Seychelles tourism preaches sustainability as core value |24 April 2015

Seychelles is blessed with one of the most beautiful environments. The Seychellois people live, work, play and invest in this most beautiful environment.

Seychelles welcomes some 250,000 tourists per year and when we analyse the fact that these islands only have a total population of some 90,000 it brings out that Seychelles is today welcoming over two and a half times visitors to its total population. When one looks at the working population or the productive workforce of the islands stands it stands at about 45,000. The total visitor number is today well over five times the islands’ workforce.

Seychelles has been fortunate to have leaders in the tourism sector who believe in their country and in preserving what these islands have been blessed with.

The government of Seychelles is also managing this key industry with a vision for them to be remembered as good custodians of what Seychelles has been blessed with.

This is why in Madrid, Spain, at a discussion panel on the question that touched sustainable tourism, Tourism and Culture Minister Alain St Ange said Seychelles was conscious that its sustainable tourism approach was the way to go.

When questioned by Stephen Sacqur of BBC’s Hard Talk programme, Minister St Ange said currently Seychelles is carrying out a detailed land use plan and a comprehensive carrying capacity study to ensure that the tourism development of the country is one that could be sustained for the long term. A further question by the BBC journalist brought the minister to further state that following the carrying capacity study, Seychelles would be in a position to cap the construction of its large hotels and in so doing cap the arrival figures.

"We want to be seen to be good custodians of what we have been blessed with," said Minister St Ange.

He went on to say that the Seychelles government wants to ensure that the key USPs (unique selling points) that continue to attract visitors to Seychelles, i.e the white sandy beaches that are clean, the turquoise blue seas that are clean and clear, the rich and diverse culture and the protected nature of the islands where today 52% of the total land is listed as protected nature parks, would still be here in the future and be in the same state as they are today.

The people of Seychelles and the tourism trade as a whole have been saying that it is time for the government to relook at the growth in hotel beds and this is why today a comprehensive carrying capacity study for the islands is being undertaken as government also looks at the product side of things through a classification or hotel grading process. The product side will look at tourism establishments and at the country as a whole inclusive of the cost of operations as this also has a direct effect on the Seychelles product.

Seychelles tourism preaches sustainability as core value

Seychelles is blessed with one of the most beautiful environments. The Seychellois people live, work, play and invest in this most beautiful environment.

Seychelles welcomes some 250,000 tourists per year and when we analyse the fact that these islands only have a total population of some 90,000 it brings out

that Seychelles is today welcoming over two and a half times visitors to its total population. When one looks at the working population or the productive

workforce of the islands stands it stands at about 45,000. The total visitor number is today well over five times the islands’ workforce.

Seychelles has been fortunate to have leaders in the tourism sector who believe in their country and in preserving what these islands have been blessed with.

The government of Seychelles is also managing this key industry with a vision for them to be remembered as good custodians of what Seychelles has been

blessed with.

This is why in Madrid, Spain, at a discussion panel on the question that touched sustainable tourism, Tourism and Culture Minister Alain St Ange said

Seychelles was conscious that its sustainable tourism approach was the way to go.

When questioned by Stephen Sacqur of BBC’s Hard Talk programme, Minister St Ange said currently Seychelles is carrying out a detailed land use plan and a

comprehensive carrying capacity study to ensure that the tourism development of the country is one that could be sustained for the long term. A further

question by the BBC journalist brought the minister to further state that following the carrying capacity study, Seychelles would be in a position to cap the

construction of its large hotels and in so doing cap the arrival figures.

"We want to be seen to be good custodians of what we have been blessed with," said Minister St Ange.

He went on to say that the Seychelles government wants to ensure that the key USPs (unique selling points) that continue to attract visitors to Seychelles,

i.e the white sandy beaches that are clean, the turquoise blue seas that are clean and clear, the rich and diverse culture and the protected nature of the

islands where today 52% of the total land is listed as protected nature parks, would still be here in the future and be in the same state as they are today.

The people of Seychelles and the tourism trade as a whole have been saying that it is time for the government to relook at the growth in hotel beds and this

is why today a comprehensive carrying capacity study for the islands is being undertaken as government also looks at the product side of things through a

classification or hotel grading process. The product side will look at tourism establishments and at the country as a whole inclusive of the cost of

operations as this also has a direct effect on the Seychelles product.