The principal of the Seychelles Tourism Academy (STA), Flavien Joubert, said this on Monday when he welcomed the first cohort of 26 students who have qualified for the first Advanced Diploma in Hospitality Management course which began at the STA on the same day.

Also present for this first assembly were parents, officials from the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB), the chief executive officer of the Seychelles Institute of Management, Daniella Larue, lecturers and staff of the STA.

The students will complete the first three years of the course at the STA and their industrial placements, which will include a rotation in all seven fields of the industry, in Seychelles before they proceed for their fourth year of training overseas.

Mr. Joubert told the students that the course "will require motivation, dedication, good planning and effective time management on your side. It will demand a lot of research, a lot of practice and a lot of your extra free time."

All the same he pointed out that for some students it will demand a lot of sacrifices while for those who were already from the industry, certain aspects of the practical side of the course will be lighter.

Mr. Joubert pointed out that as the principal of STA he has full confidence in all of the students as future managers.

"Yes, my dear students, the opportunities which the Seychelles Government is offering you are opportunities which you cannot afford to miss," he said.

A point which was also reinforce by the general manager for Tourism Development, Peter Moncherry, who urged the students to seize the opportunity with both hands and encouraged them to adopt the right attitudes towards their training.

"Each and every one of you has a role to play in transforming the tourism industry," Mr Moncherry said. During the first assembly on Monday, the students also heard various presentations regarding various aspects of their course and words of advice from experts in the industry.

The level of interest that tourism concerns have shown in the newly established travel portal has been great, the chief executive officer of the company that is operating it, Pascal Esparon of Espace has said.

He said that while a number of businesses have already registered, many more want further details, which he supplied to Tourism Nation, saying:

"All Seychelles tourism related businesses, hotels, guesthouses, self-catering, yachts, dive centres, car hire, charter companies, local travel agents and their overseas counterparts, tour operators and airlines can register".

Giving the benefits of registering, he said that by being enrolled, enterprises enter into a business relationship.

"This will give us the opportunity to know you, the products and services that you are selling. Our strong marketing team can then add value to your business and to help you succeed.

"There is no need to spend money in developing your own little web site and the hassle of having to keep it up to date,” he said adding that the company has a secure environment where organisations can do their business the way they want, having been granted access to state-of-the-art technology through the travel portal.

"The company will take care of all the payment hassle and security associated with online payment and transfers of money into the individuals’ bank account after they’ve received it from the customer. Mr Esparon also went on to mention other benefits, saying:

"We take care of all your business rules; for example, time to conclude booking, non-refundable deposits, no shows, and cancellations, and minimise your printed advertising cost meaning greater savings to your company."

According to the CEO, the biggest advantage is that businesses cease to operate in a singular market and begin doing business with the world.

"The concerns are then in direct touch with their customers as they are hosted on a portal that promotes Seychelles and they will not find their products competing with other destinations on the same portal," Mr Esparon said.

"Another advantage is that your money will be managed via a reputed regional bank with offices in the Seychelles, the entire portal including your information will be encrypted to avoid illegal sniffing from unwanted source and your access to the portal will be password protected," he informed Tourism Nation.

The CEO said that only the latest in online payment technology will be used, to ensure the security of the interests of the person using the electronic payment method, the issuing bank and the acquiring merchant bank.

Next year, however, they will be required to pay for the registration through which potential tourists will be able to communicate directly with the operators as the visitors plan their holidays to Seychelles.

Pascal Esparon, the CEO of the company responsible for the portal, ESPACE (Seychelles) Ltd, said this during the launching ceremony at the Anse aux Pins golf course.

He told Nation that interested parties can contact his company online through info@holidaysseychelles.com, through telephone number 376666 or visit the company’s website, holidaysseychelles.com.

“The platform has a flexible architecture that will provide the tourism establishments with access to a real time online travel portal where each establishment can manage and sell their respective products and services directly through online media,” he said, explaining that visitors will be able to plan and budget their holidays from the comfort of their homes or offices.

“We are putting in one place all the service providers in Seychelles necessary to make visitors’ stay pleasant,” he said, noting that focus will be on the small and medium Seychellois establishments.

During a presentation he made, Mr Esparon said that the website is divided into two main areas: 
“The first provides information necessary to help a person make up his or her mind when looking for an exotic destination, and can use the “Contact us” form to ask any questions they may have.

The second part of the website is the business side or the travel portal. This is where you will have access to all the relevant service providers that are selling their products. You are entitled to look around and choose to your satisfaction.

This portion of the website also provides you with enquiry mechanism that you can use to communicate with us,” he said.

He said that from the website one can plan one’s vacation, choose a hotel or accommodation plus any other leisure activity that one may wish to take part in.

“All your activities will be consolidated into your itinerary. There you will be able to manage your activities. You will be required to register in order to conclude your transaction,” Mr Esparon said.

When Nation asked him how potential visitors will know of the existence of the website, he said that when one simply uses search words like ‘looking for holiday in Seychelles,’ “the website will show and be automatically at the top.”