Qatari company to develop high-end eco-friendly resort on Assomption |29 August 2023

A high-end eco-friendly resort will be built by Qatari company Assets Development on Assomption Island

Qatari company Assets Development has been selected for the development of a high-end eco-friendly resort comprising 50 to 60 rooms on Assomption Island.

The company was the only one to submit an expression of interest, following an expression of interest launched by the Islands Development Company (IDC).  The IDC received two requests for information.

As explained by its chief executive, Glenny Savy, IDC will lease out a plot measuring 40 to 60 hectares, at a rate of USD 2 per square metre per year, for the development of the five-star resort.

IDC will engage in the construction and maintenance of the necessary infrastructure, and will also benefit from the sale of its services to the venture, including electricity, water, labour, sewerage facilities and flights, from which it will generate revenue.

Presently, Assets Development is still finalising detailed plans for the establishment. 

The resort is just one of the economic activities through which IDC hopes to generate revenues on the island.

“Assomption was in the past exploited for guano but this has since stopped as there is only minimal guano on the island. Unless we start exploiting tortoises or large-scale fishing on the island, it will be difficult for the island to sustain itself,” said Mr Savy.

“For numerous years, IDC has maintained its operations on Assomption, mainly to assist Aldabra, as without Assomption, Aldabra will face much difficulty to survive in its operations. Assomption is its arrival and departure point,” Mr Savy clarified.

IDC has maintained a presence on the island which measures some 1,100 hectares, to deter exploitation of species there.

According to Mr Savy, the island will retain its ‘protected’ status and exploitation of any species will not be permitted, even when the resort becomes operational in 2025.

The resort will also act as a gateway for day visits to Unesco world heritage site Aldabra.

“One of the ways the general population will benefit from this development is that when the resort opens, we will have an IDC guesthouse as is the case on other islands, to allow residents to visit Assomption at a reduced tariff. Hopefully, during their stay on Assomption they will also be able to visit Aldabra, but we need to finalise the discussions with Aldabra,” Mr Savy added. 

The Assomption island has been a hot topic in the media for a number of years, as there was public outcry over India’s efforts to secure a military base on the island. However, its efforts were rebuffed.

At present, there is a Seychelles Coastguard base on the island.

Assomption is two-and-a-half hours away from Mahé on IDC’s 19-seat Beechcraft airplane. In a bid to reduce flight time and respond to increasing demand, IDC is looking to expand its fleet of airplanes to introduce larger models.

IDC had also launched an expression of interest for an eco-friendly tourism development on Coëtivy, and while there have been a number of requests for information, no expressions of interest were submitted.

Laura Pillay