Covid 19 : and then, what do we do?

Like many of you, we are also in isolation. If our conditions seem enviable, it is not necessarily the case for all our fellow citizens.

We have the impression that the measures taken by our government have been faster and more strict than in most western countries, let us hope that this is enough to contain this virus and protect our island and its people.

Anyway the virus is here, but its development is still very minimal: we see to date "only" 128 cases and 3 deaths.

These times of confinement inevitably lead us to ask ourselves a lot of questions in all areas.

For us in tourism, the questions arise:

• What is the future for long-haul journeys?
• What justification for such a negative carbon footprint?
• What does tourism development really bring to Mauritius?
• Beyond taking care of our customers, do we take care of our resources properly, sustainably?
• Even if we decide on a green attitude, can tourism and green go together?
• In fact, all these questions bring us back to our basics: what is the mission of our company?

Oazure has always advocated, defended and practiced Mauritius Otherwise! But that is not enough and this health crisis painfully reminds us of how necessary it is to go further in the otherwise.

This is why today I want to make commitments. So not those solicited or imposed by the storm that is passing -  no, commitments from certainties that things must change, commitments that we keep because they are come from our heart.

Because tourism is the industry n ° 1 of this country, it is not a question to do without it but without any doubt we can do much better for all the stakeholders sake.

At Oazure, tomorrow, we will work on the implementation of the following projects:

- For a responsible carbon footprint: The search for a piece of land where we will plant a tree each time a tourist sets foot in Mauritius via Oazure.

- For a sustainable environmental, social and communal assessment:

• The commitment to donate 5% of our pre-tax profits to a Mauritian NGO called Caritas, whose main objective is to fight poverty on the island.
• The development of a green label to be awarded to the villas in our portfolio. Homeowners who join will engage in a number of strong changes in environmental, social and communal behaviour.
• The proposal to our customers of a selection of clean alternative products: green sunscreen products, green cleaning products, local wines, list of products produced locally ...
• Strengthening the selection and control procedures of our service providers (environmental, social and communal practices).

- For a different kind of tourism: commit to highlighting the activities and excursions to the Mauritian DNA even more; allowing our customers around the world to discover Mauritius from the inside. No one will be able to say "I did Mauritius", but instead; "I lived great moments in Mauritius ".

We all wonder, after COVID-19, what will we do?

For the moment, we are all working to respect isolation measures for ourselves but also for others, as well as to maintain employment for our teams.

If we stick to it, sunny days await us tomorrow: a most deserved vacation inspired by lessons learned.

Take care of yourself, your loved ones and #staysafe!

Guillaume de Bricourt