Tourism and its relationship to community development in Chamarel, Mauritius Davina Zara Ludmilla Prang A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of London Metropolitan University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy January 2016 Acknowledgements The completion of this study represents a significant turning point in my life. It has been a long journey and has demanded a lot of effort, time and personal sacrifice. During this time I was lucky to have the support of many people. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my Director of Studies Professor Dean Bartlett and for the advice and support of my Head of Department Professor Jillian Farquar. I am grateful for the numerous readers of my work including Professor Michael Hitchcock and Professor Marcus Stephenson who supported the proposals and findings of this study and their valuable insights over many years. The research for this thesis would not have been possible without the kind help and generosity of the villagers of Chamarel who gave up their time freely to share in discussions and allowed me to interview them. I felt humbled by their sense of optimism as they shared their innermost thoughts and lives with me. I am indebted to the families who welcomed me into their world and experiences of everyday Mauritian life. My taxi driver was a valuable friend who participated in the research on community tourism whole heartedly. I would like to thank the many informants including staff members of the Ministry of Tourism, Nelson Mandela Centre for African Culture and the Mauritius Research Council for their hospitality and lively debates on tourism development and Creole communities. The content and findings in the study includes issues which may be seen as sensitive. Therefore, certain information were anonymised and pseudonyms or descriptive role details were used. The findings of this study do not seek to be representative of any party or persons. i Abstract This study focuses on the Creole village of Chamarel in the south of Mauritius. It examines trends in Mauritian tourism and how this has changed to include ecologically sensitive areas. It will discuss the historical context of Mauritius and the relevance of a plural society to tourism, with a particular focus on the representation of Mauritian culture, the Creole identity and the relevance of this to community development. The research explores community tourism in Chamarel, utilising a multifaceted qualitative approach involving an ethnographic investigation intertwined with data from other techniques. Data was collected from semi-structured interviews, participant observation, casual conversations, narratives, social events and netnographic sources. The data was expanded over a ten year period to identify patterns and themes in community tourism during 2004 to 2014. This multifaceted approach represents a new methodology for the study of Mauritian tourism. There has been a significant change in Chamarel to cater for ecotourism and community tourism. The findings shed light on community participation. This is achieved through the analysis of Government reports and development plans. The range of sources used enables a very rich, multiperspectival account of community tourism through ‘native eyes.’ The research suggests that interpretations of being Mauritian take on new meanings through the development of community tourism and reveals that ethnicity amongst other factors influenced the success of development in Chamarel. ii This study contributes to a greater understanding on the complexities of community tourism development, analysing the concept from both national and local levels of planning. It provides a unique insight into community tourism in the Creole community of Chamarel and constitutes the first project of its kind in this geographic area. The research concludes by highlighting the need for further research on community perspectives in Mauritian tourism development. iii List of Tables 3.1. Mauritius natural tourist attractions 3.2. Chamarel natural tourist attractions 3.3. Mauritius man-made tourist attractions 3.4. Chamarel man-made tourist attractions 3.5. Tourist arrivals c1970-2013 3.6. Tourist arrivals per source country c1985-2010 3.7. Tourist arrivals per source country c2004-2013 3.8. Tourist arrivals per source country c2011-2012 5.1. Tourist attractions in Chamarel 2004-2014 5.2. Tourism accommodation in Chamarel 2004-2014 5.3. Eco and adventure tourism in Chamarel 2004-2014 5.4. Culture and heritage tourism in Chamarel 2004-2014 5.5. Creole Table d’hôtes in Chamarel 2004-2014 5.6. Restaurants in Chamarel 2004-2014 6.1. Themes from tourism and the environment in Chamarel 6.2. Themes from community participation in Chamarel 6.3. Themes from consultation and decision-making in Chamarel 6.4. Themes from the notion of community in Chamarel 6.5. Themes from cultural tourism in Chamarel 6.6. Themes from commoditising the Creole identity in Chamarel 6.7. Themes from conflicts on table d’hôtes and Creole representation 6.8. Themes from development for the community – accessibility 6.9. Themes from the need for vocational training in Chamarel iv 6.10. Themes from the need for vocational training in Chamarel 6.11. Themes from community tourism in Chamarel 6.12. Themes from the need for business support in Chamarel 6.13. Themes from integration in community tourism v List of Figures 1.1. First tourist map of Mauritius showing Chamarel (2002) 1.2. Map of Chamarel’s location and surrounding areas 3.1. Chart of tourist arrivals c1970-2013 3.2. Chart of tourist arrivals per source country c1985-2010 3.3. Chart of tourist arrivals per source country c2004-2013 5.1. Multi-ethnic composition of Mauritian population in tourism promotion. 5.2. Chamarel promotion on Government website 5.3. Overall picture of Chamarel tourism in time 1 (2004) 5.4. Overall picture of Chamarel tourism in time 2 (2014) 5.5. Map of Chamarel 5.6. Map of Chamarel locating tourism development in 2014 5.7. Diversification of the Chamarel tourism product in 2014 5.8. The alternative tourism concept in Mauritius. 5.9. Rejuvenation of Chamarel tourism with cultural and heritage tourism 2014 5.10. Adapted Butler (1980) TALC model for Chamarel 7.1. Community tourism change over time in Chamarel 2004-2014: Connection of themes emerging in the data vi List of Abbreviations AHRIM Association des Hôteliers et Restaurateurs de l'île Maurice BOI Board of Investment BRIC Brazil, Russia, India and China tourism markets CSO Central Statistics Office EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EPZ Export Processing Zone GDP Gross Domestic Product GOM Government of Mauritius IRS Integrated Resort Scheme MMM Mouvement Millitant Mauricien (Mauritius) MOT Ministry of Tourism (Mauritius) MTPA Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority NHPA National Handicraft Promotion Agency NLTPS National Long-Term Perspective Study RDI Relative Development Index RPA Rapid Participatory Appraisal SCT Sustainable Community Tourism SIA Social Impact Assessment SIDS Small Island Developing States TALC Tourism Area Life Cycle WWTC World Travel and Tourism Council figures vii UNESCAP United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNDP United Nations Development Programme viii Contents Acknowledgements i Abstract ii List of Tables iv List of Figures vi Abbreviations vii 1. CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1. Background to the research study 1 1.2. Location of the research site 6 1.3. Historical Chamarel 8 1.4. A study on community tourism 9 1.5. Aim and objectives of the study 12 1.5.1. Aim 12 1.5.2. Objectives 12 1.6. Chapter summary 13 2. CHAPTER TWO: BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH SITE 2.1. Introduction 15 2.2. Chamarel and Le Morne as areas of slavery heritage 15 2.2.1. Early Creole identity 15 2.2.2. Early stages of Creolisation 18 2.3. Mauritius as a plural society 23 2.3.1. The relevance of the plural society to Mauritius 24 ix 2.3.2. Creolisation - an exception to plural society? 27 2.3.3. Creole identity vs Mauritian identity 31 2.3.4. The Creole identity and ethnonyms 34 2.4. Conclusion 42 3. CHAPTER THREE: TOURISM TRENDS IN MAURITIUS 3.1. Introduction 44 3.1.1. Mauritius in geographic context 44 3.1.2. Mauritius natural tourist attractions 45 3.1.3. Mauritius man-made tourist attractions 48 3.2. International tourism to Mauritius 50 3.2.1. New emerging markets: BRIC 61 3.3. The tourist profile 64 3.4. Further diversification of the tourist profile 68 3.5. The application of the Tourism Area Life Cycle model (TALC) to Mauritius 70 3.6. Tourism planning and policy 72 3.6.1. Sustainable tourism in Mauritius 72 3.7. Community tourism – a new approach in Mauritius 81 3.7.1. The concept of community tourism 81 3.7.2. Planning for community tourism 85 3.7.3. The notion of community and community participation 87 3.7.4. Tourism for community development 88 3.7.5. Equity in participation 91 3.7.6. Issues in the process of public participation 93 3.7.7. The citizenship dimension 96 x 3.7.8. Consultation and decision-making for community tourism 99 3.7.9. Implementing the community tourism concept in Mauritius 102 3.8. Conclusion and summary of the research question 104 4. CHAPTER FOUR: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 4.1. Introduction 106 4.1.1. The need for a study on Chamarel 106 4.2. Quantitative versus qualitative research strategy 108 4.2.1. Positivism and quantitative research design 108 4.2.2. Perspectives on qualitative research design 111 4.2.3. The justification for qualitative methods in Chamarel 114 4.3. The research strategy for this study 114 4.3.1. The selection of the research methodology 114 4.3.2.