Agriculture’s contribution to the GDP of Mauritius (and indeed sugar cane’s contribution within this sector) has declined steadily over the years. Today, agriculture accounts for just 3,4% of its GDP, while tourism, leisure and financial services make up 68,2%. As Patrick Lan of Radisson Blu Hotels in Mauritius neatly puts it, agriculture’s loss has been the traveller’s gain.
In the 13 years since Farmer’s Weekly first visited this tropical island paradise, its infrastructure has developed significantly, mostly in terms of improved transport, such as the recently launched metro tram system to alleviate traffic congestion in the capital, Port Louis. The number of upmarket malls and property developments has also increased, as has the number of South Africans who have invested in Mauritius, either with a view to residency by buying into government-sanctioned developments upwards of US$375 000 (about R5,9 million), or taking advantage of the year-long visas available for digital nomads. For South Africans looking for a holiday destination, Mauritius is hard to beat. Apart from its beauty and amenities, it’s less than four hours away by air, and English is one of the official languages.
Farmer’s Weekly spent a blissful 14 days there in May, just after the rain, enjoying an average temperature of around 27°C at the adults-only, sand-between-your-toes Radisson Blu Poste Lafayette Resort on the north-eastern side of the island.
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