- Seychelles apprehends that the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict could lead to an economic crisis worse than the one caused by COVID-19 pandemic.
- According to the Minister for Tourism, Sylvestre Radegonde, the war will affect tourism arrivals from Russia, currently Seychelles’ leading tourism market.
International flights Russia is the top market for Seychelles tourism sector. In 2021, 32,000 Russian tourists came to Seychelles. Seychelles apprehends that the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict could lead to an economic crisis worse than the one caused by COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Minister for Tourism, Sylvestre Radegonde, the war will affect tourism arrivals from Russia, currently Seychelles’ leading tourism market.
The Pandemic changed the tourist profile of Seychelles. Until COVID, the traditional markets for Seychelles tourism were West Europe particularly, Germany, France, and Italy. After the Pandemic impacted arrivals from traditional markets in Western Europe, Aeroflot, Emirates, and Turkish Airlines connected Russia with Seychelles. With the war showing no signs of abating, and EU , US sanctions in place, the tourism sector is bound to suffer. In the current situation, Seychelles will be unable to meet its target of 258,000 visitors arrival set for 2022.
The tourism department revealed that Aeroflot is still landing in Seychelles with almost full occupancy and close to 250 passengers landed in Seychelles the previous weekend of March 6th. The Russian tourists are disembarking in Seychelles with cash only, as payments through SWIFT, MasterCard, and Visa Card are banned due to the imposed sanctions. Soon it is expected that Aeroflot will stop operating.
Hundreds of Seychellois employed by Russian-owned businesses in Seychelles may also lose jobs as the Russians may be compelled to close their business in Seychelles constrained by sanctions. Currently two Russian-owned tourism establishments operate in Seychelles and a third one is under construction.
The Minister hoped that new bookings from western European countries will pick up to fill the cancellations from Russia, as restrictions have been lifted. France is Seychelles’ second leading market. The country is also trying to supplement its basket, if things take a worse turn, by focusing on countries such as Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Read More:
https://trendsnafrica.com/seychelles-tourism-sector-limping-back-to-normalcy/
https://trendsnafrica.com/air-seychelles-re-start-operations-to-tel-aviv-to-promote-tourism/
