Launch of Hospitality Campaign ‘Lospitalite – Lafyerte Sesel’   |29 January 2022

A public bus advertising the campaign

In its effort to boost the competitiveness of the local tourism industry and further promote Seychelles as destination of choice through a high standard of service delivery, the department of tourism has launched the Lospitalite Campaign, under the brand ‘Lospitalite – Lafyerte Sesel’.

With tourism being a service-oriented industry, there is a need to ensure that the quality of the interaction between visitors and tourism employees as well as the locals meets the visitors’ expectations, and where possible, this expectation should be exceeded.

The campaign was officially launched yesterday by Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Sylvestre Radegonde, during a ceremony held at the Labriz Gastro Lounge at Bel Ombre, in the presence of principal secretary for Tourism Sherin Francis, director general for destination marketing Bernadette Willemin and director general for destination planning and development Paul Lebon.

Minister Radegonde noted that since every visitor who disembarks in this country is our guest, visiting us here in our home, we therefore have to take pride in being hosts and delivering the best service we can to make each one of them feel welcome at every touch point in that journey throughout the time we are hosting them.

He said the campaign is also to encourage and cultivate the ethos of service excellence, to spread it far and wide, and to recognise those in the tourism industry who excel.

Minister Radegonde added that in the one year and two and a half months that he has been responsible for the tourism portfolio, he made it his responsibility to visit as many tourism establishments as possible – large, medium and small – go on tours, take taxis, discuss with people running businesses and work in the diverse occupations that tourism offers.

He said he has been impressed by the physical standards of most of the places, large and small, while less tangible has been the standard of hospitality and service excellence.

On her part, PS Francis explained that the campaign aims to continue the good work of its precursor U-First and, in the same manner, hopes to occupy a place at the very centre of our lives, determining the way we operate professionally.

In short, she said, the objective of the campaign is to return the standard of service in Seychelles to the heights that many of us fondly remember in the past – and in such a way that it becomes a source of national pride.

PS Francis further added that in its essence, the new  campaign will have three principal pillars, precisely sensitisation and awareness of the general public and tourism employees to bring about a change in people’s attitudes and mind-set when it comes to customer service through various media campaigns that will be crucial for its success, an education and training component which will ensure that the programme has sufficient grass roots traction to carry it forward and to create longevity through a future spill-over effect, while the last pillar which is awards and recognition will ensure, respectively, that firstly, good service are recognised and that there is a strong element of consistency in the level of service being provided to locals and visitors alike.

“Businesses registered with the programme will have a chance to win a prize and also have their profile raised,” further noted PS Francis.

The campaign’s logo has been designed by Eileen Hoareau and Derrick Baccus and it reflects both the physical and cultural background of the initiative.

Firstly, it depicts our ocean, as well as other aspects of our island-style way of life, such as the ubiquitous coconut palm.

The alignment of the stars illustrates the ambitions of the scheme to cultivate and nurture a culture of 5-star service throughout Seychelles.

The sun serves as an emblem of friendliness, love, warmth and positivity, bringing all the elements of the campaign together.

The accompanying photographs show some highlights of the launch ceremony yesterday.

Roland Duval

Photos by Thomas Meriton