Street artists were called for participation at the festival
As the island nation is all set to soak in the cultural extravaganza of the annual Porlwi by Nature festival, India Outbound takes a sneak peek at what the festival is all about.
An East African country on the Indian Ocean, Mauritius is a heavily travel industry dependent nation. With its beaches, lagoons, reefs, rainforests, waterfalls and hiking trails, it is needless to say that Mauritius thrives on tourism. According to the Bank of Mauritius, tourism earnings amounted to MUR 55.9 billion in 2016.
Among the emerging markets, India posted an increase of 14.6 pc in terms of tourist arrivals to Mauritius. According to Statistics Mauritius, Government of Mauritius, the number of tourist arrivals for the year 2016 increased by 10.8 pc to reach 1,275,227 while India accounted for 82,670 of that number.
A Festival of everything
The numbers and figures are clear indicators of the fact that Mauritius is a no bore country. So, if you are an outbound traveller seeking cultural rendezvous and a natural retreat, the multi-cultural island got you covered.
Port Louis, the sprawling capital is known for several tourist attractions; Champs de Mars horse track, Eureka plantation house, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Gardens, Blue Penny Museum, Jummah Mosque and Aapravasi Ghat among others.
What to expect!
To add to this list, every year Port Louis celebrates Porlwi by Nature that attracts millions of international visitors. Celebrated from November 29 to December 3, 2017, the festival is imagined to be an itinerary that crosses the city, with artistic, inventive, culinary, and playful escapades; it is imagined to be an artistic and technological experience that celebrates light, art, music, performance and cuisine.
Driven by a desire to spread a cultural aura over Port Louis, this year, Porlwi by Nature will take root in the historic streets of the capital. The theme highlights urban regeneration and a cultural reconnection with the motherland. According to the organising committee, “It is an exploration, a desire to integrate Nature in the everydayness of our lives. Porlwi by Nature gathers our community to reflect on our nature and our surroundings, and to imagine, together, tomorrow’s city and a greener future. To raise awareness about the environment; reintegrate green spaces at the heart of our city; to imagine a nourishing, urban agriculture; to honour our rich botanical history and our unique endemic fauna – such are our ideas for a better Port-Louis.”
Alisha, a tourist based in Bengaluru who attended the Porlwi festival in 2016, commented, “Walking in the fairy-like streets of Porlwi at night was beautiful and the masterminds behind the artistic work were impressive. Funnily, it was upon visiting here, we got to know about the festival. This just added to the long list of why I should return again to Mauritius. The festival and its ambience was absolutely breath-taking and was a much needed cultural retreat.”
The festival will be spread over five days to encourage citizens to immerse themselves in the many facets of the nature-themed festival. For this edition, the festival will implement concrete durable actions that contribute towards regenerating the city.
The aim is to transform Port Louis into a resilient, evolving city, where humans and nature can coexist.
