ABSTRACT
The Mascarenes, like many other archipelagos, moves on a bumpy road towards sustainable tourism development. There are numerous stakeholders involved that have to deal with complexities fuelled by resident sentiments about socio-cultural fragility, different political climates and geographical characteristics. Hierarchical government structures (island – archipelago – mainland) generate diverse community rivalries. For the French Overseas-Department (DOM) of La Réunion, these extend 11,000km north to continental France; while the relationship between the autonomous sub-island Rodrigues and its mainland Mauritius is traditionally spiced with racial tension.
