For this Frenchwoman who has been living in Mauritius for years and who makes a living from tourism, the situation is both severe and "infinitely sad": "the passage of cyclone Belal was badly anticipated by the authorities and the first victims are the Mauritians themselves", she decides. "The major players in tourism had better anticipated the seriousness of the situation, and this economic lung will suffer little."
Hoteliers, rental companies, guides... All the professionals contacted by Le Figaro on Tuesday are keen to reassure about the situation, while the authorities deplore a death at this hour - a motorcyclist victim of a road accident. The death toll is expected to rise as the torrential rains have hit some areas of the island hard, with the capital Saint-Louis in the lead. The red alert was lifted in the early afternoon local time. The lockdown hastily decreed a day earlier is over, even if caution remains the order of the day with raging seas and waves of 5 to 7 meters.
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While anger is erupting among the population, the tourism sector is playing it resilient, even if some infrastructure has suffered heavy damage. It must be said that the activity alone accounts for a quarter of the Mauritian GDP and that the high tourist season is in full swing in this austral summer. Ironically, just a few days ago, the authorities had announced ambitious targets. The Indian Ocean Eden wants to welcome 1.4 million visitors this year, as many as its population, after crossing the one million mark in 2023. The next step is now expected to be the resumption of air traffic. "It will be announced quickly, even if the roads to the airport are still littered with trees," predicts our Frenchwoman, fatalistically. The message published on X (ex-Twitter) at noon by Mauritius Tourism is intended to be reassuring on this point, among others.
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"I don't think it will have an impact on attendance in the next few weeks"
"We've finished cleaning up and by the time you call me, the sky is blue and the sea is still rough," says Isabelle Bouvier, general manager of the Royal Palm Luxury in Grand Bay, which belongs to the Beachcomber group (eight establishments on the island). "We're in hurricane season and even though it's been a few years since we've had an event of this intensity, we've had time to prepare for the past 72 hours."
Outdoor furniture sheltered, branches cut, coconuts removed from trees, generators and drainage circuits checked and activated... The processes are well established. "It's always difficult to predict the consequences of a cyclone, so we prefer to anticipate and make sure that everyone is protected, employees and customers. I don't think it will have an impact on attendance in the next few weeks."
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In Tamarin, photo taken on Tuesday lunchtime. Mathieu Appassamy
Mathieu Appassamy sent us a photo taken live from Tamarin, on the west coast. Blue skies, rough seas. This director and co-founder of "Muse Villa", luxurious houses nestled in the exceptional places of the island, also assures him: "our group had prepared well for the worst with the protocols we are used to". In fact, a dozen storms or cyclones cross the southwestern Indian Ocean each year during the cyclone season, which runs from November to April. "Most of our 20 or so villas are by the sea and the water may have risen into the courtyards, but everything will be put back in order quickly. The guests who are currently staying with us have stayed except for one, who has left for Dubai and will return as soon as the situation is resolved."
Not everyone is so lucky. The two Club Med villages, Albion and La Pointe, reported no incidents or injuries among the 900 customers and 850 service employees during the night and day of January 15. But the two establishments near the beaches suffered material damage. "30 rooms, including suites facing the sea, have been invaded by water," said the group's communications department, contacted by Le Figaro. The activity of the two Villages is gradually resuming but we will not be selling the seaside rooms in the coming days. For customers who wish to do so, we offer postponements or other destinations."
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Anne Venkiah, the operator at Lokal Adventure, which specialises in eco-friendly activities such as motorless boat trips, has obviously cancelled all sea trips in the coming days. "I trusted the authorities and was surprised by the violence of the cyclone," she said. Anger seems to be running high, but voluntarism is not the case. She is expected to resume sea trips this weekend. "Now that the lockdown is over, things will start again very quickly, we will clean the houses and you will see the local guides rehabilitating the seaside paths. They're used to doing this without state help."
Watch the video - Cyclone Belal: Mauritius' weather director disembarked