Dissertation

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 13

INTRODUCTION3

1.1Background and Rationale3

1.2Aim and objectives5

1.3 A summary of the following chapters6

Chapter 27

The role of the environment in the tourism sector7

2.1Sustainable Tourism10

Chapter 311

The analysis of tourism and its impact on the environment in Small Island Developing States (SIDS): Mauritius- A case study.11

3.1Introduction11

3.2Tourism in SIDS12

3.3SIDS and the environment13

3.4Mauritius: A case study13

3.6The Economy of Mauritius15

3.7The Environment of Mauritius16

Chapter 419

Methodology19

4.1Methodology19

Chapter 522

Increasing Tourism in Mauritius: A blessing or a curse22

5.1Primary Research on the environmental perspective of Mauritian people22

5.2Primary Research22

5.3Comparative environmental perspectives of tourists and local people25

Chapter 628

Findings28

Chapter 729

Conclusion and Recommendations29

7.1Conclusion29

7.2Recommendations30

CHAPTER 1INTRODUCTION

1.1Background and Rationale Tourism is considered to be one of the most profitable industries in the world, as it accounts for around 9.2% of GDP worldwide, and employs more than 235 million people globally (WTTC, 2007). Tourism is highly reputed among the world’s most vital rising economic sectors, as it creates quality employment and extensive wealth for economies globally (WTTC, 2007). In 2009, tourism recovered admirably from its decline by 4.2% worldwide (WTO, 2010) after the 2007 global credit crunch. International tourist arrivals on the global market rose by 7% between January to August in 2010 beyond the expectation of the WTO who predicted a growth of only 5-6% (WTO, 2010). Buhalis and Costa (2006) have estimated that tourism will reach 1.6 billion internationally by 2020 with an average growth rate of 4% yearly around the world. They also stated that travel and tourism will become more popular as tourists will take recreation, leisure and business breaks.

In developing countries, holidays abroad...