Seychelles set to launch tourism sustainable logo |27 September 2011

The launch will take place at the Le Méridien Fisherman’s Cove Hotel.
The ‘Sustainable Tourism Label’ or ‘Eco Label’ is an international concept currently being promoted worldwide. It rightly establishes a set of standards to encourage and guide tourism operators to play a vital role in adopting best practices in the operation of their businesses in order to ensure the sustainability of the tourism industry.

The development of such a Sustainability Label in Seychelles is a follow-up to a recommendation made in the government of Seychelles’ Vision 21: Tourism Development in Seychelles 2001-2010.   A study on certification for tourism operators recommended, in consultation with the industry, the development and introduction of a “Seychelles” Sustainable Tourism Label, on the basis of strict, transparent, fair and externally checked criteria.

The criteria of the label are classified under eight themes comprising management, waste, water, energy, staff, conservation, community, and guests. It adopts an integrated approach to sustainability by including environmental, social, and economic components aligned to the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s criteria.

The set of criteria for the sustainability label was developed for accommodation establishments and was tested in some hotels and further refined.

The criteria, the institutional and implementation structure for the label were finalised in a stakeholder validation workshop in April 2011 where it was decided that the Seychelles Sustainable Tourism Label will be housed within the STB and will be overseen by its chief executive Alain St Ange in the initial stages of the set up of the label.

In support of the implementation of the label and to ensure its success and long-term sustainability within the tourism sector, a Label Manager was recruited on September 1, 2011, with the financial support of UNDP/GEF to oversee the management of the Label.

The Seychelles Sustainable Tourism Label (SSTL) will be a personally assessed, points-based certification scheme that will allow hotel establishments to continue to be productive in the future by contributing to the sustainability of the natural environment.

It will also provide visitors and tourism intermediaries with valuable information on sustainable tourism products in Seychelles, allowing them to make informed travel choices.

It is hoped that most of the tourism enterprises in Seychelles will adopt the label within the next couple of years and that through the implementation of the label, the environment and the community will benefit from viable and successful businesses, resulting in the safeguard of the unique biodiversity of Seychelles.

Today’s launch of the logo and branding of the label will thus take the concept a step further to its final stage. The event will also see the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the GOS-UNDP- GEF Programme Coordination Unit and the STB to seal the partnership for the label.

STB’s environment coordinator Betty Seraphine said that “this label will encourage hotels and other tourism establishments to merge the principles of sustainability into their daily operations.”