Creole Travel Services supports sustainable tourism |25 November 2017
Creole Travel Services has donated a cheque for R75,000 to the Seychelles Sustainable Tourism Foundation (SSTF) in the latter’s efforts towards a more collaborative and sustainable tourism industry in Seychelles.
The SSTF is a new non-governmental organization (NGO) founded by Daniella Payet in April 2017 (registered under the Association Act and eligible for CSR donations) with the purpose of bringing tourism stakeholders from the private and public sector, NGOs, academia and communities together to work on a joint approach for sustainable tourism in Seychelles.
The SSTF set itself the ambitious five-year vision to prepare Seychelles for a destination certification by a Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) recognised body.
To achieve this vision, the SSTF is forming partnerships with different tourism actors, who believe in the same values and are ready to take action for sustainable change in the country.
Over the short period of existence, the SSTF started to develop projects and partnerships for sustainable tourism awareness, research, product enhancement and sustainable waste management, among others.
“We are proud to support the Seychelles Sustainable Tourism Foundation.We are glad that this foundation is tackling subjects of important relevance in our current society as we share the same concerns,” says Guillaume Albert, general manager of CTS.
SSTF is actually hosting a conference on ‘Sustainable Tourism in Small Island States’ in collaboration with the University of Seychelles and international partners. It is a platform of exchange for tourism academics, professionals and students from Seychelles and more than 18 different countries to exchange best practices, ideas and network.
“CTS being an active player in the development and creation of experiences for Seychelles visitors, it is vital that we understand and promote the very essence of our islands; the beauty and uniqueness of our nature and our cultural heritage. Those are core elements that are at the center of discovering the Seychelles Islands and what gives them their identity,” Mr Albert adds.
“We are at a crucial stage of the development of our islands where we are witnessing an increasing disregard within our society towards the preservation of our environment and that of our values. We naturally have great respect for the efforts demonstrated by all NGOs in Seychelles and we find it sad that sometimes it can be a struggle for some to be heard. Which is why we appreciate how the SSTF acts as a bridging platform and helps to open up the dialogue and also gives value to the cause of the other NGOs. It is important that we all play our part in our society, however insignificant we may think this part is, to ensure the safeguarding of the ‘gift of Seychelles’ for future generations while making them understand its value. Associations such as the SSTF are directly seeing to this and they need to be encouraged. It is simply the responsible thing to do,” says Mr Albert.
Mrs Payet adds: “CTS is one of the major tourism players in Seychelles and our new partnership will help us to push for more sustainable operations and management decisions in the country. CTS making sustainability a priority will have a big impact on the tourism industry in Seychelles.”
The SSTF is very thankful for Creole´s financial support and is looking forward to building partnerships with different tourism actors in the country.
Contributed