Reiterating his unwavering commitment to establish new and lasting relationships with key players in the tourism industry, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Mr Sylvestre Radegonde met with several General Managers (GMs) on Wednesday March 23, 2022, at Botanical House.
The meeting, which was held in the presence of the Principal Secretary for Tourism Mrs Sherin Francis, and other members of the department saw the participation of GMs from large hotels around Mahé, Praslin, La Digue and other islands such as Silhouette and Fregate Island.
The meeting was an opportune time to engage in pertinent discussions and explore potential areas of collaboration in the promotion and rebuilding of the local tourism industry. Deliberations included topics such as the Seychelles Tourism Academy Advanced Diploma in Hotel Management program including feedback on the Shannon College graduates, the hotel yield management strategy and beach related issues certain beach properties are faced with.
The Minister also discussed on the progress of the product diversification exercise an exercise already started by the Tourism Department which includes cultural audits in several district on Mahe, Praslin and La Digue with a view to enhance visitor’s experience.
There were also discussions on how to incorporate authentic experiences in the tourism properties. The GMs explained how some of them are working actively with various local artists however, they also mentioned the various challenges they are facing such as lack of diversity and availability of certain of these experiences amongst other concerns.
Since assuming his current role, Minister Radegonde has met with industry partners including tour guides, taxi operators, yacht owners amongst others on a regular basis.
