Seychelles to boost hotel capacity, tourism
reuters.com
The Seychelles has approved the building of 60 hotels in four years to boost tourism revenues for the Indian Ocean archipelago, officials said on Monday.
There are currently some 6,000 hotel beds available on the palm-fringed isles, which drew a record 140,627 foreign visitors last year with their pristine white beaches and warm blue seas.
"The government has approved some 60 more hotels between now and 2011 which will provide another 5,000 beds," Maurice Lousteau-Lalanne, head of the state-run Seychelles Tourism Board, told a news conference.
The sector already employs 7,000 people, he said, and another 5,000 workers would be hired under the expansion plans. About half the new hotels will be large 3-, 4- and 5-star properties, while the rest will be smaller establishments.
"Seychelles tourism is extremely dynamic now and the economy is moving ahead with renewed confidence," Lousteau-Lalanne said.
