The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Sylvestre Radegonde, met the newly formed Seychelles Small Hotels and Establishments Association (SSHEA) to discuss issues affecting this segment of the tourism industry and a way forward to improve business.
Present at the meeting held at the Botanical House, Mont Fleuri, were the principal secretary for tourism Sherin Francis and the director general for destination marketing Bernadette Willemin.
Addressing the SSHEA chairperson Peter Sinon and other members, Minister Radegonde reaffirmed the ministry’s support towards the association and the small establishments.
There was a short presentation given by the tourism department on the state of the industry in terms of arrivals and revenue.
Topics discussed during the meeting centred around the tourism environmental sustainability levy which was introduced this year, safety and security, traditional market concerns, stray dogs, trade fairs, visibility of small hotels, local labour market security, tourism inspection visits and classification.
Results of a preliminary survey done by the association were also presented to the tourism department which touched on several main points such as noise pollution, high cost of operations, waste management and low occupancy.
Concerns were raised, views and suggestions were shared and clarifications given.
Speaking to the media, Minister Radegonde said it is important to have such an association to regroup these small establishments which offer the service and authenticity that we need as most of them are being run by Seychellois.
He added that the meeting has allowed for a better understanding of their priorities as well as challenges, and together with the tourism department work for the betterment of not just this segment but the tourism industry as a whole.
Minister Radegonde said out of the 300 small establishments he has visited, there are some that are not to acceptable standards and with this new association, more work can be done to focus on sensitising these small establishments on the matter.
He added that this will be in terms of training and programmes which will not only benefit those who need to upgrade to higher standards but the ones that are already at a good level. The aim is to also help them enhance their business and get maximum revenue in what they are offering and diversify in other products to increase their income.
Minister Radegonde said in regards to the issues raised in the survey, all concerned authorities must work to find ways to address these concerns and to take the needed actions promptly.
On his part, Mr Sinon said the meeting went well and SSHEA has learnt quite a lot from it.
We have put forward our concerns, and we wanted to get solutions to pertinent issues raised but also propose ways of solving these problems together, he added.
In regards to the issue of standard and quality of certain small establishments, Mr Sinon said the cost of operations and maintenance is quite high, and it is one of the main concerns of the small tourism establishments.
“Our members have a membership card and at the back there is a QR code with all their information. With this, we want to approach certain large retail shops especially the ones we frequently use, and discuss on the possibility of offering a discount to our members which will help in refurbishment of our establishments. This we believe will help with elevating the standards of such small establishments.”
Story by Mandy Bertin
