CARRYING CAPACITY STUDY FOR MAHE, PRASLIN AND LA DIGUE ISLANDS NOW BEING ADVERTISED
(Posted 07th April 2019)
Expressions of interest are now invited by the Department of Tourism in the Seychelles, who must meet a deadline of 26th of April by 3 pm or 15.00 hrs local time for submission.
The documents are available at the office of the Director of Human Resources and Administration, Botanical House, Mont Fleuri, Mahe until the 11th of April and interested parties MUST collect those documents before they can submit any responses.
A shortlisted group of applicants will in due course hear from the Tourism Department to then submit their bids before a consultant or consultancy firm is appointed.
There will be two components to consider, one being a Carrying Capacity Study for the island of La Digue and the other for the islands of Mahe and Praslin.
The Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine some weeks ago was quoted saying: ‘The study will give a clear picture on the state of tourism development in the country, and how we can maintain a balance between sustainable tourism and economic growth‘.
Last year 361.844 visitors landed on the islands by air and sea, slightly more than in 2017 when the figure stood at 349.861 visitors.
The country earned over US Dollars 520 million from tourism in 2018, again showing that the sector is the backbone of the Seychellois economy.
During the early months of 2019 has a further increase in visitor numbers been recorded, prompting Minister Dogley to have say: ‘We have not reached half a million tourists per year so I think so far the figures are manageable. However the country needs to be mindful of the impact that mass tourism can have on a small island state like Seychelles such as on its environment if we are to increase this number‘.
Fresh water, electricity, sewerage and increased garbage are some of the main challenges the archipelgo has until now managed to keep on even keel, giving both locals and tourism establishments equal attention but with many of the consumable items being imported into the Seychelles has the question of carrying capacity limits been asked repeatedly in the past, following a doubling of visitor numbers over the past decade.
A moratorium on large hotels is currently in place, though approved projects like the upcoming Club Mediterranee on St. Anne island are going ahead, while elsewhere the number of rooms or villas will be restricted to just 25 – though in the case of La Digue have certain accommodation types been capped with just 5 rooms.
Seychelles is known for her proactive environmental policies and conservation efforts under which more than half the landmass has been set aside for conservation, while within the extensive exclusive economy zone around the islands a vast additional marine conservation area is being created to preserve fish breeding grounds and protect the ocean overall.
These efforts are being showcased by Sky News in their reports from the Aldabra Atoll and have drawn word wide attention to the Seychelles, as a tourism destination but also as a textbook example of how to look after one’s resources.
