The Tourism Department, in collaboration with The Guy Morel Institute (TGMI), has officially launched the Introduction to Hospitality Management Short Course, the first short course developed by TGMI to be accredited by the Seychelles Qualifications Authority (SQA).
The launch, held today, Wednesday 30 September, at the TGMI campus in Majoie, in the presence of Minister for Education and Human Resource Development, Mr. David Pierre, is the culmination of two years of joint work between the Tourism Department and TGMI to develop a practical, industry-focused training programme responding to the needs of Seychelles’ tourism sector.
“This course exists because of something we see across our industry, again and again,” said Minister for Tourism and Culture, Mrs. Amanda Bernstein, speaking at the launch. “Someone has a property, or part of a family home, and decides to open it to visitors. What they have never been taught is how to price a room, how to keep proper accounts, how to list a property online so that it is actually found, or how to handle a difficult guest review. The passion is there. The business skills have to be learned.”
Linking the launch to this year’s World Tourism Day theme, “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism”, Minister Bernstein said digital marketing and online booking are built into the course, while stressing that people remain at the centre of the industry. “Technology can take a booking. It cannot offer a genuine welcome,” she said.
The new programme is aimed at small tourism operators and individuals entering the tourism sector with a strong business idea or suitable property but limited formal training or experience in tourism and business management.
“This is our first SQA-accredited short course, and a significant milestone for TGMI. Working with the Tourism Department has allowed us to build training around real needs within the industry. The result is practical, recognised training that participants can apply directly to their own businesses,” said TGMI Executive Director Mr. Patrick Bristol.
The course covers key areas of hospitality management, including business proposal development, customer service excellence and communication, introduction to interior decorating, digital and social media marketing, selling tourism products, reservations and online booking, and basic bookkeeping for hospitality management. It runs over 28 training days across seven modules.
The strong response to the call for participation has resulted in a full first cohort of 25 participants, bringing together aspiring entrepreneurs and small tourism operators. The Tourism Department intends to run a second cohort next year.
The programme forms part of the Tourism Department’s wider efforts to support entrepreneurship, skills development and capacity building across the tourism sector, while strengthening opportunities for Seychellois to develop and grow tourism businesses.
The launch is also part of activities taking place alongside the 2026 Seychelles Tourism Festival, which was launched on Saturday 26 September with the 5th Lospitalite Lafyerte Sesel Service Excellence Awards and will conclude on Thursday 1 October with the Seychelles Tourism Forum.