Hilary Perle, 26, who worked as a tour guide in the village of Chamarel before the pandemic, told PA: 'My only form of income has gone. 'Of course we have a few challenges in terms of ramping up seat capacity to get all those people back to the islandвЂ¦ but we are confident that in the first three months we are going to more or less be close to our objectives.'Дespite the optimism from the Mauritian government, workers in the country fear the tourism industry will take 'years' to recover. 'The demand is there, we are sure of that. 'We are now in a situation where we can not only welcome guests from the UK, but from all the countries we are open to in optimised sanitary conditions.'ДЄsked if he fears tourists not returning, Mr Vencadasmy said: 'Ever since we've announced the different phases of opening, there's been a lot of hope, because obviously we've worked so hard and we count a lot on tourism. 'We know that this is the number one concern now when people decide to travel to any destination, really, and they look at the sanitary situation and the protocols in place. Speaking on behalf of the MTPA, a branch of the Mauritian government, Mr Vencadasmy said: 'There's a lot of emphasis on safety. Now the borders have been opened to vaccinated tourists, the head of the Mauritian Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA), Nilen Vencadasmy, told the PA news agency he is 'sure' the 'demand is there' for Britons to go back to the island. The country still enforces the wearing of face masks indoors and outdoors despite the easing of travel restrictions, and some permanent residents have put signs on their homes to urge the coverings to be worn. The Indian Ocean island allowed travellers to return on October 1, with many islanders describing the tourism industry as 'essential' for them to survive.

Tourism industry workers in Mauritius have urged UK holidaymakers to return to the island after being left 'fighting' for jobs due to the worldwide pandemic.

A waitress wears a medical face mask, in accordance with Government guidelines, while clearing beach tables at the Preskill resort in Mauritius (Ben Birchall/PA)

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