Hi everyone it’s Yannick here on the second part of my journey into sustainable tourism. So far along this path down the rabbit hole, has been quite an unexpected one, especially for someone who has spent more time exploring other countries than my own, I am the very embodiment of the term ‘Touris Lokal’. I have seen more of Seychelles in these two weeks than I have in my 26 years, the level and contrasts of tourism development in Seychelles is staggering, with over 500 tourism establishments operating. My quest has taken me to extraordinary places that I had always overlooked, it is only when we take a moment to pause and truly take in what’s around us that we can delve into the beauty around us. Such as small winding path which opens up to a beautiful hillside view of Bel Ombre or Baie Lazare! Most of the two weeks was spent out of the office, this was a challenge for one accustomed to regular coffee and the cool embrace of air condition! With questionnaires on my back I conducted various surveys on Mahe, Praslin and La Digue, usually people have a bit of a resistance when it comes to questionnaires so my interviews were more like a conversation that just simply asking questions. This afforded me the opportunity to go in-depth in my questioning and get honest answers, as well as gaining a raw, unfiltered insight into the industry. Despite a day in the blazing sun, with blistered feet from all the walking and even when I'm resting in my hotel room, my mind was left racing with the revelations of the day. It was interesting to see the various responses from the people I had met, on one hand you had those passionate about making their business sustainable with the projects they had implement or were interested in implement whilst on the other hand there were some who do not have a full grasp of what sustainability entails or are unable to implement such projects due to the challenges they are facing. However, a common denominator between the kaleidoscope of responses was the fact that we need better synergy and collaboration between various stakeholders in the industry, as this would facilitate sharing of information as well as raise awareness about the challenges facing the industry.
This has been a great experience for me, I am proud to see that Seychelles has come a long way to develop sustainable tourism however there is still a lot of work to ahead of us.
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AuthorThe interns of the Prosperity & Environment: Promoting sustainable development opportunities for youth in the Blue Economy sector. Archives
January 2018
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