| dc.description.abstract | This thesis gives more inside in the socio-cultural effects of tourism under the population of small islands such as Mauritius who are economically heavily depended on tourism. Tourism has both positive and negative effects on the local population of a tourism destination. Mauritius is promoted by different actors involved in the tourism industry, as a melting pot where past and present are smoothly blended together. By promoting the country as a melting-pot of cultures, people can act upon this image by turning culture into a commodity or by staging authenticity. We can conclude that in Mauritius people are both united and divided. At one side there is a clear nationalistic ‘melting-pot’ policy. Hereby the goal is the formation of unity and identity across non-ethnic lines. At the other side, we can speak of a ‘cultural mosaic’ where symbolic expressions of ethnicity are being recognized, celebrated and encouraged by the government. Tourism has become one of the main economic resources in Mauritius, next to the sugarcane, financial service and textile industry. | |
