Für alle, die Lust haben, sich durch einen längeren Artikel darüber zu kämpfen, wie der zurückgetretene Präsident sich die Entwicklung eines nachhaltigen Tourismus eigentlich vorgestellt hatte und wie das nun umgangen wird, hänge ich den hier mal an. Ist aber viel Zeug.
Der Artikel wurde aus Anlaß der Bebauung der Inseln Assomption und Platte (beides Outer Islands) geschrieben. Das Moratorium von Präsident Michel galt allerdings auch nur für die Inner Islands, wenn ich das richtig mitbekommen habe.
Was nicht drinsteht und ich bislang nur gehört habe ist, daß es auch für das Cap Ternay noch gar keine definitiven Pläne gibt.
Die Petition hat damals zwar das große Bauprojekt der Emirates-Gruppe verhindert, aber ob es dort ein reines Naturschutzgebiet mit einer Forschungsstation oder etwas in der Art wird oder etwa doch ein "nachhaltiges" kleineres Hotelprojekt, steht noch nicht fest. Dazu habe ich aber aktuell noch keine verläßlichen Quellen.
Seychelles tourism
Moratorium or red herring?
The announcement by the chief executive officer of the Islands Development Company (IDC) last week that construction of a “50 to 60 room hotel” would soon commence on Platte Island seems to fly in the face of the undertaking by the former president James Michel, reiterated by the cabinet of President Danny Faure on 14 December that a two-year moratorium would apply on all “large new hotels” until a study on the country’s carrying capacity had been completed.
by N. Tirant
It was at the Independence Day celebrations on 29 June, 2015 that the former president James Michel announced, along with eliminating taxes on electric cars and providing subsidies for the installation of solar panels, a moratorium on the construction of large hotels. “I have consulted and listened. I am convinced today that the time has come to stop the building of large new hotels, and to consolidate and enhance the unique products that Seychelles is offering,” James Michel told the nation in his speech.
“Consequently, my government has decided to impose a moratorium, with immediate effect, on large hotel projects on Mahé and the inner islands, with the exception of those projects for which approval has already been granted, or for which a commitment has been made by Government,” he added.
And even as the government of President Danny Faure has endorsed that commitment, that proviso is exactly where the problem may lie! Without an exhaustive list of those ‘approved and committed’ projects available to the general public, the transparency
of any announcement of a new hotel development remains in the realm of the opaque.
Tourism – a vital pillar
There is no doubt as to the economic importance of the tourism sector as the main pillar of our small island state economy. With 276,233 visitors’ arrivals registered in 2015 up from 232,667 in 2014, and 230,272 the previous year, the steady rise in numbers has remained constant over recent years. By the end of week 50 on 18 December, a total of 287,225 visitors had arrived in Seychelles – an increase on last year.
But there has also been a corresponding increase in the number of aircraft seats available to carry passengers into and out of the destination. Scheduled flights into the country have increased as new airlines have started operations and others have increased their schedules.
As at July 2016, the flights into Seychelles from all around the world offered a carrying capacity of 562,931 passengers, according to statistics advanced by the then transport minister, Joël Morgan. Since then, Qatar Airways has returned to our skies and Turkish Airlines has begun regular scheduled flights increasing the number of available seats further.
Moratorium in effect
It was in July 2015, shortly after the public announcement of the moratorium that this newspaper met with the then minister of Investment, Entrepreneurship Development and Business Innovation, Michael Benstrong. The minister explained that the cap would remain in place for at least the next two years, awaiting the
results of a comprehensive, national carrying capacity study. He said the cap would effectively halt any new hotel projects of more than 20 rooms.
Speaking of that same study in his June 2015 address, former president Michel had said that the study would be conducted using local and foreign expertise and that it would “assist government in taking the necessary and informed decisions on all tourism development projects in the future” and “create more space and
opportunities for small hotels run by Seychellois.”
Despite the statement that the study was expected to take two years, the cabinet of President Danny Faure received its findings in December, a little over a year after minister Benstrong made his statement.
Cabinet’s New Year resolution
At its weekly meeting on 14 December, the Cabinet of President
Danny Faure considered a report and recommendations on sustainable tourism carrying capacity for Mahé and the Inner Islands. Whilst that report has not been made available to the public, cabinet did report in a press release on the State House website that cabinet had recommended a moratorium on new large hotel establishments, and urged the need to consolidate the quality
and standards of existing establishments.
“Some presently derelict tourism establishments could be restored,” the president’s office reported, adding that there should also be limits on smaller scale developments. It also stressed the need for “better control on the conversion of residential houses for tourism
development”, resolving that “allocations of land bank intended for residential housing should not be used for commercial tourism development.”
It is pertinent that the cabinet also noted that expansion and enhancement of electricity, water and sewerage facilities should remain “a prime consideration for further development” as it called for “a proper audit on tourism receipts from all establishments to ensure that the country benefited to the maximum from this pillar
of the economy.”
Discouraging investment
At the time of last year’s interview with TODAY Minister Benstrong did not see the cap negatively affecting investment because of its time limit and because of the long lead-in times usually required for foreign investment proposals to be submitted to the Seychelles
Investment Board (SIB). He admitted, though, that the moratorium would prevent new investors from contacting the planning or environmental agencies because they must first seek SIB approval and the investment agency was reportedly not entertaining future
proposals.
Despite that undertaking and the moratorium, the SIB continues to promote several hotel development projects. These include a US$40 million 20+ keys and luxury villas on Assumption Island under “100% foreign ownership,” by the Island Development Company (IDC), an airport transit hotel on Ile Soleil and a 100-120 room hotel and 20-25 luxury villa project worth US$60 million, described on the COMESA Regional Investment Agency’s website as the “Montagne Cachée Development”.
Cancelling approved projects
What did emerge from James Michel’s Independence Day speech last year was the fact that, whatever arguments may be advanced to the contrary, hotel development projects can ultimately be cancelled before the first backhoe moves in and even if approval has been granted and an undertaking given. That was clearly the case with the Emirates’ Cap Ternay project raised in his state-of-the-nation address in February 2015.
In his Independence Day speech, James Michel once again criticised the “speculation and allegations” that had surrounded the large Emirates’ resort project but chose to end it in his own way.
“Today I want to put a stop, once and for all, to all these speculations. There will be no construction of any hotel at Cap Ternay,” he said as he vowed the unique site would host “a Blue
Economy Institute, and facilities for the youth.”
“This is the best use of this site, for the benefit of all Seychellois and also the international community,” he added, setting a precedence that observers will point to in their efforts to stop future developments that breach the moratorium.
vielen reisen an, knallen sich im Hotel an den Strand und reisen dann wieder ab. Oder die Kreuzfahrer, klappern die Sehenswürdigkeiten ab und wenn Du da nicht gerade bist, siehst Du die auch nicht. Auch werden neue Insel-/Landesteile erschlossen, da verteilt es sich eben auch ganz gut.
bis einem das Lachen im Halse stecken bleibt.
