Banyan Tree Seychelles and Kempinski Resort get certified as Seychelles Sustainable Tourism Label products
ATP- Arab tourism portal- The Banyan Tree Seychelles and Kempinski Seychelles Resort have been certified as Seychelles Sustainable Tourism Label products.
The general managers of the two resorts received their certificates during a short ceremony held at the Ministry of Tourism and Culture ESPACE building.
Ricardo Suarez, the GM of Banyan Tree Seychelles and Masami Egami, the General manager of the Kempinski Seychelles Resort were presented with the certificates by the Minister for Tourism and Culture Alain St.Ange in the presence of the principal secretary for tourism Anne Lafortune and the director for standards and regulations in the tourism department Sinha Levkovic.
The Seychelles Sustainable Tourism Label certificate is a sustainable tourism management and certification programme designed specifically to recognize tourism establishments in Seychelles to join with the Government to promote what is today being called eco tourism and just plainly sustainable tourism.
Its aim is to inspire more efficient and sustainable ways of doing business and to ensure that the tourism industry as a whole is working with the Government to be seen as counted as good custodians of what Seychelles has been blessed with.
Minister St.Ange thanked the two resorts for coming on board and for believing in the need to adopt sustainable practices to better the island’s tourism industry.
He added that by being certified as products with a Seychelles Sustainable Tourism Label, is a plus for the tourism industry.
“Helping with conservation and preservation by adopting sustainable practices is vital, but it is equally important to tell the world that you are promoting sustainable tourism,” he said.
Both hotels were certified in September 2013. They went through the re-assessment for re-certification and both scored the required 10% additional points over their original score in 2013.
The hotels had to make some more commitment and effort to ensure that they meet this percentage increase. This new certification will be valid until the year 2017.
Minister St.Ange also spoke on the support which needs to be given to the hotels that have embarked on the journey of practising sustainable ways and are now certified.
He added that these establishments will be given the visibility they require through the Tourism Board to become more known as responsible tourism products. "From early in 2016 the Tourism Board will ensure that hotels and resorts who have received the island’s Sustainable Tourism Label is given added visibility at all Tourism Workshops and Trade Fairs" said Minister St.Ange.
Mrs Levkovic spoke on the efforts of the ministry as a member of Alliance Africa to promote sustainable tourism development.
“We signed a mutual agreement with FTT in July this year, where we are a recognised certification partner. In this line we now benefit from free advertising for our certified products under the responsible products of Africa brand,” she said.
“Efforts are further being extended to achieve international recognition for the label through our application for ‘Recognition Status’ with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). This in turn will bring greater marketing edge for our certified products.”
