Port Louis — Following the recent cases of assault and theft on tourists, the  explains the measures being taken to ensure the safety of visitors and to keep our good image.

The Tourism Authority announced, last week, that new measures will be taken to promote the safety of tourist residences. What are these new measures?

The new measures are still being finetuned, we are working on them. The most basic measure, which we had already established as a criterion for a licence, is that there must be a safe in each tourist residence. We place a lot of emphasis on the fact that these safes have to be locked with a personal code, and not a key. They must be personal.

Secondly, we are looking into the installation of security cameras in tourist residences of a certain size, such as hotels. For the time being this measure will not be applied to all tourist residences, we are still working on it. Another measure is the installation of alarm systems. Nowadays, it's the very least which can be done. But, we are talking about alarm systems, which are related to a response system where watchmen come and check the house when the alarm goes off. We haven't yet defined whether this measure will apply to residences of all sizes or not. We are working on that as well. But I think that this particular measure will apply to everyone.

With the reported cases of criminal action against tourists, there has been a tendency to tone things down. What is the balance between assessing the problem and preserving the country's image?

It should be said that we are and we remain a very safe destination. We react and take deterring measures, but the crime rate is on the rise across the globe. There are problems involving tourists but they are concentrated in particular areas and they are not on the rise.

You can never be too careful. It's in our interest to do our best to make this industry a zero-risk one. Let's take the example of Kenya where 90% of January reservations have been cancelled and there have been no reservations for February. This shows that safety is one of the key factors in the choice of a holiday destination.

"Business is open to all as long as necessary precautionary measures are taken. The time when things were donein a handy-man manner, when

things were* improvised, is well over.

Have licence holders, concerned by these new measures reacted or contacted the Tourism Authority in response to the announcement made last week?

Not yet. One must understand that we are here to facilitate business. We are very clear on that point. However, this business facilitation must be done with great caution, so as to respect and protect Mauritius as a tourist destination. The expansion of business related to tourism becomes detrimental to the destination. Business is open to all as long as necessary precautionary measures are taken. The time when things were done in a handy-man manner, when things were improvised, is well over. We must provide quality service, quality products, and matching alarm systems. Doors and shutters are no longer the order of the day.

Is the Tourism Authority being reactive or proactive?

I think it is a bit of both. To ensure safety in regards to tourists, two types of control come into play. The first type is where we'll control before any mishap that a bungalow, is up to standards and tour guidelines are being respected. The second type is done afterwards to check that, for example, the alarm system initially installed is still working, that the safe is in the same place and working. Control must be exerted both before and after.

There's a third control stage that is also in place. If there is a problem or an incident, a follow-up is done with the victim, a support network will be there through the Tourism Authority and the Police du Tourisme. With the licence holder it will also be necessary to see whether the incident could have been avoided and how. It's all well to punish the criminal but it's also worthwhile to apply administrative sanctions against a person who would not have put in all the effort required to protect a tourist who is after all, under his/her responsibility.

What has the Tourism Authority put in place to ensure this second control stage you mention?

We have supported a request in favour of an increase of manpower within the Police du Tourisme. We have been glad to note that 15 additional officers have joined that squad since last week. This has allowed it to become active 20 hours a day.

The Tourism Authority has also, for a year now, managed a hotline number, 8910, to record all complaints. We are also preparing a pamphlet, which will be distributed at the airport with information on Mauritius and details about the Tourism Authority.

Does the Tourism Authority also check advertising made on the net about Mauritius?

Yes we do. According to the new Tourism Authority Act, legal action may be taken in cases of false advertising. We have had complaints in this field and action has been taken. Some cases have been referred to the Police du Tourisme. Our role is to ensure that the promise, whether by mail or photo, made to the customer is being honoured.

Apart from tourist residences, you are also in charge of pleasure craft activities. What is the Authority doing in that field?

We have a policy concerning the use of pleasure craft within as well as outside the lagoon. The lagoon at Flic en Flac is currently used as a test case as we are working on speed limits. Flic en Flac is currently a new speed zone where no craft is allowed to go beyond five knots within the lagoon. Following the test case, the no speed limit will be spread to other regions. We are very much lagging behind other countries, concerning this type of regulation. Our lagoons have to remain calm and peaceful. We are trying to strike the balance between having a business and environmental needs and also the need of beach goers for peace and quiet.