Local perceptions of the relative contributions of enclave tourism and agritourism to community well-being: The case of Mauritius

Abstract

To date, limited attention has been paid to the contribution of tourism to the well-being of island residents in general and to whether such well-being varies according to the nature of tourism development in particular. Specifically, island tourism is frequently manifested in resort-based enclave development, a form of tourism that is often criticised for its assumed limited benefits to the wider community. As a consequence, alternative approaches such as agritourism, are increasingly proposed as a means of enhancing community development and well-being yet the relative merits of enclave and agritourism have not been explored within an island tourism context. This paper addresses this notable gap in the literature. Drawing on a questionnaire-based survey in Mauritius, it considers and compares the perceptions of local people of the extent to which enclave tourism and agritourism contribute to their well-being. The results reveal that both types of tourism development contribute both positively and negatively to community well-being although enclave tourism is perceived to have fewer positive outcomes. On the one hand, enclave tourism provides valuable cultural opportunities but damages the environment, restricts entrepreneurship and favours local elites; on the other hand, agritourism, although not yet well-established in Mauritius, is perceived to positively enhance the cultural and social spheres of community life whilst supporting entrepreneurship.2

Positive psychology & tourism: a systematic literature review

“…2016 16 (Boukas & Ziakas, 2016); (Filep, 2016); (Gholipour, Tajaddini, & Nguyen, 2016); (Hartwell, Willis, Page, Ladkin, Fyall, & Hemingway, 2016); (Hjalager, Tervo-Kankare, & Tuohino, 2016); (Kim, Chua, Boo, Lee, & Han, 2016); (Krishnamoorthy & Ramachandran, 2016); (Mäkelä & Kinnunen, 2016); (Naidoo & Sharpley, 2016); (Nawijn, 2016); (Pratt, McCabe, & Movono, 2016); (Pyke et al, 2016); (Rivera, Croes, & Lee, 2016); (Uysal, Sirgy, Woo, & Kim, 2016); (Vogt, Jordan, Grewe, & Kruger, 2016); (Volo, 2016 (Laing & Frost, 2017); (Li & Chan, 2017); (Park, Lee, & Lee, 2017); (Tokarchuk, Maurer, & Gabriele, 2017); (Wu, Ai & Cheng, 2017).…”

“…These conclusions support the idea that many conceptualizations exist, but overall wellbeing is positively associated with tourism and concepts of hedonia and eudemonia are emerging. However, Naidoo and Sharpley (2016) found, in Mauritius, that enclave and agritourism have positive and negative impacts on the community wellbeing. Rátz and Michalkó (2011) also found that for Hungarians, tourism is not fundamental to their quality of life.…”

“…(Naidoo & Sharpley, 2016) Mauritius "…it considers and compares the perceptions of local people of the extent to which enclave tourism and agritourism contribute to their well-being" (p. 16).…”

Feeding island dreams: exploring the relationship between food security and agritourism in the Caribbean

“…In the Indian Ocean, residents of Mauritius view agritourism as a positive factor in improving community well-being (Naidoo & Sharpley, 2016). Agritourism is perceived as offering greater potential to enhance the security and welfare of community members as compared to resort-based enclave tourism.…”

Differences in perception of the importance of generic competencies among destination regions

“…Yang & Cai, 2016), price competitiveness (Tkalec & Vizek, 2016), destination image (Ryu, L'Espoir Decosta, & Andéhn, 2016), climate and seasonality (Razumova, Rey-Maquieira, & Lozano, 2016;Scott, Simpson, & Sim, 2012), destination resources (Hadjikakou, Miller, Chenoweth, Druckman, & Zoumides, 2015;Naidoo & Sharpley, 2016;Ram, Björk, & Weidenfeld, 2016), tourism demand (Brida, Disegna, & Osti, 2013;Merida & Golpe, 2016;Naef & Ploner, 2016;Y. Yang, Liu, & Li, 2015), regional innovativeness (Božić & Rajh, 2016), economic policy (Coles, Dinan, & Hutchison, 2014;G.…”