New Cruise Village in Seychelles for upcoming cruise season

During a meeting that took place on Friday at the Docklands Auditorium in Victoria’s capital city, tourism officials and operators discussed a variety of topics pertaining to the upcoming cruise ship season, which will run from October 2023 to May 2024. Some of the topics that were discussed included the elimination of unlicensed service providers and the discovery of activities that will entertain cruise ship passengers.

At the meeting, Tourism Seychelles, the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism, met with service providers such as taxi drivers and commission agents to discuss the procedures that will be implemented at the new Cruise Village, which will be set up at the Island Development Company (IDC) car park next to the Port of Victoria beginning on October 24 and continuing until the end of the season. The meeting was held to discuss the procedures at the new Cruise Village.

According to statements made by Sherin Francis, the main secretary for Tourism, in front of the press, “the goal of the Cruise Village is to discourage unlicensed providers from competing with the licensed ones once the cruise ship season begins.”

This year, providers who will be present at the Cruise Village will be required to abide by a set of regulations. These rules include registering with Tourism Seychelles in order to get their identity badges and respecting the places that have been allotted to them in the car park.

During the discussion, Francis emphasized that although her department was the one who had developed the rules and regulations, “they were not set in stone and could be revisited” when the first ship docks in Port Victoria. This was in reference to the fact that the rules and regulations had been developed by her department.

Attendees at the panel included people from the Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA), the Seychelles Licensing Authority (SLA), and the police. They were there to respond to questions posed by service providers.

They were also cautioned that should they fail to comply with the restrictions, “they may face consequences, including but not limited to warnings, suspensions, revocations of licenses, or denial of access to the Cruise Ship Village.”

Alvin Jean-Bonnelame, who works with Sunset Chasers, gave an interview to the press in which he said that he “believes the new measures should work” in order to establish a feeling of order at the port throughout the season.

Taxi driver Desmond Revera also voiced his optimism that the measures would be successful, stating that doing so would “value the service they are providing to the visitors arriving on cruise ships.”

The ship SH Diana is scheduled to arrive in the Seychelles on October 24, and it will be the first ship of the season to make a stop on Port Victoria.

The cruise ship sector in Seychelles plays a significant part in the overall tourist industry, and 40 cruise ship calls are expected to be made into Port Victoria in the year 2023.

The Seychelles anticipates receiving calls from an additional 40 cruise ships during the next season. The MSS Splendida, which is 333.3 meters long, will be the biggest of these ships.