Questions/Answers

Before the COVID 19 pandemic, the Mauritian tourism sector was considered as one of the key economic pillars of the country with an estimated contribution of almost 24 % to the GDP and a workforce of some 100,000 people (direct and indirect). The COVID-19 outbreak is having a devastating impact on the tourism sector. The number of tourist arrivals decreased from 305,612 in the first nine months of 2020 to 9,460 in the first nine months of 2021. After a second lockdown in 2021, the adoption of a strict protocols to protect the population and vaccination rollout to more than 80 percent the population, the authorities decided to re-open borders as from 1st October 2021 to among others give a boost to the tourism sector. Given its prior experience in supporting enterprises to navigate through the COVID- 19 pandemic, through the implementation of the OSH-COVID 19 project and the Business Continuity and Resiliency project, it was deemed timely and critical for the National Productivity and Competitiveness Council (NPCC) to implement the COSHARE (Covid- 19 OSH and Resource Efficiency) project for the tourism and hospitality sector in Mauritius. The project which is being implemented with the support of the International Labour Organisation and the Tourism Authority aims to “Position Mauritius as an attractive tourist destination following opening of the country’s borders and rapidly get back to normalcy." The project involves training and implementation of COVID 19 OSH protocols enumerated by Ministry of Health and Wellbeing in as many establishments as possible in the tourism ecosystem. In addition, enterprises in the hospitality segment will be trained in the Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE) Resource Efficiency programme of the ILO as part of a Green Economic Recovery of Mauritius to support the tourism industry to “build back better.” The project is aligned with national goals and priorities. The Government of Mauritius supports this initiative and Cabinet took note of the project during its meeting on Friday 27 August 2021.

The COVID-19 crisis has brought unparalleled impacts on people employed in the tourism sector. While tremendous efforts have been made by the Government to address the extreme vulnerability of operators in the sector, one area in which would operators merit further support to adapt to the new normal and rebound is occupational safety and health (OSH) including the prevention and mitigation of the COVID-19 risks (COVID OSH). In efforts to address challenges brought on by the pandemic within the local tourism industry, Operation COSHARE is designed to enhance the capacity of employees in the sector through the promotion of health standards, protocols and aligning Mauritius as a safe destination for travellers. Targeting those working in accommodations, restaurants, the boating industry, taxis, and Destination Management Companies, the overall objective is to position Mauritius as a safe and environmentally sustainable tourist destination, attracting foreign visitors to make Mauritius their destination of choice — overall helping the industry recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic most direct impact is on health and human well-being (SDG 3), with immediate effects on economic activity and jobs (SDG 8). COSHARE directly contributes to SDG 3, 8 and 12. The current crisis threatens to reverse decades of progress on health outcomes made in Mauritius. For those who are working, the pandemic threatens their health and safety. One of the key priorities of the project is on building safer workplaces and protecting the health of operators in the tourism and hospitality sector. The project involves training and implementation of COVID 19 OSH protocols enumerated by Ministry of Health and Wellbeing in as many establishments as possible in the tourism ecosystem. Mauritius is extremely vulnerable given its high dependency on tourism and the sector is the most affected one. The total economic impact of the pandemic from the tourism sector for 2020 is estimated at 9% of GDP (Source- UNDP 2020). The tourism and hospitality sector will not rebound to normalcy until clients can be assured that their health will not be affected. Another key focus of the project is supporting and rebuilding the economy through support provided to operators to assess health related risks in their line of operation and implementing relevant counter-measures. The Tourism and Hospitality Sector stands as a driver and demonstrator of the Green Economy in action- SDG 12. Another key component of the project is to support enterprises in the sector to adopt green productivity practices to enhance business results in a responsible manner.

The main beneficiaries of the project are operators across the tourism eco-system. Practices developed and implemented in phase 1 of the project which comprises of building the capacity of operators to mitigate COVID-19 risks to continue operations contributes to the national priority of containing the pandemic, securing employment and reinvigorating economic growth. The model developed for the tourism sector can be replicated to other sectors such as the retail sector which is also one of the largest employers. Phase 2 of the project which lays emphasis on resource efficiency has a direct impact on the environment and can be replicated in other sectors as well.

With the onset of the pandemic in 2020, the authorities encouraged operators in the tourism sector to adopt the Safe Travels protocols launched by the World Travel &Tourism Council (WTTC). While about 1500 operators in the sector have received their ‘Safe Travel Certificate’, it is a fact that the large majority of operators were left behind. COSHARE has been designed to ‘touch and influence’ all the operators in the tourism eco-system- taxi-drivers, restaurants, table d’hôte, boat-houses, lodges, hotels – small, medium and large; to name a few. Along this line, the initial project design has also been reviewed to better adapt to the needs of the different target groups. Instead of only conducting online training as was initially planned, a blended approach has been adopted comprising of mass training customised for different target audiences. Communication barriers have been broken down and training materials are being adapted to the particular needs of the beneficiaries. Hand- holding support is also being offered to operators to identify and mitigate COVID-19 related risks in their operations. NPCC is working in close collaboration with stakeholders in the tourism sector, including amongst others the Ministry of Tourism, Tourism Authority, Tourism associations among others. A particular attention has also been provided to operators in the small and medium size category to ensure that they are also onboard.

The Covid-19 pandemic has erased decades of progress towards gender equality. Women of the Republic of Mauritius were not spared by the negative effects of the global pandemic. An analysis of the sex-disaggregation in some employment sectors in Mauritius reveals that a higher percentage of women are employed in the tertiary sector including the tourism sector which has been considerably affected by COVID-19. COSHARE is targeted at all operators in the tourism. Particular attention has been laid on training both male and female employees / employers of the sector to ensure that there is no gender disparity.

COSHARE is targeted at all operators in the tourism ecosystem. While all the training materials developed in context of the project is accessible to all relevant stakeholders through the E-Learning platform developed, the project specifically targeted the following beneficiaries: 1. About 1200 taxi drivers based in hotels 2. About 150 tour operators 3. About 1700 enterprises- small, medium and large operating the tourism and hospitality sector 4. The Airport of Mauritius Ltd – about 80 operators working in the airport complex Following a ‘touch and influence’ approach, all the afore-mentioned beneficiaries were empowered to identify COVID-19 related risks in their operations and adopt counter-measures to mitigate them. The project has been implemented across the island- in both urban and rural areas. Given free of cost to all the beneficiaries, the latter now feel more confident to address COVID related risks in their businesses while at the same time protecting themselves, their employees and their clients.

The project which is an expansion of the OSH-COVID project implemented by the NPCC in 2020 with the support of the ILO necessitated the collaboration of all relevant stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality industry. As such, one- to – one meeting was held in the initial stage of the project to advocate about the project and solicit the commitment of stakeholders. A project secretariat was set up to take care of the administrative aspects of the project and monitor progress. This phase of the project was followed by the setting up of a Project Steering Group (PSG) comprising of all relevant stakeholders to oversee the development of the project and provide necessary guidance and support. Memorandum of Agreements were also signed with the Tourism Authority to ensure the commitment in the project. Given that NPCC already had a pool of 10 trainers which was insufficient for the scale of the project being undertaken, officers from Ministry of Tourism and Tourism Authority were called upon to provide additional support. Four unemployed graduates were also roped in the project. A training of trainers’ programmes was conducted to equip the trainers with all the tools necessary to ‘touch and influence’ a maximum number of operators in the tourism sector. This was followed by dividing the island of Mauritius among clusters and allocating them to respective trainers. Each trainer had a target to be achieved within clear time-lines which was closely monitored through the Project Secretariat. In this bid, a common share-point was developed to track the development of the project. Weekly meeting was held with all the trainers to get progress reports and resolve issues and challenges encountered. Members of the PSG are also being regularly apprised about progress made

One of the main challenges encountered in the project implementation phase has been accessing the E-Learning module developed in the context of the project. Many beneficiaries did not have access to online facilities while some were having difficulties to understand the training materials. In this bid, a blending mode of project delivery was followed. Hand-holding support were provided to those who needed. Other online platforms such as Zoom and WhatsApp were also widely used to adapt to the needs of the beneficiaries.

COSHARE has been designed to respond to the needs of the tourism sector to rebound. The project which is the first of its kind being supported by the ILO in the region targets all the operators in the tourism and hospitality sector, irrespective of size, location or gender. Through the adoption of ‘a learning by doing approach’, the project has contributed in building the capabilities of operators in the sector to operate safer businesses. Moreover, the project has brought relevant stakeholders in the sector under the same umbrella through a project steering group to oversee the implementation of the project, collaborate and eliminate/ reduce duplications which may arise.

The project is first of its kind in the region. However, it is based on all the best practices being developed globally in terms of protocols and guidelines being developed for different sectors of activity. In particular, the project focuses on WHO guidelines and the local protocols put in place by the government to contain the pandemic.

The E-Learning platform designed by NPCC to run online courses was used for the project delivery. Participants could access a set of learning materials on the platform that helped them understand how to implement the protocols in their workplace at their own pace. Other online tools such as zoom and WhatsApp were also used as deemed appropriate to respond to needs of beneficiaries. To ease access to live data, a SharePoint page was created which could be accessed by all relevant stakeholders in the project.

The project is one of its kind being supported by the ILO for the region.

The project has been designed in such a way so that it can be replicated in other countries and other sectors. Internationally, the tourism sector can gain a lot from lessons learn and best practices developed throughout the project. Various innovative measures have been developed by operators in the sector which can inspire others. Even at national level, operators can a learn a lot from each other. Brainstorming sessions conducted during mass training sessions with for instance taxi drivers and tour operators revealed that when operators get together to reflect on common problems they encounter, they can in turn design innovative solutions for the benefit of everyone- even those not in the same line of operation.

NPCC received funding to the tune of USD 60,000 to implement the project from the ILO. The support of 35 trainers was solicited to implement phase 1 of the project.20 trainers will be called upon to implement phase 2 of the project.

COSHARE comprises of two phases- phase 1 which comprises of building the capability of operators in the tourism and hospitality sector to implement COVID-19 protocols and build safer businesses and phase 2 which focuses on the efficient use of resources to operate. Both phases of the project are sustainable over time since emphasis is being laid on building the institutional capability to respond to emerging challenges in a structured manner.

Yes

The actors involved in the evaluation of the project are: internally – the Management of the NPCC, NPCC Council, the Project Steering Group (PSG) and the Project Secretariat and externally by the ILO sponsored team

(i) As there are three categories of trainers, each one was given a target of enterprises where Operation COSHARE need to be implemented. Category 1 target = 50 enterprises, Category 2 target = 80 enterprises and Category 3 target = 100 enterprises. (ii) A weekly meeting was scheduled to discuss issues and problems faced by trainers on field and remedial actions were taken on spot or during the week (iii) A report was submitted online when closing projects including a table of improvement actions that the enterprise implemented evidenced by before and after pictures. (iv) The number of enterprises selected for the project, per trainer number of enterprises trained and number of reports submitted are all reflected as data on the SharePoint page explained earlier.

a. The project in terms of scoping is huge in proportions, geographically covers the entire island nation and addresses pandemic safety precautions in all members of the tourism and hospitality industry. b. The impact of the pandemic has been harsh on the industry, many business owners have shut-down operations but are optimistic about an early restart. c. Putting in place health and safety measures to prevent contagion was a crucial decision for the government to revive the economy. Strict quarantine measures could further delay the economic recovery, while encouraging all establishments associated in the tourism ecosystem to adhere to Covid 19 counter measures recommended by ILO made it more attractive for tourist to come to Mauritius

A Memorandum of Agreements were signed with the Tourism Authority to ensure the commitment in the project. A Project Steering Group (PSG) was also setup with the objective to facilitate active engagement with the principal and supporting stakeholders of the Operation COSHARE, secure their timely and valuable inputs and to provide oversight to NPCC to achieve the stated objectives set forth in the Implementation agreement and the expectations of the funding agencies. The PSG is chaired by a senior officer of NPCC. The members of the PSG consist of representatives from: • Tourism Authority • Ministry of Tourism • Association of Hoteliers and Restaurants in Mauritius (AHRIM) • Association des Hotels de Charme (AHC) • Airports of Mauritius Limited (AML) • Ministry of Labour, Human Resource Development & Training • Ministry of Health and Wellness • Food & Agricultural Research Extension Institute (FAREI) • ILO AHRIM, AHC and AML are collaborating with NPCC as follows: • Facilitate the participation of their operators/members in the project. • Identify areas/communities/enterprises in the tourism value chain that can benefit from this project and link them to NPCC. • Identify and engage key players for the successful implementation of the project.

A Project Steering Group (PSG) was also setup with the objective to facilitate active engagement with the principal and supporting stakeholders of the Operation COSHARE, secure their timely and valuable inputs and to provide oversight to NPCC to achieve the stated objectives set forth in the Implementation agreement and the expectations of the funding agencies. The terms of reference for the PSG are: • Agree on support mechanisms to be put in place to make the project a success and meet the stated objectives • Organise and facilitate communication among stakeholders • Review project progress reports and discuss any matters of concern and find solutions • Identify ways and means to help steer progress to meet the target. The members of the PSG consist of representatives from: • Tourism Authority • Ministry of Tourism • Association of Hoteliers and Restaurants in Mauritius (AHRIM) • Association des Hotels de Charme (AHC) • Airports of Mauritius Limited (AML) • Ministry of Labour, Human Resource Development & Training • Ministry of Health and Wellness • Food & Agricultural Research Extension Institute (FAREI) • ILO

1. Top management commitment and employee engagement are key to the success of the project. 2. Beneficiaries’ needs has been considered in the project design which made it more relevant. 3. Collection and timely analysis of data is important to better manage projects. 4. Too much reliance on online platforms does not work- a flexible mode of operation, adapted to the needs of the beneficiaries is important.