Speech - Official Opening Ceremony of
Conference :
4th Advances in
Hospitality and Tourism Marketing and Management
26 June 2014, Le Meridien Hotel - Time: 15 hrs
· His Excellency Mr.
Rajkeswur Purryag, President of the Republic of Mauritius
· The Hon.
Michael Yeung Sik Yuen, Minister of Tourism & Leisure
· Prof.
Soodursun Jugessur, Pro-Chancellor
and Chairman of the Council of the University of Mauritius
· Prof
Romeela Mohee, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mauritius
·
Pro-Vice Chancellors, University of Mauritius
· Dr Robin
Nunkoo, Chair, Organizing Committee and Conference Co-Chair
· Professor
Dogan Gursoy, Conference Co-Chair
· Distinguished
Professors & Delegates
· Ladies
and Gentleman
- Good Morning.
I wish to thank the organisers for the
invitation and it is always pleasure for me to meet so many academics and
professionals from the Hospitality, Tourism and Management Sector.
I am pleased to be in your midst because I
have been myself an academic, albeit from a different field, but also as
Minister of Tertiary Education, Science, Research & Technology, it is my
mission not only to provide higher education but also to help developing a
research culture in our institutions. The
Tourist industry is one of the main pillars of our economy, and to-day Travel
and Tourism is itself a leading Job creator in the world, employing 98 million
people directly and is growing faster than the global economy.
I am reminded that the word ‘Tour – ist' was
a new world for traveller in the 1800 and the word tourism was first used by
England’ Sporting Magazine in 1811.
Tourism is a multifaceted industry which eludes definition though the
WTO has in recent years defined a tourist.
We used to learn at school that history is about ‘chaps’ and Geography
is about ‘maps’, and I can venture to say that Tourism is about people and
places. To-day Tourism is a major
industry covering the time a person plans his vacation and the time he arrives
back home to share his experiences and stories.
The Tourism industry is so multifaceted that
it requires the full attention and thinking of academics to plan, monitor,
improve, and also anticipate to make the industry sustainable. In Mauritius we have done an excellent job in
making the industry a pillar of the economy; we have diversified its products
and services and to-day as a small island state, we have to meet a number of
challenges which I see will be discussed in this conference.
I have looked with great interest at your
programme and the number of themes and topics which are being covered by the
specialists in this industry. They
reflect the various issues and challenges confronting the industry, and this
conference will provide an excellent forum to exchange views from your
different perspectives and different countries.
I am very pleased to see that presenters and faculty members are drawn
from many countries and continents and such diversity of thought and experience
is the very essence of experiential learning and an essential ingredient for
understanding the critical success factors in today’s international tourism
environment.
I also welcome the organization of a round
table where professors, industry professionals and policy makers are brought
together to actively discuss issues surrounding drivers and obstacles to
sustainable tourism. The experience and
insights to be gained from this conference can help all of us to tackle the
issues in our different countries, and researchers will gain not only from the
content but also for the tools of analysis and methodology which are being used
to help understand this industry and plan for the future.
My Ministry has been asking our institutions
to pursue more research not only to help teaching but also to impart both
technical knowledge and the soft skills which can be of practical use to the
industry. We are encouraging
collaborative research, close links between Industry and Academia and also to
make Tourism a sustainable industry within the framework of the Government’s
vision of a sustainable Mauritius. We
have been planning for some time to set up a centre for Tourist studies in
Mauritius which will help not only Mauritius but also the countries in the
region.
The conference comes at the right time and I
have no doubt that many insights gained from this conference will shape or
translate into technically and economically viable policy suggestions for the
Mauritius Tourism Industry and the future centre.
Let me thank all the participants and wish
you fruitful exchanges in your deliberations. Apart from the location where the conference
in being held, take the opportunity to visit the country and let us know about
your experience.
I thank you for your attention.
Dr R. Jeetah Minister of Tertiary Education,
Science, Research and Technology
