This week's news highlights has been marked by symbolic events as Mauritius commemorates the 189th anniversary of the arrival of indentured laborers; the island expects 1 million tourist arrivals by the end of the year; and the release of a movie partly shot on Mauritius.
189th anniversary of the arrival of the indentured laborers in Mauritius
This Thursday, Mauritius commemorated the arrival of the first indentured workers on its soil in 1834. It's been 189 years since the Atlas, an Indian vessel, docked in Port-Louis with 36 indentured workers on board. This event marked a new beginning for these men and women.
To commemorate this historic event, a wreath-laying ceremony was held at the emblematic Aapravasi Ghat, a World Heritage site located in Port-Louis, followed by a cultural program.
900,000 tourist arrivals recorded in Mauritius since January
During the debates at the National Assembly on Tuesday, the Minister of Tourism, Steven Obeegadoo, revealed an impressive figure of 901,126 tourist arrivals on Mauritian soil from the beginning of the year to September 30, 2023. The Deputy Prime Minister pointed out that these results are much more encouraging than those for the same period last year when only 638,332 tourists visited the island. France remains leading market for Mauritius, with around 211,000 visitors since the beginning of 2023, followed by the United Kingdom with 101,000 tourists, and Reunion Island in third place with 94,000 visitors. Indian tourists were also in the mix, with 41,000 arrivals recorded.
Steven Obeegadoo was pleased to see progress in all markets and indicated that these tourist arrivals generated substantial revenue for the island, amounting to around Rs 54.7 billion. Considering the remaining months of 2023, the Minister of Tourism is optimistic about future tourist arrivals and firmly believes that the symbolic one million tourist mark will be crossed this year.
A movie shot in Mauritius released on Netflix
The world of the South African Kandasamy family expands with the recent release of "Kandasamys: The Baby" on Netflix. In the latest episode of the successful trilogy, the movie used Mauritius as a backdrop, with picturesque landscapes showcasing tourist attractions. The locations included the Preskil Island Resort, the Pamplemousses Botanical Garden, Ilot Brocus and the Caudan Waterfront.
The shooting of "Kandasamys: The Baby" involved a technical crew of over 70 professionals and a cast of over 300 actors and extras. Two Mauritian actors, Edeen Bhugeloo (featuring as Mootoo) and Poonam Jheelan (featuring as Anjali) had leading roles in the movie, which received rave reviews at its premiere in Durban, South Africa.
This film project greatly owes its success to the crucial support of the Economic Development Board through its rebate scheme dedicated to the cinema and film sector. The Mauritius Film Development Corporation also played a key role in the shooting.
