The Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) has, through its secretary general, Ms Nicole Tirant-Gerardi, questioned the viability of large hotel projects sprouting up all over the country.
Commenting on the Raffles Seychelles Resort and Spa to go up on Praslin's east coast, a few km from Curieuse marine park, Mrs. Tirant said: “the question of the viability of all these projects in the national context is going to be an issue in the short and medium term as one must consider whether the country and economy can effectively handle them." She cited human and infrastructural resources as well as logistics.
“The lack of training, infrastructure and logistic capacity raises the question of the benefits of these projects to the economy.
In the case of the Raffles Seychelles Resort on Praslin, it is admitted by the developers, from Dubai, that most of the 375 hotel staff will be expatriate, “in view of the scarcity of hotel staff in Seychelles." So permanent staff accommodation will be provided for them on the site, which is 90 hectares in area.
The present coastal road will be diverted over a length of 1.5 km to provide the resort with maximum beach frontage.
To return to the SCCI's remaks, Mrs. Tirant states' " As with many of the new projects coming online, this one also envisages a desalination plant and generator in view of the PUC's inability to meet demands. This raises the question of the long-term sustainability of such projects, but more importantly whether Government is considering concessions on diesel fuel to the project. She adds that the “SCCI would oppose any such concessions which would amount to a government subsidy to a private enterprise and would give such a project an unfair advantage, which is not acceptable to the principle of free enterprise."