as well as investments had substantially enhanced
the number of five start restaurants, hotels, entertainment services, transportation services,
tourism services and others which are available to the tourists within the concerned nation. In
addition to these, the natural as well as picturesque beauty of some of the most important tourist
destinations of Mauritius like Port Louis, Grand Baie, Black River Gorges National Park, Flic En
Flac Beach and others along with the different water sports, gliding, skiing and other activities
that the tourists have the opportunity to indulge in the concerned nation had substantially
contributed towards the increased tourist footfalls that the nation is receiving presently (Tourism-
mauritius.mu, 2020). It is the conglomeration of all these factors that had made Mauritius one of
the most preferred tourist destinations of the world.
1.4 Problem Statement
In the particular context of Mauritius it is seen that the national government of the
concerned nation in collaboration with its tourism board had take the help of different
development projects for improving the infrastructure of the nation, its transportation system and
others which in turn would positively affect the tourism industry of the concerned nation
(Naidoo, Pearce and Sharpley, 2017). Furthermore, Mauritius because of its natural beauty as
well as its different tourism designations which are world famous had also been able to
numerous investments in the recent times for the establishment of hotels, resorts, restaurants,
entertainment corporations, tourism corporations and others which in turn had substantially
improved the quality of the services that are being offered by the tourism industry of the
concerned nation (Gowreesunkar, Hugues and Zaman, 2019). These investments along with the
different investments that the tourism industry of Mauritius had been able to attract had

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positively affected the growth as well as the profitability of the tourism industry of the concerned
nation.
However, at the same time it is seen that they have adversely affected the environment
and also the society of the concerned nation as well. For instance, they have substantially
enhanced the environmental waste generated by the tourism industry, the pollution caused by it,
fast depletion of the natural resources, degradation of the coral reef, increased pressure on the
natural ecosystem and others (Carlsen and Jaufeerally, 2017). In addition to these, it had also
been seen that the different hotels, resorts, restaurants and others have been constructed through
deforestation which in turn had adversely affected the environment of the under discussion here
(Mahadew and Appadoo, 2019). On the other hand, Mauritius in the present times had faced
issues related to community development like the displacement of the local people for the
construction of hotels, restaurants and others, the hybridization of the national culture of
Mauritius on the score of the increasing tourist footfalls that the concerned nation is receiving
and others (Solarin, 2018). Thus, it can be said that on the one hand the increased investments
that Mauritius had received within its tourism industry had facilitated the economic growth of the
concerned nation and on the other hand it had adversely affected the environment and the society
as well as the culture of the nation as well.
1.5 Research Aim
The aim of this study is to analyze the social and environmental impact caused by
increasing investments in the tourism industry in Mauritius.

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1.6 Research Objectives
1. To analyze the environmental impacts due to high investment trends in the tourism
industry in Mauritius
2. To understand the perceptions of the local residents towards the negative impact on
society due to high tourism investment in Mauritius
3. To investigate the initiatives towards involving in the sustainable tourism development in
Mauritius
4. To provide measurable solution that can promote better way to deal with the situation
faced by Mauritius
1.7 Research Questions
1. What are the environmental impacts due to high investment trends in the tourism industry
in Mauritius?
2. What are the perceptions of the local residents towards the negative impact on society
due to high tourism investment in Mauritius?
3. What are the initiatives towards involving in the sustainable tourism development in
Mauritius?
4. Which can be the measurable solution that can promote better way to deal with the
situation faced by Mauritius?
1.8 Rationale of the Study
The issue that had been selected by the researcher for analysis in this study is the social
and the environmental impact of the increasing investments that the tourism industry of
Mauritius is receiving presently. This is an important issue since the increasing amount of
investments that the tourism industry had been receiving for quiet sometime now had given rise

12INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
to the issue of overtourism. This in turn is adversely affecting the environment, local
communities, society, culture and the other important aspects of the nation of Mauritius while
negative affecting the natural ecosystem of the concerned nation (Naidoo and Sharpley, 2016).
More importantly, this had also given rise to the situation wherein because of the economic
growth of Mauritius facilitated by the growth of its tourism industry there is a vast gap between
the economic and the social status of the people of the concerned nation (Jonker and Robinson,
2018). Thus, the researcher by highlighting the social and the environmental impacts of the
increasing amount of investments that the tourism industry of Mauritius is receiving intends to
influence the tourism board of the concerned nation to embrace the framework of responsible
tourism or sustainable tourism which in turn would help it to overcome the negative aspects of
the issue of overtourism faced by it presently.
1.9 Significance of the Study
González-García et al. (2018) are of the viewpoint that the tourism boards of the different
nations of the world need to embrace the frameworks of sustainable tourism or responsible
tourism for the purpose of facilitating the long-term growth of their tourism venture while being
able to derive the required benefits from the same. Adding to this, Fauzel, Seetanah and
Sannassee (2017) have noted that the primary focus of the different nations presently is on
undertaking the growth of their tourism industry by attracting different investments so as to
facilitate the growth of their national economy. However, the important issue arises since the
nations or the tourism boards completely disregard the social and the environmental damage that
the unprecedented growth of their tourism industry is causing to their nation. It is precisely here
that the significance of this particular study lies since it will highlight the social and the
environmental damage that the increasing investments that the tourism industry is receiving is

13INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
causing to the nations through the usage of the case study of the tourism industry of Mauritius.
Furthermore, the researcher also intends to show the manner in which the usage of responsible or
sustainable tourism will help nations like Mauritius to deal with the adverse effects of increasing
investments that their tourism industry are receiving presently.
1.10 Structure of the Study
The structure that had been followed by the researcher for the completion of this study is
outlined by the below given figure-
Figure 1: Structure of the Study
Source: (Created by the Author)
The study comprises of five chapters which are highlighted by the above given figure.
Chapter 2 presents a review of the past literature related to the social and environmental impact
of increasing investments within the tourism industry. Chapter 3 highlights the research

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methodological framework and its different components like research philosophy (pragmatic
research philosophy), research approach (deductive research approach), research design
(descriptive research design), data collection (primary data collection through interview), data
analysis method (qualitative data analysis method) and others that had been used for the
completion of this study. Chapter 4 present an analysis of the findings obtained from the primary
data and also undertakes a critical discussion of the same in the light of the arguments presented
in the literature review. Lastly, Chapter 5 summarizes the findings obtained from the study and
also presents some recommendations through the usage of which the government of Mauritius
and its tourism board can deal with the situation created by the increased investments that its
tourism industry is presently receiving.
1.11 Summary
To sum up, the researcher in the above discussion had elucidated the aim, objectives,
problem statement, research questions and the other important aspects on the basis of which the
study had been conducted. This chapter would be followed by the chapter “Literature Review”.

15INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
In this chapter a review of the past literature related to the social and the economic impact
of increased investments in the tourism industry had been undertaken by the researcher. More
importantly, the researcher had highlighted the different theoretical discussions related to the
concerned topic and also highlighted the literature gap which exists in relation to the topic that
had been selected for analysis in the study. Lastly, the researcher had also outlined the manner in
which this study will overcome the gap which exists in literature related to the topic under
discussion here.
2.2 Tourism Industry and Investments
Muresan et al. (2016) are of the viewpoint that the tourism industry while becoming one
of the largest as well as the highest revenue generating industries of the world had also emerged
as one of the strongest pillars of the national economy of the different nations of the world.
Adding to this, Khan et al. (2020) have noted that along with the direct economic contribution
that the tourism industry makes towards the national economy of the different nations of the
world it is seen that the tourism industry also supports the business activities or for that matter
the business operations of the other industries like the hospitality industry, transportation
industry, entertainment industry and others. This in turn is an important reason why the national
government of the different nations of the world are increasing taking the help of various
initiatives, policies, regulations and others that are intended for the growth or for that matter the
development of the tourism industry of their nation (Dogru, et al., 2019). More importantly, the
national government of the nation in conjunction with their tourism board are undertaking

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infrastructural development, improvement of the different tourist destinations or the tourism
attractions, improving the quality of tourism services which are being offered to the tourists and
others for facilitating the growth of their tourism industry (Rambaree, Båld and Backlund
Rambaree, 2020). In this connection, it needs to be said that the primary objective of the
different nations behind undertaking these activities or measures is to facilitate their economic
development through the development of their tourism industry (Udemba, Magazzino and
Bekun, 2020).
According to Zhang and Gao (2016), an important factor which had directly contributed
towards the growth of the tourism industry of the different nations of the world can be attributed
to the increasing amount of foreign direct investments that they have been able to attract in the
recent years. Adding to this, Prayag and Lee (2019) have noted that the foreign direct
investments in the tourism industry of the different nations of the world had increased by more
than 270% between the years 2010 to 2017 and this is expected to grow even further. In this
regard, it needs to be said that the high growth rate of the tourism industry coupled with the
initiatives undertaken by the national government of the nations for the growth or the expansion
of the same had directly contributed towards the increasing number of investments that the
tourism industry of different nations is presently receiving (Beebeejaun, 2018). More
importantly, it had been seen that the majority of these foreign direct investment are associated
with the establishment of five-star hotels, restaurants, bars, establishment of theme parks,
development of the tourist attractions or the establishment of new ones and others (Hung, 2017).
These investments while improving the tourism industry of the different nations had also directly
contributed towards the enhancement of the number of tourist footfalls as well as the money
which is presently being spent by the tourists at the tourist destinations as well (Dimopoulos,

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Queiros and van Zyl, 2019). This in turn had positively benefited by the tourism industry of the
different nations through the improvement of the tourism services offered by them, enhancement
of tourist footfalls, enhancement of the revenue generated by it, increasing amount of
employment opportunity which are being offered to the local people and others which in turn had
made a positive contribution towards the economic growth of the nations (Lalljee, Velmurugan
and Singh, 2018). However, at the same time it is seen that these have negatively affect the
environment and also the society of the different nations which in turn made the nations to
reconsider the merits of the increased amount of investments that their tourism industry is
receiving presently.
The aspect of increased investments within the tourism industry also becomes apparent
when the tourism industry of Mauritius is being taken into account. In this regard, it needs to be
said that in the 1970s and 1980s the manufacturing and the retail sectors of Mauritius used to
attract a substantial amount of foreign direct investments however post 1990 this trend changed
significantly and it was seen that the tourism industry of Mauritius became the highest
investment attracting sector of the concerned nation (Shakeela and Weaver, 2018). For instance,
between 1990 to 2010 the tourism industry of Mauritius was being able to attract more than
28.9% of thee foreign investments that the concerned nation received (Dimitrios, John and
Maria, 2017). More importantly, post 2010 this percentage increase by 118% whereas after 2016
this had increased by 200% which in turn led to drastic improvements within the tourism
industry of Mauritius (Dwyer, 2017). As a matter of fact, these investments have led to the
establishment of different five-star hotels, high-class resorts, restaurants, theme parks,
development of entertainment activities like water sports and others, development of different
beaches in the concerned nation and others. These investments while increasing the number of

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tourists that Mauritius receives had also substantially contributed towards the enhancement of the
revenue earned by the tourism sector of Mauritius (Eric, Semeyutin and Hubbard, 2020).
However, at the same time it needs to be said that this in turn had given rise to the issue of
overtourism in Mauritius which is presently adversely affecting the societal structure and also the
environment of the concerned nation (Eyuboglu and Uzar, 2019).
2.3 Factors which have contributed towards increased investments in the tourism industry
2.3.1 Industry Growth Rate
Stauvermann and Kumar (2017) are of the viewpoint that one of the most important
factors which influences the decisions of the different foreign corporations to undertake
investments in the business sectors or for that matter the industries of the other host nations can
be attributed to the growth rate attained by the concerned industries of the host nation. Adding to
this, Bokhoree, Balnac and Mohee (2018) have noted that the foreign corporations generally like
to invest in the industries or for that matter the corporations of the host nations which have
shown a high growth rate rather than the ones which have shown a lower growth rate. More
importantly, the foreign corporations like to invest into the industries wherein the bargaining
power of the suppliers, bargaining power of the buyers, threat from substitutes, threats from new
entrants and also the industry rivalry is low (Sokhanvar, 2019). This makes the tourism industry
an ideal one for the multinational corporations since it had been seen that within the tourism
industry the industry rivalry is low, the bargaining power of the buyers, bargaining power of the
suppliers, threat of substitutes and the threat from new entrants is low because of the large scope
or the size of the concerned industry (Iranah, et al., 2018).

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In addition to these, the high growth rate shown by the tourism industry along with the
attractive of the concerned industry on the score of the wide variety of services which are being
offered by the same are other factors which had substantially enhanced the amount of
investments that the concerned industry is getting presently (Norder, et al., 2017). In the light of
these aspects, it can be said that the high growth rate registered by the tourism industry and the
attractiveness of the concerned industry in the present times are important factors which have
significantly increased the amount of investments that the concerned industry is presently
getting. This even becomes apparent when the particular context of the tourism industry of the
nation of Mauritius is being taken into account. For instance, as per the report of Wttc.org
(2020), the profitability of the tourism industry of Mauritius increased by more than 4.5% in the
year 2019 and the profitability registered by the concerned industry of Mauritius for the same
year crossed Rs. 66 billion. On the other hand, the number of tourists that the tourism industry of
the nation under discussion here attracted in the same year also increased exponentially. As a
matter of fact, the tourism industry of Mauritius experienced an increase of 2.5% in the total
number of tourist footfall received by it in the year 2019 from 2018 and the number of tourists
that the concerned nation received in the year 2019 was more than 1,450,000 in comparison to
1.38,000 tourists attracted by it in the year 2018 (Statsmauritius.govmu.org, 2020). These aspects
of the tourism industry of Mauritius made it a highly attractive industry for the different foreign
corporations for undertaking investments into the concerned industry of Mauritius.
2.3.2 Government and its Policies
According to Azam, Alam and Hafeez (2018), the policies, foreign direct investment
norms, regulations and others followed by the national government of a particular nation also
substantially influences the decision of the foreign corporations for undertaking investment in the

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different sectors of the concerned nation. Adding to this, Fahimi et al. (2018) have noted that the
foreign corporations always look for the kind of host nations wherein the national government
undertakes active initiatives for the growth of trade and commerce, for the growth of business
and others. Furthermore, the congenial nature of the business policies, regulations, legislations or
the mandates that the corporations are required to follow are other important attributes which
influence the decision of the foreign corporations to undertake investments. This can be
explained on the basis of the fact that if the business regulations, policies and others that the
corporations within a nation are required to follow are not congenial in nature then it becomes
very difficult for the corporations to attain the desired level of growth or development (Naidoo
and Pearce, 2018). In addition to these, the foreign direct investments norms or stipulations
which are being followed by a particular nation are also important since if the investment norms
of a nation are in synchronicity with the needs or the requirements of the foreign multinational
corporations then it is more likely that they would not invest in the concerned nation (Scandizzo,
Cervigni and Ferrarese, 2018). Lastly, the foreign corporations also look for the nations for
investing which enjoy a stable as well as a congenial political climate wherein they would be
able to conduct their business operations adequately. Thus, it can be said that the government
and the policies which are being followed by the same are important factors which influence the
foreign corporations to invest into the industries of the host nations.
In the particular context of the nation of Mauritius, it is seen that the national government
of the concerned nation undertakes active initiatives for the growth of trade and commerce. More
importantly, the policies, regulations, mandates and others that the business corporations
operational within the concerned nation are also very lenient and formulated taking into
consideration the perspective of the corporations as well (Jeffery, 2019). In addition to these, it is

21INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
seen that the nation of Mauritius enjoys a fairly stable political climate and in the recent years the
national government of Mauritius realizing the benefits that the foreign investments would offer
to the nation had substantially relaxed its foreign direct investment regulations or norms
(Mbaiwa, 2017). The amelioration of all these factors have helped the national government of
Mauritius to attract a large number of investment towards its tourism industry.
2.3.3 Infrastructure and Tourist Attractions
Brooks et al. (2017) are of the viewpoint that the infrastructural development of a nation
and also the different tourist destinations that the concerned nation boasts of are two important
factors which had substantially enhanced the amount of investments that the tourism industry of
the different nations of the world are presently receiving. Adding to this, Garau-Vadell,
Gutierrez-Taño and Diaz-Armas (2018) have noted that the foreign corporations always look for
the kind of host nations which have adequate amount infrastructural development. This is
important since it ensures the fact that the corporations would not have to face issues related to
transportation, procurement of resources, availability of basic resources and others which are
needed for the effective conduct of their business operations. On the other hand, the nature or for
that matter the kind of tourist attractions or the tourist destinations that the host nations have also
substantially influences the decision of the foreign corporations to invest in the tourism industry
of the concerned nation (Boopen and Sannassee, 2019). This can be explained on the basis of the
fact that the number of tourists that a particular destination gets and thereby the amount of
revenue earned by the same substantially depends on the kind or the nature of the tourist
attractions that the concerned destination boasts of (Nunkoo and Gursoy, 2017). This even
becomes apparent from the tourism industry of Mauritius wherein it is seen that the different
tourist attractions like Port Louis, Grand Baie, Black River Gorges National Park, Flic En Flac

22INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
Beach and others along with the different water sports, gliding, skiing and other activities that
the tourists have the opportunity to indulge have substantially helped the concerned nation to
attract large amounts of foreign investments (Tourism-mauritius.mu, 2020). In addition to these,
it had also been seen that the national government of Mauritius for facilitating the growth of its
tourism industry had undertaken the infrastructural development of the concerned nation which
in turn had also influenced the foreign corporations to invest within the tourism industry of
Mauritius.
2.3.4 Hospitality Industry and other associated industries
As discussed by Tung (2017), the services offered by the tourism industry is substantially
reliant on the hospitality industry, transportation industry, entertainment industry and others and
thus it is seen that for facilitating the growth of the tourism industry the national government of
the nations need to undertake the development of these industries or sectors. Adding to this,
Naidoo, Ramseook-Munhurrun and Sowamber (2019) have noted that these industries greatly
complement each other and thus it is seen that the nations with well developed as well as high
revenue tourism industry have high performing hospitality industry, entertainment industry,
transportation industry and other related industries. The resultant effect of this is that the
different foreign corporations before investing into the tourism industry of the host nations not
only analyze the growth or the development prospects of the tourism industry of the concerned
nation but also of the above mentioned industries as well on the score of their correlation with
the tourism industry (Nunkoo and Ramkissoon, 2016). Thus, it can be said that the effectiveness
as well as the performance of the different related industries like hospitality industry,
transportation industry, entertainment industry and others substantially influences the decision of
the foreign corporations to invest into the tourism industry of the host nations. This even holds in

23INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
the particular context of the tourism industry of Mauritius wherein it is seen that the highly
developed hospitality industry, entertainment industry, transportation industry and other
associated industries of the concerned nation had directly contributed towards the enhancement
of the investments that it gets within its tourism industry.
2.4 Impact of increased investments in the tourism industry
2.4.1 Economic Impact
Jugurnath et al. (2017) are of the that the different investments that the tourism industry
of the various nations have been able to attract in the recent years had positively contributed
towards the economic growth of the concerned nations. Adding to this, Seetanah and Fauzel
(2019) have noted that this can be explained on the basis of the fact that the increased
investments that the tourism industry is getting presently have not only contributed towards the
expansion of the services offered by them or the improvement of the quality of the same but also
positively affected the revenue earned earned by the industry as well. More importantly, it had
also been seen that the expansion of the services offered by the tourism industry and its
subsequent growth had also precipitated the growth of the other industries which are reliant on
the tourism industry like hospitality industry, entertainment industry, transportation industry and
others (Jonker and Robinson 2018). In addition to these, it is seen that the tourism industry is the
industry which recruits perhaps the highest number of workers and in the year 2018 it offered
employment to more than 319 million people from all over the world (Wttc.org, 2020). In this
regard, it needs to be said that the different hotels, restaurants and others which are being
established through the usage of foreign investments require human resources and this had
enhanced the employment opportunities that are available to the local people (Hung, 2018). This
in turn had made a substantial contribution towards the reduction of the unemployment rate of

24INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
the different nations of the world and thereby had made a positive contribution towards the
growth of their national economy.
As a matter of fact, unlike the earlier times wherein individuals from the middleclass
background had to perform menial jobs with very low wages or remuneration presently it is seen
that they are being recruited by the different corporations related to the tourism industry and
offered comparatively better wages (Fauzel, 2020). This while improving the economic
condition of the common people had also contributed towards the economic growth of the entire
nation as well. Thus, it can be said that the increasing amount of investments that the tourism
industry is getting had positively affected the profitability or for that matter the revenue
generated by the concerned industry which in turn had also helped in the growth of the national
economy of the different nations. This becomes even more apparent when the case of the tourism
industry of Mauritius is being taken into consideration. For instance, prior to the year 2010 when
the tourism industry of the concerned nation struggled to get any foreign investments it struggled
to maintain an adequate growth rate however post 2010 the growth rate of the tourism industry of
Mauritius increased exponentially in the face of the different foreign investments that it started to
receive (Morrissey, 2019). Moreover, the present growth rate of the tourism industry of
Mauritius is 4.5% and the revenue generated by it in the year 2018 was more than Rs. 66,000
billion which is a clear indication of the impact that the foreign investments had on the tourism
industry of the nation under discussion here (Wttc.org, 2020). Furthermore, it had been seen that
the growth of the tourism industry of Mauritius had positively affected the growth of the national
economy of the concerned nation as well which for the year 2018 showed a growth rate of 3.8%
and the unemployment rate within the nation had fell down to 6.8% which is substantially lower
than the earlier times (Seetanah and Fauzel, 2019). Needless to say, the exponential growth

25INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
attained by the tourism industry of Mauritius had directly contributed towards the development
or for that matter the growth of the economy of the concerned nation as well.
2.4.2 Environmental Impact
Makoondlall-Chadee, Bokhoree and Sumputh (2017) are of the viewpoint that the
exponential growth of the tourism industry in the recent years had adversely affected the
condition of environment which in turn had given rise to different kinds of issues like climate
change, global warming, melting of the polar icecaps, increase in sea level and others. Adding to
this, Zhang and Gao (2016) have noted that the increasing amount of damage that the tourism
industry is causing to the environment had also resulted in the disruption of the natural
ecosystem of the world because of which the cycle of seasons, the normal life functioning of the
different plants and animals, the status quo of nature and others had been adversely affected.
More importantly, it had been seen that in the face of the increasing investments that the tourism
industry is presently receiving forests or the green areas are being destroyed for the construction
of hotels, restaurants and others (Dogru, et al., 2019). Furthermore, the lives of the animals,
plants, sea creatures and others have also been adversely affected because of the increased
amount of water sports, forest excursions and others which are being undertaken by the tourists.
In addition to these, it is also seen that the tourists generate a substantial amount of waste the
majority of which are non bio-degradable in nature and thereby rather than disintegrating and
mixing with the soil they simply enhance the pollution level. In this context, mention needs to be
made of the ever-increasing amount of waste which are being thrown by the tourists at the
different tourist destinations located in the vicinity of forests, water bodies and others wherein
the animals or the plants are also getting infected on the score of the wastes thrown by the
tourists (Rambaree, Båld and Backlund Rambaree, 2020). The increasing amount of investments

26INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
that the tourism industry is presently receiving by increasing the number of tourist footfalls, the
range or for that the variety of services offered by the concerned industry and others had
substantially enhanced the damage which the tourism industry is presently causing to the
environment (Khan et al., 2020). Thus, it becomes important for the tourism authorities of the
different nations of the world through which they would be able to derive the economic benefits
through the increased amount of investments within their tourism industry while minimizing the
damage caused by the same to the environment.
In the particular context of the tourism industry of Mauritius, it is seen that the increased
investments that the concerned industry of Mauritius is presently receiving while contributing
towards the development of the tourism industry of the nation had also enhanced the
environmental issues faced by the nation (Prayag and Lee, 2019). For instance, it had been the
concerned nation had to clear away many of its green areas or for that matter had been required
to undertake the process of deforestation for clearing the grounds so as to facilitate the
construction of different hotels, restaurants, theme parks and others (Lalljee, Velmurugan and
Singh, 2018). Furthermore, the development of water sports, forest sports and others had
adversely affected the natural ecosystem and also the wildlife of the concerned regions on the
score of the increasing amount of disturbance that they experience from the ever-expanding
tourism industry of the concerned nation. In addition to these, the excessive amount of pollution
caused by the tourism industry of the nation under discussion here had also taken a negative toll
on the coral reef which are found near the different beaches of Mauritius (Dimitrios, John and
Maria, 2017). These aspects associated with the increased amount of investment that the tourism
industry of Mauritius is presently receiving had adversely affected the environment of the
concerned nation.

27INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
2.4.3 Social Impact
According to Muresan et al. (2016), the ever-increasing amount of investment that the
tourism industry of the different nations are presently receiving while adversely affecting the
environment of these nations had also adversely affected the society of these nations as well.
Adding to this, Udemba, Magazzino and Bekun (2020) have noted that while the development of
the tourism industry had positively affected the society of the different nations yet the negative
consequences of the same far outweigh the positive aspects. For instance, the development of
tourism activities had positively contributed towards the development of the different
communities of the nation by increasing the employment opportunities which are available to
them, helping them to acquire the traits of multiculturalism through the interactions with the
tourists from the different parts of the world and others (Dimopoulos, Queiros and van Zyl,
2019). However, at the same time it needs to be said that because of the integration of the foreign
cultures of the tourists from the different nations of the world it is seen that the nations are losing
touch with the cultural or the social values, traditions, beliefs, ideologies and others which had
characterized them since the traditional times. Furthermore, it had also been seen that the local
communities are losing their individualism in the face of increasing interactions with the large
number of tourists who are arriving due to the expansion of the tourism industry (Eric,
Semeyutin and Hubbard, 2020).
As a matter of fact, it is seen that in order to influence the behavior of the visitors and
also to earn their satisfaction, culture is being commoditized by the nations so as to make it more
appealing for the tourists (Shakeela and Weaver, 2018). However, the important issue arises
since it is being done at the cost of completely disrupting the actual culture which is being
followed by the nation and it is being replaced with the cultural attributes that are being followed

28INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
by the other nations of the world (Bokhoree, Balnac and Mohee, 2018). In addition to these, the
local people are being forced to learn the language as well as the cultural attributes of the tourists
so as to improve their satisfaction however this in turn had become very problematic for the local
people (Stauvermann and Kumar, 2017). More importantly, the different job opportunities which
had created by the tourism industry in the wake of the increasing investments that it is receiving
coupled with the displacement of the people for the construction of hotels, restaurants and others
had invigorated a change within the societal structure of the nations (Seetanah and Fauzel, 2019).
Needless to say, these aspects have adversely affected the society as well as the culture of the
different nations. The above mentioned issues related to the increasing investments that the
tourism industry is presently as regard society and culture also becomes apparent when the case
of the tourism industry of Mauritius is being taken into consideration. For instance, because of
this Mauritius is increasingly losing touch with its own native culture which had characterized
the concerned nation over the years and is embracing the culture followed by the tourists who
visit the concerned nation (Morrissey, 2019). In addition to these, the people within the
concerned nation have been displayed to construct hotels, restaurants and others, they have
forced to learn the languages of the tourists and others which in turn had invigorated a change
within the society and the culture of the concerned nation.
2.5 Concept of Sustainability
Makoondlall-Chadee, Bokhoree and Sumputh (2017) are of the viewpoint that
sustainability can be defined as the ability of the corporations or for that matter the industries to
be able to maintain a certain amount of growth without causing the over-exploitation or the
depletion which are being used by them for their business activities. Adding to this, Jonker and
Robinson (2018) have noted that the extensive focus of the corporations on the aspect of growth

29INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
and profitability had substantially enhanced their resource utilization or for that matter their
ecological footprinting which in turn is putting excessive pressure on the planet. More
importantly, the problem arises since it is seen that the resources of the planet are not infinite
rather they are limited in nature and thus the rate at which the industries or the corporations are
using them for facilitating their growth it is likely that the future generations would not have
access to the kind of resources that the present generation has access to (Naidoo, Ramseook-
Munhurrun and Sowamber, 2019). This in turn had made the concept of sustainability extremely
important from the perspective of the contemporary world.
Furthermore, it is seen that the effective usage of the concept of sustainability helps the
corporations to attain long-term growth and competitive advantage without adversely affecting
the condition of the environment (Brooks et al., 2017). In addition to the reduction of their
ecological footprinting, the corporations or the industries for the purpose of attaining
sustainability or long-term growth are also required to focus effectively on the three pillars of
sustainability, namely, economy, environment and the society (Garau-Vadell, Gutierrez-Taño
and Diaz-Armas, 2018). As a matter of fact, the business corporations or the industries while
reducing the damage that they cause to the environment, economy and the society of the nations
through their business activities also need to take the help of adequate measures which in turn
would help them to create value for the same (Naidoo and Pearce, 2018). Thus, it can be said that
the concept of sustainability while focusing on the long-term growth of the industries or the
corporations also focuses on safeguarding the environment, economy and the society and also
create value for the same.

30INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
2.6 Sustainability and Tourism
According to Azam, Alam and Hafeez (2018), the concept of sustainability or sustainable
development becomes especially important from the perspective of the tourism industry since the
concerned industry in order to accelerate the pace of its growth is utilizing the resources of the
planet in an unprecedented manner. Adding to this, Fahimi et al. (2018) have noted that the ever-
increasing amount of damage that the tourism industry of the different nations are causing to the
society and the environment of the concerned nations in the wake of the increased investments
that they are receiving clearly indicates the complete disregard of the aspect of sustainability by
them. More importantly, it had also been seen that the tourism industries of the different nations
of the world like Mauritius, Greece, England and others are presently suffering from the adverse
effects of overtourism which is the resultant effect of the unplanned growth of their tourism
industry (Eric, Semeyutin and Hubbard, 2020). Thus, it becomes important for the different
nations to embrace the model of sustainable tourism or responsible tourism for the purpose of
facilitating the growth of their tourism industry. The usage of sustainable tourism or responsible
tourism will help the nations to merge economic growth with environmental and social concerns
and this in turn would enable them to accelerate the growth of their tourism industry without
adversely affecting the environment or their society (Prayag and Lee, 2019).
2.7 Literature Gap
The researcher while searching for peer-reviewed articles on Google Scholar found that a
substantial amount of research work had already been conducted on the concept of the increasing
amount of investments that the tourism industry of the different nations of the world are
presently receiving, the factors which have contributed towards the same, the benefits offered by
the same and others. For instance, Brooks et al. (2017) have noted that the increasing amount of

31INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
investments that the tourism industry of the different nations of the world had been able to
receive in the recent years had directly contributed towards the growth of their national economy
and also improved the employment opportunities and other kinds of opportunities that are
available to the people of the concerned nation. However, at the same time it needs to be said
that the researcher was not being able to find numerous articles related to the negative impacts of
the increasing amount of investments that the tourism industries of the different nations are
presently receiving on their society and environment. It is precisely this particular literature gap
that the researcher intends to overcome in this study by focusing on the social and the
environmental impacts of the increasing investments that the tourism industry is presently
receiving by analyzing the case of the tourism industry of Mauritius. Thus, the future researchers
will have the opportunity to use this particular study as a framework for conducting research on
similar topics or some other related topics.
2.8 Summary
To sum up, the researcher in the above discussion had highlighted the theoretical
discussion related to the social and the environment impact of the increased investments that the
tourism industry of the different nations of the world are presently receiving. These concepts will
help the researcher to undertake a discussion of the findings which would be obtained from the
analysis of the primary data collected through the usage of the tool of interview in Chapter 4.
The next chapter of the study is “Research Methodology” wherein the researcher had highlighted
the research methodological framework along with its different components that had been used
for the completion of the study.

32INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
Chapter 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction
This chapter highlights the different components of the research methodological
framework which have being used by the researcher for the completion of this study.
Furthermore, the researcher had also offered adequate justification for the selection for the
particular components of the research methodological framework over the other elements.
3.2 Research philosophy
Research philosophy can be defined as the amelioration of beliefs, values, ideologies and
others that guides the conduct of the research by the researcher (Bell, Bryman and Harley, 2018).
As stated by Kumar (2019), by choosing the appropriate research philosophy, the value and
belief of the researcher can be shared which in turn facilitates the collection of the required data
needed for the completion of the study and also its analysis as well. Depending on the research
philosophy, the data collection technique gets influenced. It has been identified that the research
philosophy helps to develop the assumptions as well as the hypotheses of the study on the basis
of the research topic that had been selected by the researcher (Gray, 2019). Positivism,
interpretivism and pragmatic are three types of research philosophies most commonly used by
the researchers. In the positivism research philosophy, the knowledge regarding the research
topic can be gained through the systematic observation process (Quinlan, et al., 2019). In case of
interpretivism, the researcher interprets the elements of the topic by linking it with the human
interest. The interpretivism research philosophy is generally being used for conducting research
works on the management related research topics (Ghauri, Grønhaug and Strange, 2020). Lastly,
the most important assumption made by the pragmatic research philosophy is the fact that the

33INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
usage of a single perspective or viewpoint cannot help the researchers to effectively analyze the
research topic that had been selected by them and thus they need to take the help of multiple
perspectives r viewpoints for the analysis of the same (Sekaran and Bougie, 2016). This in turn
helps the researchers to substantially enhance the scope and thereby the quality of the study as
well.
3.2.1 Justification for the selection of the Pragmatic Research Philosophy
This particular research has been developed based on the pragmatic research philosophy.
The pragmatic research philosophy had been selected by the researcher since it will offer the
opportunity to the researcher to take the help of multiple perspectives or viewpoints for the
analysis of the social and the environmental impacts of the increasingly amount of investments
that the tourism industry of Mauritius is presently getting. This is likely to help the researcher to
substantially enhance the scope of the study and thereby its quality as well.
3.3 Research Design
Research design can be defined as the strategy that helps the researchers to improve the
overall operational pattern of the study which is being undertaken by them and also to effectively
address the research problem on which the study focuses upon (Walliman, 2017). The research
design can be classified into three types. Descriptive, exploratory and explanatory research
designs are three types of research design most commonly used by the researchers. The
descriptive research design is the one which requires the researchers to correlate the findings
obtained from the analysis of the primary or the secondary data collected by them with the
objectives of the study that had been formulated by them (Fletcher, De Massis and Nordqvist,
2016). This in turn helps the researchers to enhance the coherence of the study and thereby
enhance the quality of the same. On the other hand, the exploratory research design is the one

34INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
wherein the researchers are required to focus on the background information of the research
problem or the problem statement selected by them (Teagarden, Von Glinow and Mellahi, 2018).
Lastly, the explanatory research design is the one wherein the researchers are required to analyze
the factors or the issues which have directly contributed towards the research problem that had
been selected by them (Kingsley, Noordewier and Bergh, 2017).
3.3.1 Justification for the selection of the Descriptive Research Design
In this research paper, the descriptive research design has been selected by the researcher.
The descriptive research design had been selected since it will help the researcher to correlate the
findings obtained from the analysis of the primary data collected for the completion of this study
with the research objectives which were formulated in the first chapter of the study. This is
hoping that this will help in the enhancement of the coherence of the study and thereby the
quality of the same as well.
3.4 Research Approach
Deductive research approach and inductive research approach are two of the most
commonly used research approaches by the researchers for the completion of their studies. The
deductive research helps the researchers to test the validity or for that matter the reliability of the
hypotheses or the assumptions made by them in the study through the usage of different
theoretical models, frameworks, observations and others (Wiek and Lang, 2016). This in turn
helps the researchers to substantially enhance the accuracy of their study and thereby its quality
as well. On the other hand, the researchers taking the help of the inductive research approach are
required to develop a new analytical framework depending on the nature or the kind of study that
they are undertaking for the completion of the same (Kumar, 2019).

35INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
3.4.1 Justification for the selection of the Deductive Research Approach
In this particular research paper, the deductive research approach has been selected by the
researcher. The particular research approach is likely to help the researcher to test the validity as
well as the reliability of the different assumptions or the hypotheses that had been formulated by
the researcher during the course of completing this research through the usage of different
theoretical frameworks, models, observations and others.
3.5 Data Collection Method
There are two types of data sources, primary and secondary. As stated by Delen and
Zolbanin (2018), primary data collection method helps the researchers to collect firsthand data or
information directly from the respondents or the stakeholders who are directly associated with
the research topic that had been selected by the researcher for analysis in the study. The usage of
this data collection method helps the researcher to collect accurate as well as relevant data or
information which in turn helps in the effective completion of the study (Bell, Bryman and
Harley, 2018). The primary information can be collected using survey and interview methods.
On the other hand, the secondary data collection method helps the researchers to collect
secondary sources of information from the different secondary sources of information like peer-
reviewed articles, credible newspaper articles, textbooks, magazines, annual reports and others
(Gray, 2019). The authenticity or the reliability of this data had already been verified by the
scholars and does the researchers taking the help of secondary data do not have to worry about
the same.
3.5.1 Justification for the selection of the Primary Data Collection Method
In this particular research paper, the primary data collection method had been used by the
researcher by the collection of information or data needed for the completion of this study. More

36INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
importantly, the researcher intends to use the tool of interview and is hoping that the usage of the
same would enable the researcher to collect primary data from 5 local residents of Mauritius
about the social and the environmental impacts of the increasing amount of investments that the
tourism industry of the concerned nation is receiving presently.
3.6 Data Analysis Method
There are two types of data analysis techniques, namely, qualitative and quantitative data
analysis techniques. In case of quantitative data analysis technique, the collected information is
being converted into the numerical form and thereby analyzed through the usage of appropriate
analytical tools (Fletcher, De Massis and Nordqvist, 2016). On the other hand, qualitative data
analysis technique is being used especially for the analysis of the non-numerical or non-
statistical data (Kingsley, Noordewier and Bergh, 2017). Furthermore, it is seen that the data
analysis method used by the researchers is substantially reliant on the data collection method that
had been used by them in the study.
3.6.1 Justification for the selection of the Qualitative Data Analysis Method
The researcher had taken the help of the qualitative data analysis method since it will
help the researcher to effectively analyze the non-numerical or the non-statistical information
collected from the five local residents of the nation of Mauritius regarding the social and the
environmental impacts of the increasing amount of investments that the tourism industry of the
concerned nation is receiving presently. Thus, it can be said that this choice of the data analysis
method had been greatly influenced by the fact that the researcher had taken the help of the tool
of interview for the collection of the data needed for the completion of the study.

37INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
3.7 Ethical Considerations
The researcher had tried to comply with the academic standards of conducting research
and tried tried to follow all the ethical guidelines for the completion of this study. For instance,
during the interview process special care was taken so as to not ask any personal, private,
financial or confidential information from the respondents. Furthermore, the participants in the
interview were sent prior consent form explaining the nature of this study and also reasons for
conducting this study and the interview was conducted only after they gave their approval or
consent for the same. Furthermore, the researcher in order to avoid plagiarism had offered due
credit to the scholars or the authors whose works have been used for the completion of this study
by way of in-text citations and references .
3.8 Research Limitations
The researcher because of resource and time constraints had not been able to conduct
survey for the collection of primary data which in turn could have substantially enhanced the
quality of this study. Furthermore, the researcher because of accessibility issues had been able to
interview only five local residents of the nation of Mauritius regarding the social and the
environmental impacts of the increasing amount of investments that the tourism industry of
Mauritius had received in the recent years. Lastly, the researcher would have been able to
enhance the scope of the study effectively had the study focused on one particular region or the
tourist attraction of Mauritius for analyzing the social and the environmental impacts of the
increased investments within the tourism industry. These in short are some of the most important
limitations of the study which in turn had narrowed down its scope.

38INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
3.9 Summary
To sum up, the researcher in the above discussion had highlighted the different
components of the research methodological framework that had been used for the completion of
this study. More importantly, the researcher had also offered adequate justifications for the
selection of particular components or the elements of the research methodological framework
over others. Furthermore, the researcher had also highlighted the major limitations of this study
as well.

39INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
Chapter 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Introduction
This chapter of the study presents the transcripts of the interview which was undertaken
by the researcher with five local people of the nation of Mauritius as to understand their
perceptions regarding the social and the environmental impact caused by the increasing
investments that the tourism industry of Mauritius is receiving in the present times. Furthermore,
the researcher had also undertaken a critical discussion of the findings obtained from the analysis
of the primary data collected from the local residents of Mauritius in the particular context of the
theoretical concepts articulated in the literature review section of this study.
4.2 Interview Transcripts
4.2.1 Interview 1
Question 1: How do you see the increasing amount of investments that the tourism industry
of Mauritius had received in the recent years?
Answer: I think that the increasing amount of investments that the tourism industry of Mauritius
had received in the last few years had helped in the development of the tourism industry of the
nation. For instance, unlike the earlier times when there were very few hotels, resorts, beaches,
bars and others right now they are simply mushrooming everywhere in the nation. This had
definitely improved the economy of the nation however I personally believe that the condition of
the environment had deteriorated because of the increasing amount of pressure that the tourism
industry is putting on the same.

40INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
Question 2: What according to you are the effects of the increasing amount of investments
that the tourism industry of Mauritius is receiving on the environment?
Answer: I thought that the pollution within the nation had increased exponentially post the
development of the tourism industry. For example, unlike the earlier times presently it is very
difficult to get a clean spot on the beaches and also the coral reef which earlier used to grow near
the beaches have started to die because of the excessive pollution caused by the tourism industry.
More importantly, the contractors have also cleared the forest areas for the construction of hotels,
resorts and others which are likely to negative impact the environment.
Question 3: What according to you are the effects of the increasing amount of investments
that the tourism industry of Mauritius is receiving on the society of Mauritius?
Answer: I think that because of the development of the tourism industry of the nation the people
are forgetting about their own native culture and increasingly embracing the cultural attributes of
the different tourists who visit the nation. Furthermore, there are people who are being able to
speak the native languages of Mauritius and rather than trying to learn the same they are
presently trying to English, French and other languages which the tourists normally speak. These
have adversely affected the society of Mauritius and I think that they are direct result of the
growth of the tourism industry on the score of increasing investments that it is receiving.
Question 4: Do you think adequate amount of initiatives are being undertaken by the
government of Mauritius for the development of sustainable tourism in Mauritius?
Answer: I don’t think that the national government of Mauritius or its tourism department is
taking adequate measures for the development of sustainable tourism within the nation. On the
contrary, I would say that the primary focus of the government of Mauritius is on the

41INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
enhancement of revenue generated by the tourism industry and thus they are taking the help of
all possible measures for the attainment of this end at the utter.
Question 5: What measures can be adopted for the resolution of the social and the
environmental issues presented by the increasing amount of investments that the tourism
industry of Mauritius is receiving?
Answer: I think that the national government of Mauritius and also its tourism department needs
to restrict the number of tourists who would be allowed to visit the nation so as to reduce the
negative connotations of overtourism. Furthermore, the framework of sustainable tourism needs
to be embraced by the nation for the purpose of bring about the long-term growth and also the
sustainability of the tourism industry of the nation.
4.2.2. Interview 2
Question 1: How do you see the increasing amount of investments that the tourism industry
of Mauritius had received in the recent years?
Answer: It is true that the increasing amount of investments which the tourism industry of
Mauritius is presently getting had boosted its national economy however when you take into
account the impact of this on the society and also the environment of Mauritius it would be fair
to say that the investments have actually adversely affected the nation. Thus, the national
government needs to take the help of adequate measures to ensure that the development or the
growth of the tourism is not adversely affecting the environment or the society of the nation.
Question 2: What according to you are the effects of the increasing amount of investments
that the tourism industry of Mauritius is receiving on the environment?

42INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
Answer: I think that the condition of the environment had deteriorated like in the face of the
extensive development of the tourism industry of the nation. I mean the air had polluted,
deforestation is being done for the construction of luxurious hotels, resorts and others, the natural
ecosystem of the nation is being destroyed and others. These are likely to have long-term impact
on the environment and thereby like to adversely affect the lives of the plants , animals and the
human beings all alike.
Question 3: What according to you are the effects of the increasing amount of investments
that the tourism industry of Mauritius is receiving on the society of Mauritius?
Answer: I think that the society of Mauritius is becoming more westernized which I do not think
is wrong at all however it is coming at the cost of the native culture of the nation. As a matter of
fact, it is seen that the people of Mauritius are becoming more and more distant from their own
culture and happily embracing the ones followed by the tourists who arrive here.
Question 4: Do you think adequate amount of initiatives are being undertaken by the
government of Mauritius for the development of sustainable tourism in Mauritius?
Answer: I don’t think that either the national government of Mauritius or its tourism board are
taking the help of any measures for the development of sustainable tourism in the nation because
had they taken the help of any effective measures then we would not be still reeling from the
adverse effects of overtourism.
Question 5: What measures can be adopted for the resolution of the social and the
environmental issues presented by the increasing amount of investments that the tourism
industry of Mauritius is receiving?

43INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
Answer: I think the effective usage of the framework of sustainable tourism is the only possible
way through which the nation can overcome the social and the environmental issues which it is
presently facing on the score of the increasing amount of investments that its tourism industry is
getting.
4.2.3 Interview 3
Question 1: How do you see the increasing amount of investments that the tourism industry
of Mauritius had received in the recent years?
Answer: I think that the increasing amount of investments that the tourism industry of Mauritius
had received in the recent years had both positively and negatively affected the nation. On the
one hand, it had facilitated the development of the national economy of Mauritius and on the
other hand it had adversely affected the condition of the environment as well as the society of the
concerned nation. Thus, it becomes important for the authorities to balance these two aspects so
as to derive the required benefits from the increasing amount of investments related to the
tourism industry that it is presently receiving.
Question 2: What according to you are the effects of the increasing amount of investments
that the tourism industry of Mauritius is receiving on the environment?
Answer: I think that the ever-increasing amount of investments that the tourism industry of
Mauritius is getting had adversely affected the environment of the nation. I personally think that
this had disrupted the natural ecosystem of the nation and also directly contributed towards the
enhancement of pollution in the nation. Furthermore , the forests are being cleared away for the
development of expensive resorts, forest sport centers and others. These activities of the tourism
industry have actually started to take a negative toll on the environment of the nation.

44INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
Question 3: What according to you are the effects of the increasing amount of investments
that the tourism industry of Mauritius is receiving on the society of Mauritius?
Answer: In the face of the large number of tourist arrivals it is seen that the people of the nation
are losing touch with their own roots and also the values, beliefs, traditions and others that they
had followed since the traditional times. More importantly, the local people are being forced to
learn the languages spoken by the tourists so as to improve the experiences of the tourists. I
personally believe that these aspects are adversely affecting the society and the culture of
Mauritius.
Question 4: Do you think adequate amount of initiatives are being undertaken by the
government of Mauritius for the development of sustainable tourism in Mauritius?
Answer: No, I don’t think that adequate measures are being undertaken by the national
government for the development of sustainable tourism in Mauritius. The social and the
environmental issues which we are still facing on the score of the exponentially growth of the
tourism industry clearly points towards this aspect.
Question 5: What measures can be adopted for the resolution of the social and the
environmental issues presented by the increasing amount of investments that the tourism
industry of Mauritius is receiving?
Answer: I think the usage of the framework of responsible tourism is likely to help in the
resolution of the issues presented by the exponential growth of the tourism industry of Mauritius
in the face of the increasing investments that it is receiving. Furthermore, measures also needs to
be undertaken so as to reduce the investments that the tourism industry is receiving in order to
control the situation.

45INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
4.2.4 Interview 4
Question 1: How do you see the increasing amount of investments that the tourism industry
of Mauritius had received in the recent years?
Answer: I think that the increasing amount of investment that the tourism industry of Mauritius
is presently receiving had positively impacted the nation. On the one hand, it had directly
contributed towards the economic growth that the nation is presently experiencing. On the other
hand, it had also contributed towards the societal development within the nation by making the
society of the nation a multicultural one.
Question 2: What according to you are the effects of the increasing amount of investments
that the tourism industry of Mauritius is receiving on the environment?
Answer: I think that the extensive growth of the tourism industry had negative affected the
environment of the nation. As a matter of fact, the development of tourism and entertainment
activities at the beaches, forests and other places had adversely affected the natural ecosystem of
these places and thereby intensified the negative impact of the development of tourism even
further.
Question 3: What according to you are the effects of the increasing amount of investments
that the tourism industry of Mauritius is receiving on the society of Mauritius?
Answer: I think that the development of the tourism industry and also the arrival of the tourists
from almost all parts of the world had made the nation a multicultural one and also broadened
the mindset of the people as well. Furthermore, the development of the tourism industry had also
helped the development of the local communities of the nations and it is seen that unlike the
earlier times they are getting ample amount of employment opportunities.

46INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
Question 4: Do you think adequate amount of initiatives are being undertaken by the
government of Mauritius for the development of sustainable tourism in Mauritius?
Answer: Yes, I think that the national government is trying to take the help of adequate
measures for the development of sustainable tourism in the nation however they have failed to
yield the desired results.
Question 5: What measures can be adopted for the resolution of the social and the
environmental issues presented by the increasing amount of investments that the tourism
industry of Mauritius is receiving?
Answer: I think that by taking the help of the sustainable tourism approach or the responsible
tourism approach the national government of Mauritius would be able to address the issues
related to the growth of the tourism industry because of the large number of investments that it is
presently receiving.
4.2.5 Interview 5
Question 1: How do you see the increasing amount of investments that the tourism industry
of Mauritius had received in the recent years?
Answer: I think that the increasing amount of investments that the tourism industry of Mauritius
had received in the recent years is one of the most important factors which had directly
contributed towards the growth or the development of the tourism industry of the nation and also
towards the growth of its national economy as well.
Question 2: What according to you are the effects of the increasing amount of investments
that the tourism industry of Mauritius is receiving on the environment?

47INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
Answer: The condition of the environment is deteriorating at a faster rate in the face of the
increasing amount of investment that the tourism industry of Mauritius is presently receiving.
The air quality had gone down and also the greenery of the country had been substantially
reduced for the construction of different five-star hotel, resorts, bars and others which are taking
a toll on the environment of the country.
Question 3: What according to you are the effects of the increasing amount of investments
that the tourism industry of Mauritius is receiving on the society of Mauritius?
Answer: I think that the present generation is becoming more distant from the cultural values,
beliefs and others that the people in Mauritius had been followed and the arrival of the large
number of tourist from the different parts of the world had to do with it. This as a matter of fact
had adversely affected the society of the nation despite the fact that the economic condition of
the people had improved substantially.
Question 4: Do you think adequate amount of initiatives are being undertaken by the
government of Mauritius for the development of sustainable tourism in Mauritius?
Answer: No, neither the national government nor the tourism board of Mauritius is taking any
measures for the development of sustainable tourism in the nation.
Question 5: What measures can be adopted for the resolution of the social and the
environmental issues presented by the increasing amount of investments that the tourism
industry of Mauritius is receiving?

48INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
Answer: I think restricting the number of tourists who visit the nation every year and also the
reduction of tourism in the beaches as well as the forest would substantially reduce the damage
caused by the tourism industry to the society and the environment of the nation.
4.3 Discussion of the Findings
Question 1: How do you see the increasing amount of investments that the tourism industry
of Mauritius had received in the recent years?
This question was asked by the researcher to understand the perceptions of respondents
regarding the increasing amount of investments that the tourism industry of Mauritius is
presently receiving and its impact on the concerned nation. Furthermore, almost all the
respondents concurred on the fact that the increasing amount of investments that the tourism
industry of Mauritius had received in the recent years had directly contributed towards the
“development of the tourism industry of the nation” and thereby “positively affected the national
economy” of Mauritius as well. More importantly, they also highlighted the fact that in the
recent more numerous “hotels, resorts, beaches, bars and others” have been established within
the nation of Mauritius and they are of the viewpoint that this is one of the most important
implications of the increasing amount of funding that the tourism industry of the concerned
nation had received in the recent years. This finds adequate amount of support from the research
work of Zhang and Gao (2016) which clearly indicates that the increasing amount of foreign
direct investments that the tourism industry of the different nations of the world have been able
to attract in the recent years is an important factor which had directly contributed towards the
growth of their tourism industry. Supporting this argument, Hung (2017) had noted that the ever-
increasing amount of investments which the tourism industries of the different nations of the
world are presently receiving had also helped in the establishment of five-star hotels, restaurants,

49INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
bars, establishment of theme parks, development of the tourist attractions or the establishment of
new ones and others in the destination nations which in turn had directly contributed towards the
growth as well as the development of the tourism industry of the nations. More importantly, it
had been seen that the development of the tourism industry is closely tied up with the economic
development of a nation because of the large amount of revenue generated by the concerned
industry and the supported that it offers to the industries like hospitality industry, entertainment
industry, transportation industry and others (Dimopoulos, Queiros and van Zyl, 2019). This in
turn explains why the increasing amount of investments that the tourism industry of Mauritius is
getting had facilitated the economic growth of the nation.
However, at the same time it needs to be said that some of the respondents highlighted
the fact that the different investments that the tourism industry of Mauritius had received in the
recent years rather than positively affecting the nation had “adversely affected the nation”. This
viewpoint had been articulated by them on the score of the “social and the environmental”
damage that these investments are causing to the nation under discussion here. This as a matter
of fact becomes apparent from the research work of Dogru, et al. (2019)which clearly indicates
that with the exponential growth of the tourism industry of the different nations of the world the
social as well as the environmental issues faced by the nations had increased significantly. This
in turn had raised questions regarding the benefits offered by the growth that the tourism industry
of the different nations had been able to attain in the recent years since on the one hand it had
positively affected the economy of nations and on the other hand it had adversely affected the
society and the environment of the nations. This as a matter of fact has important implications
not only for the nation of Mauritius but also for the other nations of the world since they need to
regulate the growth or the development of their tourism industry so as to reap the required

50INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
economic benefits while being able to overcome the negative connotations associated with the
same.
Question 2: What according to you are the effects of the increasing amount of investments
that the tourism industry of Mauritius is receiving on the environment?
This question was being asked by the researcher so as to understand the perception of the
local people of Mauritius regarding the negative effects of the increasing amount of investments
that the tourism industry of Mauritius is receiving presently on the environment. All the five
respondents who participated in the interview process concurred on the idea that in the face of
the increasing amount of investments that the tourism industry of Mauritius “pollution within the
nation had increased exponentially” and this in turn had “adversely affected the condition of the
environment” within the concerned nation. More importantly, the respondents also showed a
keen awareness regarding the native impacts of the extensive development of the tourism
industry of Mauritius. For instance, they stated that the “quality of air had deteriorated”, the
“coral reefs are dying”, the “natural ecosystem is getting adversely affected” and others which in
turn had taken a “negative toll on the lives of the animals, plants and the human beings alike”.
Furthermore, the respondents are also noted that the water bodies are increasing being used for
the development of tourist attractions and also development of water sports and the forest areas
are being cleared away for the construction of “five-star hotels, resorts, restaurants , bars” and
also for the development of different sporting activities as well. Almost all the tourists raised
concerns that if this trend continues then condition of the environment is likely to deteriorate
even further which in turn would cause various problems for the human beings and the other
living creatures as well.

51INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
The concerns as well as the points raised by the respondents find adequate amount of
support from the research work of Makoondlall-Chadee, Bokhoree and Sumputh (2017) which
clearly indicates that the exponential growth of the tourism industry in the recent years had
adversely affected the condition of environment which in turn had given rise to different kinds of
issues like climate change, global warming, melting of the polar icecaps, increase in sea level
and others. On the other hand, a study conducted by Rambaree, Båld and Backlund Rambaree
(2020) to analyze the damage caused by the tourism industry to the environment shows that the
enhancement of tourism activities in the vicinity of the water bodies and also the forests had
adversely affected the natural ecosystem of the concerned regions which in turn had affected the
stability of the region. In addition, the alarming pace at which the forests are being cleared away
from the construction of the different luxurious hotels, resorts, theme parks, bars and others had
directly contributed towards the environmental issues that the world is presently is facing and if
adequate measures are not being undertaken then the situation is likely to deteriorate even further
(Zhang and Gao, 2016). These as a matter of fact has important implications for the tourism
industry of Mauritius and also the authorities related to the same since in order to slow down the
pace of the environmental deterioration the authorities need to reduce the damage that the
tourism industry of the concerned nation is causing to the environment.
Question 3: What according to you are the effects of the increasing amount of investments
that the tourism industry of Mauritius is receiving on the society of Mauritius?
This question was asked by the researcher to understand the perceptions of the
respondents regarding the impact of the ever-increasing amount of investments that the tourism
industry of Mauritius had received in the recent years on the society of the concerned nation. The
respondents stated that because of the influx of the tourists from the different parts of the world

52INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
the people of Mauritius are “losing touch with” or “becoming distant” from the “cultural belief,
values, traditions, ideologies” and others that had been followed by the people of the concerned
nation since the traditional times. More importantly, the respondents also complained that they
were even being “forced to learn English, French and the other languages commonly spoken by
the tourists” for the purpose of improving the experience of the tourists when it is seen it is there
are many people within the concerned nation who do not even know how to speak their own
native language. An interesting point raised by the respondents was the fact that on the score of
the influx of tourists the national culture of the nation under discussion is “losing its
individuality” and the culture of the concerned nation is becoming an “amelioration of the
culture of Mauritius and the culture of the tourists who had visited the nation”. However, at the
same time it needs to be said that some of the respondents even raised the idea that development
of tourism had actually “facilitated community development within Mauritius”, helped to make
“the society of Mauritius a multicultural one” and also offered other kinds of benefits. Having
said this, the respondents themselves implied the fact that the negative effects of the increasing
amount of investments that the tourism industry of Mauritius is presently receiving on the society
of the concerned nation far outweigh the positive aspects or for that matter the benefits offered
by the same.
These ideas raised by the respondents related to the social impacts of the increasing
amount of investments that the tourism industry of Mauritius had received in the recent years
even becomes apparent when the arguments presented in the literature review section of this
study are being taken into consideration. Firstly, commenting on the positive impact of the
development of the tourism industry on the society of the different nations Dimopoulos, Queiros
and van Zyl (2019) have stated that the development of tourism activities had positively

53INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
contributed towards the development of the different communities of the nation by increasing the
employment opportunities which are available to them, helping them to acquire the traits of
multiculturalism through the interactions with the tourists from the different parts of the world
and others. Having said this, the literature related to the topic under discussion here clearly
indicate that the negative effects of the development of the tourism industry on the society far
outweigh the positive aspects of the same. This even becomes apparent from the research work
of Eric, Semeyutin and Hubbard (2020) which clearly indicate that because of the integration of
the foreign cultures of the tourists from the different nations of the world it is seen that the
nations are losing touch with the cultural or the social values, traditions, beliefs, ideologies and
others which had characterized them since the traditional times. More importantly, the study of
Shakeela and Weaver (2018) indicate that the local communities are losing their individualism in
the face of increasing interactions with the large number of tourists and also due to the
commoditization of their culture for the enhancement of the satisfaction level of the tourists.
Needless to say, these aspects have negatively affected the society as well as the culture of the
nations.
Question 4: Do you think adequate amount of initiatives are being undertaken by the
government of Mauritius for the development of sustainable tourism in Mauritius?
This question was asked by the researcher to understand the perception of the local
residents of Mauritius regarding the initiatives which are being undertaken by the national
government of the concerned nation and also its tourism department for the development of
sustainable tourism within the concerned nation. The majority of the respondents concurred on
the fact that “presently no measures” are being undertaken by the national government of
Mauritius or its tourism department for the development of sustainable tourism within the

54INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
concerned nation and even if “measures are being undertaken they have failed to yield the
desired results”. Furthermore, they also cited the fact that had the national government of
Mauritius or for that matter its tourism department actually taken the help of any measures for
the development of sustainable tourism within the concerned nation then the nation still would
not be “facing the negative social and the environmental impacts” of the increasing amount of
investments that the tourism industry of Mauritius is presently receiving and issues like
overtourism and others.
In this relation, it needs to be said that the respondents are convinced that they have to
face the negative social and the environmental connotations of the extensive growth of the
tourism industry of the nation, issues like overtourism and others since the national government
of Mauritius and even its tourism department had failed to take the help of the framework of
sustainable tourism over the years. This as a matter of fact finds adequate amount of support
from the research work of Fahimi et al. (2018) which states that the ever-increasing amount of
damage that the tourism industry of the different nations are causing to the society and the
environment of the concerned nations in the wake of the increased investments that they are
receiving clearly indicates the complete disregard of the aspect of sustainability by them. On the
other hand, the study conducted by Prayag and Lee (2019) to understand the manner in which the
damages caused by the tourism industry can be resolved through the development of sustainable
tourism clearly indicates that the usage of the framework of sustainable tourism helps the nations
to blend together their economic, social and environmental concerns which in turn facilitates the
effective development of all of these three spheres of the nations. This as a matter of fact has
important implications for the tourism industry of Mauritius since the concerned nation has the
opportunity to resolve the social and the environmental issues that it is facing in the wake of the

55INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
increasing amount of investments that its tourism industry is presently receiving through the
effective usage of framework of sustainable tourism or responsible tourism.
Question 5: What measures can be adopted for the resolution of the social and the
environmental issues presented by the increasing amount of investments that the tourism
industry of Mauritius is receiving?
This question was being asked by the researcher to understand the perceptions of the
local people of Mauritius regarding the manner in which the social and the environmental issues
posed by the increasing amount of investments that the tourism industry of the concerned nation
is presently receiving can be effectively resolved. The respondents suggested various measures
like the usage of the “framework of sustainable tourism”, “restricting the number of visitors
allowed to visit the nation for tourism related purposes”, “reducing the amount of investments
which are being made within the tourism industry” and others. Furthermore, they also suggested
that slowing down the growth rate of the tourism industry of Mauritius for the time being would
help the nation to effectively resolve the social and the environmental issues presented by the
same. In this relation, it needs to be said that the usage of these measures for the resolution of the
social and the environmental issues presented by the extensive growth of the tourism industry
also finds adequate amount of support from the theoretical concepts which were articulated in the
literature review section of this study. For instance, the study conducted by Prayag and Lee
(2019) reveals the fact that the environmental and the social issues faced by the nations related to
the extensive growth of their tourism industry can be effectively resolved by them through the
adequate usage of the framework of sustainable tourism or responsible tourism. This can be
explained on the basis of the fact that the usage of the framework of sustainable tourism helps
the nations to take the help of the kind of measures which are like to make positive contributions

56INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
towards their environment, society and also economy and this in turn helps them to overcome the
negative connotations associated with the development of the tourism industry (Naidoo and
Pearce, 2018). In addition to these, the research work of Azam, Alam and Hafeez (2018)
indicates that the nations for the purpose of overcoming the negative connotations of the issue of
overtourism needs to restrict the number of tourists, reduce the investments beings made in the
tourism industry and take the help of other measures for the attainment of the concerned ends.
These measures have important implications for the national government and the tourism
industry of Mauritius since they have the opportunity to resolve the social and the environmental
issues presented by the increasing amount of investments that the tourism industry of Mauritius
is presently receiving through the effective usage of the above given measures.
4.4 Summary
To sum up, the researcher in the above discussion had presented the primary information
which had been collected for the completion of this study. More importantly, the researcher had
also undertaken a discussion of the same in the lights of the ideas or the concepts which were
highlighted in the literature review section of this study. The next and the last chapter of the
study is “Conclusion and Recommendations”.

57INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
Chapter 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Conclusion
The results of the study indicate that the increasing amount of investments that the
tourism industry of Mauritius had received in the recent years facilitated the development of the
tourism industry of the concerned nation. More importantly, the development of the tourism
industry of Mauritius had also positively affected the national economy of the concerned nation
and is one of the most important factors which had directly contributed towards the economic
growth of the concerned nation. However, at the same time it needs to be said that the results of
the study clearly indicate that the increasing amount of investments that the tourism industry of
Mauritius had received in the recent years had adversely affected the society and the
environment of the concerned nation. For instance, it is seen that the condition of the
environment had deteriorated, the natural ecosystem of the nation had been disrupted because of
the increasing amount of tourism activities which are being conducted in the vicinity of the water
bodies, forests and others, increased amount of deforestation is being undertaken for the
construction of five-star hotels, resorts, bars, restaurants and others and these have started to take
a negative toll on the environment of the concerned nation.
On the other hand, it had also been seen that the society of the nation under discussion
here had also been adversely affected on the score of the increasing amount of investments that
the tourism industry of Mauritius had received in the recent years. As a matter of fact, it is seen
that the people of the concerned nation are losing touch with their native culture, they are
disregarding the cultural values, beliefs, ideologies, traditions and others that had been followed
within the nation since the traditional times, the culture of the nation had undergone

58INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
commodification so as to suit the needs of the tourists and others. In the light of these aspects, it
can be said that despite the economic benefits offered by the increasing amount of investments
that the tourism industry of Mauritius had received in the recent years it had seen that the society
and the environment of the concerned nation had been adversely affected on the score of the
same. Thus, it becomes important for the national government of Mauritius and also its tourism
department to take the help of adequate measures for resolving the issues presented by the
increasing investments that the tourism industry of Mauritius had received in the recent years so
as to facilitate its sustainable development.
5.2 Linking with Objectives
Objective 1: To analyze the environmental impacts due to high investment trends in the
tourism industry in Mauritius
The results of the study clearly indicate that the extensive development of the tourism
industry of Mauritius in the face of the increasing amount of investments it has received in the
present times had adversely affected the environment of the concerned nation. For instance, in
order to cater to the increasing needs of the tourism industry deforestation is being undertaken
for the construction of hotels, restaurants, resorts and others. Furthermore, tourism activities and
entertainment activities are being organized near the water bodies and also the forests which in
turn had adversely affected the ecosystem of the nation. In addition to these, the air quality had
deteriorated, pollution had increased along with other environment issues experienced by the
common people of the concerned nation.

59INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
Objective 2: To understand the perceptions of the local residents towards the negative
impact on society due to high tourism investment in Mauritius
The local residents of the nation of Mauritius think that the increasing amount of
investments that the tourism industry of Mauritius had received in the recent years is adversely
affecting the society of the concerned nation. For instance, they think that the culture of
Mauritius is undergoing commodification for catering to the needs of the tourists which in turn
had made the common of the concerned nation lose touch with the cultural beliefs, traditions,
ideologies and others that they had been following since the traditional times. More importantly,
the people are being forced to learn English, French, German and other languages spoken by the
tourists when it is seen that some of them are not even familiar with the native languages of the
concerned nation.
Objective 3: To investigate the initiatives towards involving in the sustainable tourism
development in Mauritius
The results of the study clearly indicates that no effective measures had been undertaken
by the national government of Mauritius or for that matter its tourism department for the
development of sustainable tourism in the concerned nation. This as a matter of fact is an
important reason why the concerned nation is reeling from the issues of overtourism, social and
environmental issues and others in the face of the increasing amount of investments that its
tourism industry had received in the recent years.

60INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
Objective 4: To provide measurable solution that can promote better way to deal with the
situation faced by Mauritius
There are various ways through which the social and the environmental issues that the
nation of Mauritius is presently facing on the score of the high tourism investments can be
resolved. Some of the most important measures in this regard are the usage of the framework of
sustainable tourism or responsible tourism, restricting the number of tourists who visit the nation,
reducing tourism activities near the water bodies and the forests and others. These measures are
likely to help the nation to effectively resolve the issues presented by the high tourism
investments.
5.3 Recommendations
 The tourism board of Mauritius can take the help of the framework of sustainable tourism
development or responsible tourism. This will help the board to balance the economic
interests and also the social as well as the environmental interests which in turn would
facilitate the development of the tourism without any substantial social or environmental
issues.
 The tourism board of Mauritius can also restrict the number of international tourists that
it is presently receiving for reducing the burden experienced by the environment and the
society of the concerned nation on the score of the exponential growth of the tourism
industry in the recent years. This will also help the nation under discussion here to deal
with the issue of overtourism as well.
 The tourism board in order to environmental damage that the tourism industry is causing
needs to restrict tourism near the water bodies and also in the vicinity of the forests as

61INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
well. Furthermore, measures also needs to be undertaken to ensure the fact that
deforestation is not being used for the construction of new tourist attractions, five-star
hotels, restaurants and others
 The tourism board also needs to reduce the investments which are being made within the
tourism industry of Mauritius. For instance, only those investments should be allowed
which cause significantly lower amount of damage to the environment and the society of
the nation.
5.4 Future Scope
As already mentioned, the researcher because of time and resource constraints the
researcher had only used the tool of interview for the collection of data and also conducted
interview with only 5 local residents of the nation of Mauritius was conducted. This in turn had
substantially reduced the scope of the study and thus the researcher in future for the enhancement
of the scope of the study will take the help of the tool of survey and also increase the number of
participants in interviews for the collection of the required data needed for the completion of this
study. Furthermore, the researcher in future also intends to narrow down the topic and focus
specifically on the social and the environment impact of the increasing amount of investments
that a particular tourist destination of Mauritius is receiving in the present times. These measures
are likely to help the researcher to enhance the scope of the study and thereby to improve its
quality as well.

62INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM AND ITS EFFECTS
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Appendix 1: Interview Questions
1. How do you see the increasing amount of investments that the tourism industry of
Mauritius had received in the recent years?
2. What according to you are the effects of the increasing amount of investments that the
tourism industry of Mauritius is receiving on the environment?
3. What according to you are the effects of the increasing amount of investments that the
tourism industry of Mauritius is receiving on the society of Mauritius?
4. Do you think adequate amount of initiatives are being undertaken by the government of
Mauritius for the development of sustainable tourism in Mauritius?
5. What measures can be adopted for the resolution of the social and the environmental
issues presented by the increasing amount of investments that the tourism industry of
Mauritius is receiving?