Tourism Week 2017 - Focus on sustainable tourism |19 September 2017

Seychelles will this year celebrate Tourism Week with activities based on the 2017 World Tourism Day chosen theme ‘Sustainable Tourism – a Tool for Development’.

The theme is in line with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation’s declaration of the year 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.

This was announced by the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) and the Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, in collaboration with the Seychelles Tourism Academy (STA) in a press conference at their offices at the Botanical House.

The week, which starts from Tuesday September 26 to Tuesday October 2, will feature a theme that will be consistently developed through the week which was launched by UNWTO, ‘Travel, Enjoy, Respect’, a theme which is aimed at determining how small islands states especially, are being impacted by various activities related to tourism and where visitors to these islands are advised to respect the islands’ environment while enjoying it. Also for the local trade to see how they can put in place best practices in favour of sustainability.

It was Sherin Francis, chief executive of STB and Gerard Port Louis, director, tourism human resource development who briefed the press on the week’s activities and programmes.

Familiar activities such as the Grand Tourism Ball where members of the trade who have done remarkable things for the industry are rewarded, ‘Meet and Greet’ where visitors disembarking at the airport  receive special welcome, remain on this year’s programme while new ones have been added to complement them.

“And throughout the week we will be doing activities to celebrate the campaign that was launched by UNWTO ‘Travel, Enjoy, Respect’. We will also be having a quiz competition throughout the week and a special welcome at the airport ‘Meet and Greet’ to also mark the week,” said Mrs Francis.

The highlight of the annual Seychelles Tourism Ball, which will take place on Saturday September 30, will be the minister’s speech and the unveiling of tourism pioneers who will be honoured this year. This is the second year this activity takes place.

“Two years ago we unveiled the Tourism Pioneer plaque at the STA where eight names were selected. And this year another eight names will be unveiled during the ball,” she said. While adding the plaque laying ceremony will take place on Monday evening at STA.

A tourism lecture based mainly on climate change issues from an international guest speaker who is very well known in the tourism industry worldwide, will be held on Monday afternoon.

“The lecture will also be centered on the UNWTO’s theme with the sub-theme being ‘Tourism and the Planet. How Relevant is Sustainable Tourism to climate change issues’,” explained Mrs Francis, adding it is a theme to be debated on where several trade partners are invited to be on the panel.

The week will end on Tuesday with the unveiling of an awareness campaign, both inward and outward looking.

“In the campaign we will talk about both the positive and bad issues affecting the industry,” she said.

Mr Port Louis went through the programme in more details. He said the programme will kick off with an inter-school public speaking competition on sustainable tourism based on the UNWTO theme ‘Travel, Enjoy and Respect’. On Wednesday September 27, there will be a ‘walk in’ open day at the tourism department at Botanical House.