Minister and delegation visit small tourism establishments in south Mahé |30 July 2021
Minister Radegonde and PS Francis discussing with the owners of one of the establishments visited
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Ambassador Sylvestre Radegonde resumed his series of official visits to tourism industry partners last Friday, starting at Anse Royale.
This included stops at nine establishments in south Mahé with a capacity of fewer than 20 rooms.
The visits were an ideal opportunity for Minister Radegonde and the principal secretary for tourism, Sherin Francis to see first-hand the products offered to visitors by the establishments.
Minister Radegonde stated that he is encouraged by the high occupancy rate in the small establishments visited.
"The visits were very fruitful in confirming that the occupancy rates are extremely satisfactory for our small establishments, with the majority of hoteliers acknowledging having achieved around 100% occupancy in the past months. It appears that there is a balanced distribution of visitors to Seychelles, contrary to the perception that our visitors are favouring larger establishments," said Minister Radegonde.
He commented that he was pleased to have been able to reaffirm the commitment of the tourism department to all partners in person.
"The ministry is ready to assist partners to better their products and service delivery as well as provide assistance with their visibility and marketing in general."
For her part, PS Francis explained the importance of the visit to her office in line with priorities presented by her department in June this year.
"As we focus on enhancing the customer experience, the visits are an essential starting point because they will allow us to examine the various facilities and services provided to tourists in Seychelles especially in terms of accommodation which is one of the most important parts of the visitors’ experience. We are pleased to be able to meet personally with the partners, share our vision, and hear their concerns, which will allow us to identify where to focus our work to ascertain the availability and quality of the tourist facilities and services,” said Mrs Francis.
A number of issues common to all hoteliers were highlighted; such as the increase of drug users around the Anse Royale area, theft, hoteliers having to incur extra costs to ensure security as well as challenges in retaining local staff. Bad smells emanating from public bins, often overfilled and spilling over waste particularly over the weekend, was addressed in addition to the handling of stray dogs around the island.
Establishments visited were Royale Suites by Arc Royale Luxury Apartment, Royale Self-Catering Apartment, La Villa Thérèse Holiday Apartments, Au Fond de Mer View, Le Relax Hotel and Restaurant, Chez Bijoux and Crown Beach Seychelles at Pointe au Sel.
Minister Radegonde and his team also visited Pieds dans L’Eau and Maison France, two establishments currently under renovation, and Hotel Plage de Bougainville, an upcoming tourism project under construction.
Contributed by Tourism Seychelles