ARRIVAL NUMBERS TO SEYCHELLES FALL AS KEY SOURCE MARKETS PLUMMET IN THE FACE OF THE CORONA VIRUS OUTBREAK
(Posted 05th March 2020)
Information from the Seychelles suggests that the drop in arrival numbers has tourism officials and government worried and strategizing about how to mitigate the crisis and what counter measures to employ.
Tourism is the backbone of Seychelles’ economy and after more than a decade of constant and often double digit growth, has COVID19 now thrown a spanner in the works.Key officials reportedly yesterday met at State House in Victoria, including top tourism, health care and Central Bank representatives, briefing President Faure on the already visible impact of the global pandemic for the archipelago and the potentially worsening situation in the future, should more source countries be affected like is the case right now with China and Italy but potentially also Germany and France.
Hotel sources have also expressed their concern to ATCNews over the potential impact on pricing of goods in the Seychelles, given that most of the consumable items used in hotels and restaurants are imported.
Supply chains around the world are facing disruption at present and the processing of ordered items for air and sea transport to the Seychelles is now being monitored to establish what effect the situation can have, vis a vis both supply availability and prices.
One regular reader of ATCNews and key source close to the archipelago’s tourism offices reiterated – and asked to state this here – that Seychelles has no known or reported case of COVID19 and has put all required and recommended measures (by WHO and CDC) in place at the airport and the sea port, to prevent any infected person from entering.
Another source told ATCNews that, given the fact of sub Saharan Africa not having any cases on record, apart from 1 case of a foreign person in Nigeria, Seychelles may step up promotion of special packages for travelers from Africa, who can reach the islands on the daily basis with Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways.
