Abstract

International tourism in small islands has experienced rapid expansion during the recent decades as it plays an important role in the economic development of these destinations. To develop and maintain sustainable tourism, it is necessary to consider the wants and needs of the host community. Despite the increasing research on hosts’ attitudes toward sustainable tourism development, there is limited research on small island communities. This study aims to investigate host community perceptions toward sustainable tourism development in Mauritius, a small island developing state. Using a face-to-face questionnaire, data was collected from a local community living in the northern coastal areas. The questionnaire included twenty-four Likert-style questions inquiring about benefits of sustainable tourism development in the community. The results reveal that the majority of residents are supportive of tourism development in the region and have positive perceptions about its impacts.