Tourism in Mauritius suffers further spill due to heavy oil spill on corona impact 5:48 on August 28

In Mauritius, an island nation of the Indian Ocean, there is growing concern that the tourism industry, a major industry that has been hit hard by the new coronavirus, will be put into a further slump due to a heavy oil spill in a cargo ship last month. I am.

Mauritius, which has been in the limelight as a global resort, has placed the tourism industry as one of the pillars of economic growth, but this time the number of tourists has drastically decreased due to the restriction of foreigners' entry due to the influence of the new coronavirus, Has been hit hard.

Under such circumstances, on the 25th of last month, a freighter "WAKASHIO" owned by Nagataiki Kisen in Okayama prefecture and chartered by Mitsui OSK Lines stranded offshore, and then a large amount of heavy fuel oil leaked to the surrounding coast. I was adrift.

The hotel, which is located 10 kilometers north of the site, was popular for its blue sea in front of it, but there is no prospect of recovery even after the oil has washed ashore.

This hotel is usually crowded with tourists from overseas, but due to the new coronavirus, no reservations have been made within the year.

“The foreigners were gone because of the new coronavirus, and the locals came to eat for me after the new coronavirus disappeared, but now the number of customers is zero because of the accident,” said Ms. Merrilline Alifon.

A woman in another restaurant said, "Even if there are no restrictions on immigration, customers will not come back due to the accident. I don't know what to do."

The Mauritius government and UN agencies say that the heavy oil spills on some coasts and has a limited impact on tourism, but locally the tourism industry will be further troubled by the new coronavirus and heavy oil spill accident. I'm worried about it.