"More Gulf Based Hotels In Seychelles"
May 9 (Reuters) - The number of tourists visiting the Seychelles rose a better than expected 15 percent in the first four months of 2013, the Republic's tourism minister said on Thursday, thanks to an influx of holidaymakers from Asia and a pick-up in visitors from some parts of Europe.
The country now expects 2013 tourist numbers to be 10 percent higher than last year, when it recorded 208,000 visitors to the Indian Ocean archipelago, having previously predicted a rise of just 3 percent.
Tourism directly and indirectly accounts for more than 60 percent of the national economy, which was worth $1.01 billion in terms of gross domestic product in 2011, according to the World Bank.
"Europe remains the biggest tourism market for us," Minister of Tourism and Culture Alain St Ange told Reuters.
"After a gloomy year last year for the French, British and Italians this year (visitors from) France and Britain surpassed that of 2011. Italy is still a lot lower, but Germany is zooming ahead," he said.
Meanwhile increasing visitor numbers from China, India and the Middle East have also helped ease the impact of Europe's economic woes on the Seychelles, St Ange said.
The archipelago has faced economic problems of its own. A 2008 balance of payments crisis led it to default on a Eurobond interest payment and teeter near bankruptcy before the government brought in a raft of reforms to liberalise the once heavily state-controlled economy.
This will see three new hotels open in the next two years, including one built by Dubai-based airline Emirates, St Ange said. The other two are being developed by Gulf-based companies, but he declined to provide further details.
"We don't allow wild growth, because every new bed demands new air access," he said.
The national carrier Air Seychelles, part-owned by Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways, has launched flights to Hong Kong and may extend its network to mainland China, but the country mainly looks to foreign airlines to increase connections.
"Air Seychelles runs on a cautious approach," St Ange said. "It is today a small airline that came from a very difficult period and is now making money. They don't want to go into any loss-making routes." (Reporting by Matt Smith; Editing by Greg Mahlich)
MORE HOTELS MORE JOB. BRAVO!
ReplyDeleteMore hotels, less water to wash your backside. Voila!
ReplyDeleteIt don't matter, for I ain't have a bathroom. I wash myself in the river that flows to your tap and to your mugs then on its way to your tongue. You are all drinking plot water.VOILA! NIGO!
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you list the names of those morons who are building more hotels. Many are not practising what they preach! Voila problem!
ReplyDeleteMore hotles means more destruction of the nevironment,thousands of cheap foreigner workers,more stress on water,more stress on land use,more distabilization of Seychelles society.
ReplyDeleteSeychelles does not need more hotels.Once a Paradise,Seychelles is turning inot a concrete jungle, threatening its environemnt,culture,religion ,slowy even language which would make it harder for our Toruism industry to compete.Slowly it is loosing its title as unique by a thousand miles, it would become a destination as any other Island states tourist destination.
With those massive construction,Seychelles is threaten to the point that it could be unrecognized ;the cumulated effect of mass tourism,frenzied consumption and an ecological desaster with unrepairable consequences.
Htoel absorb the alrgest part of fresh water reserve(NB Khalifa blcoked a river ( a DAM)to supplies his Massive Bunkers at La Misere).Each rooms of five star hotels consumption appoximately 350 litres per day causing sporadic water shortage each year,producing tons of trashes thrown inot public dumped ,they are the main cuases of the invasion of ofiregner into our land,cuasing societal problems,destroying the stability ,peace we have always enjoy,threat to our sovereignty and independeccy.It is a means also of dispossing Seychellois hundreds of hectares from the land of their patrimony by one single foreigner at one go.
Seychelles needs sustainable rtourism development,not those development and it should be repeated once again that those big hotels do not create job for seychellois donot create wealth for our country for their money srtay and bank abroad and they destroy the nature of our country.
Hectares on land being destroyed to build one over-demensional hotel though none can have a room occupancy at 50 percent,are land that could have been used to build smaller hotels,thus sustainable developemnt Pp.
Finally ,Seychelles must diverse its economy,it cannot depend only on Tourism for tourism development have limits and it is clear that when it comes to hotels facilities there are more than enough.
St Ange told us what we know"namely Euroepeans are still the main source of visitors" well St Ange get AirSEY back and start opeating direct filgihts from and to Europe.
Laastly,Land opteed for development are the remain few hectares of Land that must be kept for future generations in order that theycan haver enough land to realize their own dreams.Unlike Pp thinks,it doesnot mean all alnd opted for developemnt must be leasted and developeed now as if after PP fall Seychelles would desapear on the mpa as ATLANTIS.And Pp must not think when FAR die All Seychellois are going to suicide in order to accompany him to hell.
Stop destroying Seychelles.Stop selling our land,stop dispossing Seychellois from their aptrimony,Stop the uncontrolled and massive invasion of foreigners of our christain land.
Jeanne D'Arc