In the National Assembly Seychelles has no plan to abolish Travizory |23 March 2022
Government has no intention to abolish Travizory, but is working with immigration and foreign affairs to set up a system making it possible for Seychellois living abroad to register to receive an identification number to facilitate their application process before travelling to Seychelles. Foreign affairs has set up an office for this purpose and to address issues and concerns from the diaspora.
The Covid-19 pandemic is not over yet and the government has the responsibility to protect the health of the people, the country and its economic gains made in various sectors since the country reopened to the world in March last year and it is also committed to also protect its tourism industry as well as all the different institution structures of the country.
Minister for Transport Antony Derjacques made this declaration and gave all the related information in the National Assembly yesterday morning when he was answering a private notice question by the leader of the opposition Sebastien Pillay.
Mr Pillay wanted to know if based on numerous complaints from the public in relation to Travizory the government is considering a review of the contract with Travizory before eventually abolishing it completely. He also wanted to know the law Chamber working for Travizory.
Minister for Transport Antony Derjacques has admitted that there are complaints from Seychellois living abroad who do not have a Seychellois passport or Seychelles identification (ID) card and are therefore being considered a foreigner and the €5 that they have to pay.
“Talks are ongoing to consider the following points – that Seychellois will no longer have to pay to register on Travizory before going through the process, that Seychellois without a passport will be able to register as Seychellois and immigration here will verify their documents before issuing them with an ID number,” Minister Derjacques has explained.
He further reminded Assembly members that Travizory has been in talks with the previous government since 2019 and has also signed an agreement on September 20, 2020 a month before the election here.
Minister Derjacques stated that in March 2021, Travizory had to register in Seychelles with the tax division and sign a work contract with around 30 Seychellois employees following which it signed a new contract on March 27, 2021.
Travizory’s work is related to the Covid-19 pandemic where it created and electronic and digital system to protect the country and all people working at the international airport. Tourists and other visitors were able to be processed through immigration with all their documents verified even before they embark on their journey to Seychelles.
“It is important to note that Travizory works closely with immigration and this has made it possible that since February 20, 2022, any passenger entering Seychelles does not have in his/her possession any immigration, customs, biosecurity, Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) declaration forms to fill physically.
The benefits of this is that as a result Seychelles has met ICAO standards that require passengers take only 45 minutes from the moment of disembarkation until leaving the airport building. Seychelles is today on 42 minutes.
Like the President and all visitors witnessed on Sunday during the golden jubilee celebrations of the Seychelles International Airport, immigration cleared Edelweiss and its 142 passengers went through immigration in only 35 minutes.
In 2021 a total of 19,765 Seychellois went through immigration and until now this year 7,475 Seychellois have gone through our immigration process, while a total of 224,500 visitors went through the same process in 2021 and this year up to now 84,909 visitors have gone through our immigration.
It is worth noting that only a small minority of people has been complaining and the last number of complaints received by Travizory is 114 out 68,000 applications processed.
Minister Derjacques noted that on Google Play Seychelles rating is 4.3 out of 5 stars. Furthermore, immigration, which connects to the system, can access and view the status of visitors even before they arrive in Seychelles. He noted that recently the system detected four travellers who were travelling from Doha on false passports as well as another two travelling from Iran who were prevented from entering the country.
Minister Derjacques noted that the system can also allow Immigration to know where visitors are going to stay and also confirm their reservations and the department of tourism has also welcomed the system as it no longer has to intervene and deal with visitors who give false information as to where they are spending their stay.
“Travizory has also allowed Seychelles to have a modern and efficient system and where border security is concerned, Seychelles is well advanced and more countries are moving to adopt the same system. This is seamless travel something that all Seychellois should note that small Seychelles has been able to adapt and apply the system’’, Minister Derjacques stated.
Government therefore has no intention to abolish Travizory. Government is also working with immigration and foreign affairs to set up a system making it possible for Seychellois living abroad to register to receive and ID number to facilitate their application process before travelling to Seychelles. Foreign affairs has set up an office for this purpose and to address issues and concerns from the diaspora.
Guy Ferley is the lawyer working for Travizory, Minister Derjacques informed Assembly members.
But members of the opposition raised different challenges that remain with the uploading of several documents into the system for not only members of the diaspora but for many ordinary Seychellois travellers returning home after a trip and they gave examples and also insisted that Seychellois should immediately stop paying the €5.
Minister Derjacques said the process to continue improving on the service provided by Travizory to make it more user friendly and simpler is continuous.
Marie-Anne Lepathy