Africa-Press – Seychelles. Seychelles News Agency ) – The findings of a recent study on the sustainability of tourism in Seychelles have been presented to various entities working in the sector and certain actions are expected to be taken based on this.
The study was carried out by three partners, ETH Zurich (University of Zurich), the Department of Tourism and the University of Seychelles. Twenty-five master’s students at the Swiss university carried out a case study on the impacts, challenges and diversification of tourism in the island nation.
Speaking to the media, Principal Tourism Secretary Sherin Francis explained that many of the study’s findings are not shocking but rather validate some of the things already known.
“They identified one or two challenges that we need to focus on, such as how to manage our beaches and how locals perceive the tourism industry in relation to visitors,” she added.
Ms. Francis added that this report comes at a very appropriate time and complements some of the work the ministry is already doing, such as strengthening control on beaches.
“For us, these results give more weight to the work we do, for example when we look to diversify our products and offer tourists more activities, this research will allow us to take more actions in the future” , said the principal secretary.
The topics covered in the research were beach tourism, agrotourism, cultural tourism, social impact of tourism in Seychelles, links between hotels and farmers, land-based adventure tourism and the 2040 tool of assessment of tourism in Seychelles.
Meanwhile, some of the recommendations presented included the need for effective management of beaches to preserve their natural beauty, understanding local perception of tourism and preserving Seychellois Creole identity.
Other recommendations include tackling seasonal overproduction in local agriculture, as well as tackling inefficiency in resource use to alleviate ecological pressure and foster sustainable growth in the tourism sector.
The report titled “Land use in Seychelles – Rethinking the Sustainability of Tourism” was presented with various sectors including Seychelles Hospitality and Tourism Association (SHTA), Sustainability for Seychelles (S4S), University of Seychelles, Citizens Engagement Platform Seychelles (CEPS), Public Health and the Ministries of Agriculture, Culture and the Environment.
This was the fourth in a series of transdisciplinary case studies carried out in Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, in collaboration with ETH Zurich. Previous studies carried out previously focused on waste management and transportation.
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