SEYCHELLES PORT AUTHORITY RESPONDS TO CHANGED MARKET CONDITIONS
(Posted 27th February 2014)
The regular consultative meetings between the Seychelles Hospitality and Tourism Association and the Ministry for Tourism and Culture in the past repeatedly focused on the need to improve facilities at the main jetties in Victoria, on Praslin and on La Digue. The accidental fall into the ocean recently of a passenger at the main jetty of the ferry in Victoria underscored the urgency of improving safety measures and resulted in a meeting of the Seychelles Port Authority management with a delegation from the tourism industry to update them on action already taken and planned to make the quays and jetties safer and more user friendly.
Lieutenant Colonel Andre Ciseaux, Chief Executive Officer of the Seychelles Port Authority in a presentation at Seychelles Port Authority’s Head quarters explained that a proposed plan for maritime tourism related development at the Mahe Inter Island Quay has already been submitted to Planning Authority for approval. He said the key element of the plan is the construction of a dedicated passenger lounge which will allow passengers boarding at the Mahe Inter Island Quay to have a sitting / waiting area. It will also include a rest room, common area for Destination Management Companies (DMC) and a collecting point for baggage offloaded by the incoming ferry. Commenting on the proposed development project for Mahe Inter Island Quay, Alain St.Ange, the Minister for Tourism and Culture said in response to the announcement: ‘The pick-up area for luggage will curb down on congestion and chaos at the port. The dedicated pick up area for luggage is a much needed facility at the Inter Island Quay’.
The Mahe Inter Island Quay project is seen by the tourism trade as being urgent especially now that recently a passenger fell into the sea at the luggage collection point. A representative of the main ferry company, the Inter Island Boats – Cat Coco said that their vessel unloaded about 4 tonnes of luggage on its daily trips.
Tourism stakeholders welcomed the opportunity to hear about concrete plans to develop and in part relocate passenger facilities at the three main piers in Victoria, Praslin and La Digue and appealed to the Seychelles Planning Authority to speed up their approval process for the pending applications made by the Ports Authority, considering that tourism is the number one economic activity and that tourists, along with locals of course, are the main users of the ferry services and deserve the best facilities there can be.
John Stravens, the Chairman of Seychelles Hospitality and Tourism Association, at the end of the meeting spoke of the positive partnership between private and public sectors, which he said is fundamental in putting the tourism industry to the fore. ‘I would like to salute the initiative of Seychelles Port Authority to make known these projects to trade partners. It shows the true spirit of partnership between public and private sector. We should continue in our drive to further develop this partnership. I would like to congratulate Alain St. Ange, Minister for Tourism and Culture for his approach to continue to hear the private sector calls and for working to make this presentation possible’.
