Boat owners, operators in tourism sector voice out concerns |05 May 2016

Boat owners and operators in the tourism sector on Praslin recently had another opportunity to discuss issues affecting the daily functions of their specific businesses and operations and share their concerns   with the minister of tourism and culture.

Minister Alain St Ange learned that the main challenges were the monopoly issue in boat charters and excursions in certain tourism establishments.

He got an insight of the challenges faced by these boat owners and together they discussed possible strategies to address the issue.

The ease of starting up and maintaining a business was also discussed with attendees expressing their difficulties including access to finance.

For his part Minister St. Ange reassured them and informed them of the ongoing effort of his ministry to continuously find ways to help locals to take charge of tourism and further develop the industry.

He encouraged them to remain proactive and innovative in their manner of conducting business as well as of the importance of collective collaboration and togetherness so as to further allow tourism to flourish on Praslin and in Seychelles as a whole. 

The general need for service improvement was also highlighted and the minister called on each attendee to take up the challenge and start improving their products and services as we strive to attract more visitors to our island.

“Though we have had an increased visibility worldwide as a travel destination, we still remain in tight competition with the rest of the world and that should drive us to further intensify our efforts to make our islands shine among other travel destinations.” Minister St Ange said.

With an expected increase in the number of visitors due to an increase in airlines and flights to the Seychelles soon, Seychellois tourism operators should rest assured that the future remains bright. Follow-up meetings are being scheduled so as to discuss progress made on the matters discussed.

Text: Nadia Bedier

Photo: Romano Laurence