By Alain St. Ange (eTN)
THE Seychelles government is pushing ahead with its eviction of the Marine Charter Association (MCA) with a final letter now issued by Mr. Gerard Hoareau, director general at the Ministry of National Development, Investment, Land Use and Industry Department, stating that the tourism facility must move as had been directed.
Maurice Loustau-Lalanne, the CEO and chairman of the Seychelles Tourist Board, has advised Marc Houareau, the current chairman of the Marine Charter Association that he was personally taking up the matter with National Development Minister Jacquelin Dugasse.
The MCA is a grouping of all charter boats operating excursions for tourists from a government-owned property in the Victoria Basin, right in the center of the capital of Seychelles. The property was leased to the boat charter body by the British government when Seychelles was still a British colony. It has become the center for visitor excursions to the various islands and for marine and diving excursions to appreciate the marine life of Seychelles.
A new waterfront development project will reportedly be built on the land facing the Victoria Basin and the site presently occupied by the Marine Charter Association and the Seychelles Yacht Club will also be used as part of this new development.
The eviction move will have serious repercussions for the Seychelles Tourism Industry as the closure of the facilities will make it more difficult for tourism marine-oriented activities to take place. The move will also bring increased cost for all such excursions as any new base will be farther away from the city and relocation costs will be passed on to the tourists.
Houareau, the chairman of the Seychelles Marine Charter Association, has said that he was disappointed that the government had failed to take into consideration the repercussions that their closure of that city center facility would have on tourism, the country's main industry. It is widely believed by the country's tourism industry players that adequate space could have been made available adjacent to the new waterfront development to cater to both the Yacht Club and the MCA as they would compliment any waterfront development.