Last Saturday, 24th November, 2007, Le Nouveau Seychelles Weekly paid a working visit to Praslin to investigate several complaints this office had received recently from locals and visitors alike. After having made all the necessary arrangement to get ourselves mobile on Praslin, our first port of call was the Vallee De Mai, which is probably the most important site in Seychelles of interest to the visitors. Vallee De Mai, the home of the world famous Coco-De-Mer and also home to the Black Parrot, is one of the reasons why thousands and thousands of visitors (tourist) pay thousands of dollars, euros and pounds to come to Seychelles. The Coco-De-Mer and the Black Parrot are unique to this part of the island and the world. This is why the Valle-De-Mai is so vitally important to the local tourism industry.
On the 2nd November, 2007, the facilities at the Vallee-de-Mai were duly closed down completely because of an ongoing redevelopment project. On the 24th November, the day we called there, two workers of Indian origins had just started removing roofing tiles from the existing building. That is twenty-two days after closing down all facilities. The Authorities responsible have not seen it fit to make alternative temporary arrangement to provide some of the facilities, which the visitors cannot go without during the period of closure, not even a little stall where tourist could purchase a drink of water or soft drink, or something to eat (sandwiches) or an information leaflet. “The people responsible for tourism in the country has simply abandoned the Vallee-De-Mai”, a taxi driver dropping off a visitor commented. This was only the tip of the iceberg; we uncovered a catalogue of problems plaguing the tourism industry on Praslin. Buses carrying visitors to the Valle De Mai had difficulty parking because of poor parking facilities; the area is prone to accidents because of a lack of police officers or traffic wardens to control the flow of traffic when it gets busy. The speed at which vehicles drive through the Vallee De Mai is in itself a danger to visitors using the road in the area.
The facilities on the jetty at Baie St Anne are no exception, especially the male toilet, which is in a state of disrepair. The tiles have come off the walls and remain so to this day (see our pictures). The roads leading up to major hotels on the island and to other areas of interest to the visitors are in very poor conditions. That is despite numerous complaints, from taxi operators, tours companies, restaurants and hotel owners made to the Land Transport Division.
Coincidentally, there was a Cruise ship visiting Praslin last Saturday. The passengers were late coming to shore, losing the country much needed foreign exchange. This happened because the local immigration were late boarding the ship. They had not arrived on time to clear passengers for disembarkation. There was no representation from the Seychelles Tourism Board in attendant to oversee the level of service on offer. It was all left to Creole Holidays staff, the handling agent, to manage things the best way they could. On the face of it, they were doing an excellent job. They were at the jetty, at the Vallee De Mai and everywhere necessary in order to guarantee the operation at hand went smoothly. Yet again the private sector delivered where government institutions keep failing the industry.
The tourism industry is still our bread basket, the main pillar of the economy. The fishing industry, though full of promises, still lulls behind. We need to be looking after “our bread and butter” the best way we can. Visitor arrivals have increased again this year. It is expected to exceed the Seychelles Tourism Board target of 154,000 visitors for 2007. This is not a reason to get complacent. We need to work harder than ever before in consolidating our position as one of the best destinations in the region.
