Follow us on:

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube

Domestic

Carrying capacity study for the Seychelles tourism sector |06 February 2020

Public invited to consultation meetings

 

The Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine has commissioned the Sustainable Travel International (STI), in partnership with the Seychelles Sustainable Tourism Foundation (SSTF), to lead a carrying capacity study on Mahé, Praslin and La Digue.

The study is in line with the development of the framework of the Seychelles Tourism Master Plan (2018) and in response to the increasing volume of tourists arriving on the islands.

The aim of the study is to review the implications of growing tourism numbers and evaluate potential changes in planning and management to achieve desired conditions within the tourism industry.

International tourist arrivals to Seychelles have more than doubled over the last 20 years, with a record of 361,844 tourists in 2018. The recent increased volume of visitors is putting significant pressure on capacity in terms of accommodation and key locations such as Anse Source D’Argent on La Digue.

The 2018 Seychelles Tourism Master Plan calls for regular tourism capacity studies of major tourism sites in order to regularly review the implications of growing tourism numbers and to measure and evaluate their possible impact.

The study will specifically look at visitor’s perception and use of priority sites on all three main islands through the use of surveys and voluntary GPS tracking.

As a way of engaging all actors from the sector a set number of stakeholder consultation meetings will also be organised on Mahé, Praslin and La Digue during this month.

The general public will also be consulted and their views and contributions are being sought through public meetings which will be taking place on Saturday February 8 at the Seychelles Trading Company (STC) conference room from 9am to 12noon.

The inner islands’ meeting will be held on Saturday February 15. On La Digue the meeting will be held from 9am to 12noon at the school’s dining hall. For Praslin the meeting will also be held on Saturday February 15 at the Baha’í Centre, Baie St Anne from 2pm to 5pm.

The team of consultants invites and advises the public to come in large numbers to contribute to this consultative process.

The study concerns not only stakeholders directly involved in the tourism industry but every citizen feeling strongly about the potential impacts of the growing tourism industry on Seychelles’ natural resources, existing infrastructure and economic development.

The public’s views and feedback are crucial to guide the planning and management of visitors flow for the continued mainstreaming of sustainable practices in the tourism industry.

For more information please contact SSTF on 2727131 or email office.sstf@gmail.com

More news