My Moris : respectful of local culture and the environment
My Moris takes us on an adventure through the heart of history, culture, language, cuisine, crafts of the local people on the island. A innovative form of tourism that hasn’t been done before, that is mindful and respectful of local culture and the environment. Here are the inspiring ladies behind the idea and concept..
My Moris, Pioneer of cultural tourism in Mauritius
Extracts of a post from Taste Mauritius – A food blog created by Selina sharing amazing flavours of Mauritius
In our second interview on Taste Mauritius about talented and emerging businesses’ and creatives on the island we have the wonderful My Moris . That takes us on an adventure through the heart of history, culture, language, cuisine, crafts of the local people on the island. A innovative form of tourism that hasn’t been done before, that is mindful and respectful of local culture and the environment. Here are the inspiring ladies behind the idea and concept..
Why did you want to do these tours? Did you feel like there was a gap in the market?
We love meeting new people, discovering new places on the island and learning new things everyday. These cultural tours and experiences are a way for us to build upon our past work experience in a new manner. Instead of writing academic reports about cultural heritage, we wanted to use our strengths, our passion and show that the preservation and valorisation of our cultural heritage through commercial activities are possible in Mauritius.
Three years ago, we were pioneers in doing so. Now slowly more people are realising that there is a real opportunity to contribute to this new « market » of cultural tourism. The same thing happened 15 years ago for green tourism on the island. Today, you have plenty of great choices if you like outdoors activities.
We also love when our visitors are deeply touched by their experience with us. They fall in love with Mauritius and want to come back another time.
Your tours are great in meeting the local community, something many tourists wouldn’t get to experience on holiday in Mauritius, what was the idea behind this?
Our guided tours are meant to give the participants the key to better understand Mauritius, our population, our past and our current context. Our expertise in history, sociology and anthropology is what people are looking for. They don’t want to experience Mauritius as a décor but really understand what they are seeing.
The other important aspect of our work is the respect we have for our local partners. The roti vendor, the artisan who opens his door for us, the warm lady who hosts us for tea, they are all an integral part of this adventure. We also ensure that our efforts towards developing cultural tourism activities actively contribute to supporting the local economy be it dying crafts, or small ventures.
What do you love about the island? Can you say anything about its uniqueness?
In addition to sea-related activities, Mauritius, contrary to other tropical island destinations, has a lot of captivating experiences to offer. Beautiful and lush nature for green tourism enthusiasts, rich history and incredible cultural traditions for culture amateurs, many tasteful cuisines for foodies visitors… Staying in Mauritius on holidays offers a very complete experience, provided you step out of your hotel.
Spend some time on a public beach on a Sunday – this is the best way to see how Mauritians spend their time-off, with their family and friends, with music, food and laughter.
Walk on the main street of a big village of Mauritius (Goodlands, Flacq, or Rivière du Rempart) to immerse yourself in the rather hectic local life.
Click here to read our interview carried out by Taste Mauritius.
