Drop in tourism much smaller than expected
08.09.2009
The drop in the number of tourists visiting Seychelles this year up to the end of August was smaller than expected.
And though the final visitor figure for 2009 is likely to be lower than last year, it should be much better than predicted.
The fall up to the end of August was 5%, compared with the Seychelles Tourism Board’s (STB) prediction for the whole year of a 10% drop and the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) earlier 25% forecast.
STB chairman Maurice Loustau-Lalanne gave the figures in an interview with Nation yesterday, comparing this year’s 101,250 end-of-August arrivals with the 106,713 visitors who came in the same period last year.
The IMF later revised its estimates and said it expected a 15% drop for the year.
“When we submitted our budget for 2009 a year ago, we at STB forecast a drop of 10% in visitor arrivals and a corresponding drop of 20-25% in tourism receipts,” said Mr Loustau-Lalanne.
“I stood by these forecasts although the IMF and the Ministry of Finance went for a more pessimistic view.
“At the May Seychelles Forum, in my presentation I again provided the same end-of-year prediction and showed that for the first five months we were doing better than the STB forecast. Now that we have closed August, the performance to date is -5% in visitor arrivals.
“I know we will finish the year better than forecast but it will still be below 2008.”
Last year a total of 158,952 visitors came to Seychelles.
STB officials attributed the better-than-expected performance to more vigorous marketing under the banner Affordable Seychelles launched by the minister for tourism, Vice-President Joseph Belmont, in Germany in March.
“Before, there was a tendency to see Seychelles as a very expensive destination, but we have striven to show you can enjoy as good a holiday in a medium or small hotel as do guests in a more expensive hotel,” they said.
“The smaller hotels are now enjoying about 80% occupancy compared to around 60% last year.
“There is also the fact that a tourist now gets 17-18 rupees for his euro compared with 12 before the November float of the local currency.”
Mr Loustau-Lalanne said the opening of the 272-bed Ephelia hotel in February will have a positive impact next year. He noted that some European countries are out of the recent recession, calling it very good news.