The Seychelles Tourism Board unveils Tourism Week 2017 with a focus on sustainable tourism

by Shrutee K/DNS

Sustainable Tourism will be the main focus as Seychelles celebrates another Tourism Week. The 2017 Tourism Week will be celebrated from Tuesday 26^th September to Tuesday 3^rd October.

The Chief Executive of the Seychelles Tourism Board, Mrs Sherin Francis and the Tourism Department’s Director for Tourism Human Resource Development, Mr Gerard Port-Louis, unveiled the programme of activities on Monday. This was during a press conference held at the STB Headquarters in Seychelles. The annual Tourism Week in Seychelles is an extension of the annual World Tourism Day celebrated on September 27 and initiated by the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).

Sustainable tourism – A tool for development is the theme chosen for the 2017 World Tourism Day, in line with the International Year on Sustainable Tourism for Development, declared by UNWTO.One of the activities, which will be centred on sustainable tourism is a lecture themed ‘Tourism and the planet – How relevant is sustainable tourism to climate change issues.’

Commenting on the initiative, Mrs Francis said: “When we talk about sustainable tourism we have to consider for example the issue of climate change and how the tourism industry is being impacted, especially in the small islands states and how we can adopt more sustainable practices for the future. These are some of the areas that will be debated upon during the lecture.” The guest speaker for the lecture, which will be held on Monday October 2, is a well-known personality within the global tourism sphere, Geoffrey Lipman, who is also the Advisor to the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organisation.

Sustainable tourism will also be encompassed in activities being planned by the Tourism Department. This includes an inter-school public speaking competition, as well as presentation of certificates to hotels that have met the criteria to obtain the Seychelles Sustainable Tourism Label. Two secondary schools have also been selected for talks focussing on the importance of tourism and enticing students to develop an interest in joining the industry. One of the main activities being organised by the tourism department is an open day where it will be opening the doors of its various sections at the Botanical House, Mont Fleuri to the general public.

Mr Port-Louis said: “We are having a walk-in open day and the public will be able to access all of our sections including the office of the Principal Secretary between 9am and 3pm. It will be an opportunity for school students, the general public to know more about the functions of the department. People wanting to venture into tourism related businesses can also come in for guidance.”

Both the Seychelles Tourism Board and Tourism Department will also be highlighting a new consumer-oriented campaign recently launched by UNWTO as part of their activities. The Travel, Enjoy Respect campaign is aimed at raising awareness of the value and contribution that sustainable tourism can make towards development.

Targeting various segments of the population, STB will also be running a series of quiz on the radio and its social media platforms. The traditional Tourism Ball, which allows tourism stakeholders to meet and network in a more relaxed atmosphere also features on the programme. Tickets for the ball which will be held at Eden Bleu on Saturday September 30 are already on sale at the STB office at independence House. The names of eight tourism personalities who have contributed immensely towards the country’s tourism industry, but who have since passed away, will also be unveiled during the Tourism Ball. Their names will be engraved at the Tourism Pioneer Park at the Seychelles Tourism Academy in a ceremony to be held on Monday October 2.

Visitors to the Seychelles shores will also be treated to a special welcome during the Tourism week, as they will be greeted with live music and give-aways at the airport. The Tourism Week will come to an end on Tuesday 3^rd October with the launching of a new awareness campaign, which will run for a whole year. STB is developing the campaign in correlation with the Ministry for Tourism, Civil Aviation and Ports Authority and the support of other stakeholders.

Mrs Francis said: “The campaign will be both inward looking and outward looking. Inwardly, we want to target the local population where we will use the campaign to educate and talk about issues affecting the tourism industry as well as talk about the positives and further build on them. The campaign will also be stretched to our international markets and further details of the campaign will be given on the closing date of the tourism week.”