Seychelles Tourism Minister meets private sector trade

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Seychelles Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Maurice Loustau-Lalanne has undertaken his first hotel visit for the year 2018, on Friday last week. He visited 12 tourism establishments in the districts of Pointe Au Sel and Anse Royale, accompanied by the Principal Secretary for Tourism, Anne Lafortune.

The visit is a continuation of a series of door-to-door visits to tourism properties in the country, which the Minister embarked upon last year. He has visited hotels on Mahรฉ, Praslin and La Digue.

The aim of this ongoing exercise is to have a first-hand view of the various accommodations being offered to visitors, as well as to meet and discuss with the establishmentsโ€™ owners and managers on their successes and challenges.

During the Pointe Au Sel and Anse Royale visits, the main concerns raised include the urgent need to improve various facilities such as the installation of more street lighting, construction of pavements, and the need to have public toilet facilities on the beach at fairyland, which is highly frequented by tourists.

Other issues brought to the attention of the Minister were the increase in the cost of electricity, the relentless pollution by inconsiderate beach-goers, the continued nuisance caused by dogs, the constant thefts, and the dire need for active beach wardens.

On the plus side, the owners of the various establishments expressed their satisfaction with regards to the increased rate of occupancy in their respective hotels and increased number of repeated visitors to their establishments.

Most of them are popular among visitors from Europe, mainly from Germany followed by France and Italy. Other markets where they are recording some good numbers are South Africa, Ukraine and Russia.

At the end of the visit, the Minister said he was pleased to see the progress being made by the small tourism establishments and their resulting contribution to the industry. โ€œI am happy to see local entrepreneurs doing well in the tourism industry and upgrading their products. These small licensed establishments offer authentic local experiences to the visitors, which is different from the larger hotels, and we must continue to encourage them,โ€ said Minister Loustau-Lalanne.

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

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