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China-Africa Trade Information Service
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Although Mauritius is more remote than most other holiday destinations in Europe, the number of tourists in this island country has been steadily rising over the past few years.
In fact, tourism arrivals have had an annual growth rate of 5 to 10%, climbing from 1 million in 2013 to almost 1.4 million (which roughly equates to the country's actual population size).
Mauritius island started life as a sugar producer, but over the years has diversified. Far more so than most other African exchanges, the Stock Exchange of Mauritius (SEM) is representative of this diversified local economy. The main industries of financial services, tourism, sugar, local manufacture of textile and beverages are all represented on the exchange.
Although it seems that many Mauritian holding companies have tended to expand locally, there are more recent moves by some to reach further afield. Initially, the expansions have been into other Indian Ocean islands such as Seychelles, Maldives, Reunion and Madagascar, with the focus being on tourism, financial services and seeking out cheaper labour for textiles.
Looking at its GDP per capita of approximately US$10 500 (versus South Africa at US$6 000 and Kenya at US$1 500). There are now new viaducts and stations being built around the capital and the island. There are direct flights to many of Africa's main business cities; the corporate tax rate is 15%, and can be as low as 3% if revenues are generated out of the country.