27 September 2026 | .
Tourism begins long before a visitor enters a hotel, steps onto a beach or sits down in a restaurant. It begins with the impression we create as a country and continues with every encounter that visitor has with our people.
For Seychelles, tourism puts food on our tables, creates jobs, sustains businesses and supports thousands of families. Protecting this industry is therefore not only the responsibility of tourism establishments or government. It is a national responsibility.
As a small island nation heavily dependent on international travel, Seychelles is not insulated from events beyond our shores. Ongoing conflicts and instability, including in the Middle East, continue to affect the global economy, travel patterns and the cost of doing business. Yet our tourism industry has demonstrated resilience. This should never be taken for granted. It is a reminder that we must continue to safeguard our reputation, diversify our markets and ensure that Seychelles remains a safe, welcoming and competitive destination.
This World Tourism Day, celebrated under the theme “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism,” reminds us that tourism is changing. Technology and innovation can help us improve services, reach new markets and remain competitive. But no technology can replace genuine Seychellois hospitality.
Our Ministry of Tourism has rightly emphasised that technology is changing how the world discovers our islands. As a small island state, Seychelles must have a fair place in the digital systems that now shape travel. Yet the future of our tourism also depends on the health of our ocean and islands, and on our continued choice of quality and sustainability over volume. Its strength rests equally on partnerships with investors and operators whose success brings opportunities to Seychellois businesses, workers and suppliers, including through stronger links with fisheries, agriculture and the creative industries. Importantly, we must encourage our young people to see tourism as a career of national pride and leadership, and to take their place in shaping its future.
Our greatest ambassadors remain our people. Every act of kindness, every honest transaction and every quality service contributes to the reputation of Seychelles. We must ensure that visitors leave our shores feeling that they were welcomed, respected and treated fairly. Short-term gain should never come at the expense of the long-term reputation of our country.
Our natural beauty may bring visitors to Seychelles, but the experience we give them will determine how they remember us.
On this World Tourism Day, let us protect our bread and butter by protecting the Seychelles experience: through innovation, resilience, responsibility, fairness and the warmth for which our people are known.
I wish all Seychellois and everyone working across our tourism industry a happy World Tourism Day.
