Tourism industry ‘on a drip’, things to get worse, unless…

With the ‘Wage Assistance Scheme’ and the ‘Self-Employed Assistance Scheme’, several companies, particularly in the hospitality sector, were “on a drip”.

With the reduction of quarantine period from 14 to 7 days as from September 1 and the reopening of borders in October, these financial support schemes will be stopped.

According to l’Express, operators in the sector fear they could be heading towards bankruptcy as “restarting the engine seems increasingly laborious.”

It cited Sanjay Matadeen, Senior lecturer in Economics at Middlesex University as demanding that the two schemes should be extended until December.

“I do not see tourists rushing to come to Mauritius,” he said.

Ajay Jhurry, of the Association of Tourism Operators, said only a few hotels will be able to operate. “A catastrophe is looming. All their protocols are still blurred. Some will try to pay salaries and other costs. If there is no improvement within 15 days, they will need to do what they think is right. Many people will suffer,” he said.

Meanwhile, the fate of 3,723 employees is currently in the hands of the Redundancy Board. Employers demand that they are made redundant.