CAPACITY INCREASE IN LOUNGE SPACES NEEDED TO CATER FOR MORE VISITORS
(Posted 25th April 2016)
Seychelles, one of the Vanilla Island organization’s members, last year saw arrivals rise by 19 percent over the year 2014 to more than 275.000 tourists. This year, according to figures mentioned by Tourism Minister Alain St. Ange, have arrivals compared already surged by a further 11 percent for the first three months of 2016 over the record breaking year 2015.
In order to accommodate future growth have several work elements at the international airport been completed or are in progress, including the expansion of the domestic flight terminal, from where some 200 scheduled flights between Mahe and Praslin by Air Seychelles leave and arrive, besides many more air-charters to some of the more remote tourist islands.
Foreign and Transport Minister Joel Morgan therefore visited the airport with a team of experts from Civil Aviation and other government bodies to assess progress and get first hand information about the state of construction.
The international arrivals lounge is being expanded by over 800 square metres added space, which will see immigration service, the island’s tourism board and protocol services get new and larger spaces while giving arriving passengers, especially when more than one flight arrive at the same time, much more space while waiting to be processed.
This work is due to be completed, and the new facilities commissioned, by mid 2016.
Work is also progressing at the international departure lounge and. if possible, will be looked over by this correspondent when departing later this week from the Seychelles back to the African mainland.
Information at hand suggests that major work at both arrival and departure lounge extensions should be nearing completion by mid year and that final touches will be completed by end 2016.
Minister Morgan again reiterated what he had repeatedly said before that visitors to the Seychelles should enjoy a five star experience from the moment they land to the moment they depart, hence the need to upgrade, refurbish and enlarge existing facilities.
The various projects were valued at approximately 10 million US Dollars, all financed by the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority.
