The Tourism Human Resource Development (THRD) strategy takes offs

It is in a press conference at the Tourism Department’s offices this Thursday, March 24, 2022, that the Principal Secretary for Tourism, Mrs. Sherin Francis announced the progress on its Tourism Human Resource Development (THRD) strategy, launched in January 2022.

The presentation was made in the presence of Director General for Destination Planning and Development, Mr. Paul Lebon, Ms. Diana Quatre, the Director for Industry Human Resource Development, Mr. Guy Morel from the SGM and Partners Consulting assisting on the implementation of the project.

The Tourism Human Resource Development (THRD) strategy, which is part of the 9 priorities of the Seychelles Tourism Department presented by Mrs. Francis in June 2021 will run under the helm of the Destination Planning and Development division.

Several consultations have already been conducted between the Tourism Department and several key partners to establish the needs of the tourism industry with an improved understanding of the factors that are influencing and shaping the human resource supply and demand dynamics.

The aim of the exercise is to improve the balance in terms of local and international talents and to ensure that as we grow the sector and its tourism earnings the Seychellois people also benefit.

In her address at the event, the PS for Tourism mentioned that consultations have started already for the project, the department will be approaching other stakeholders for their support.

“As we step into a new phase of our Tourism Human Resource Development (THRD) process, it is important that we acknowledge the investment and commitment already put into the project. We started with an atypical launch in January, this is because there are certain key stakeholders, we needed to bring on board before taking the project to the public. We are now ready to move forward and engage all tourism operators,” said Mrs. Francis.

The exercise will entail the building of a demand and supply database and will target 1,537 tourism operators. In addition, it will also examine the key drivers of talent supply and demand, the effectiveness of the training system and the formulation of a Sector Human Resource Development Strategy.

The initiative aligns perfectly with the national priority to drive sustainable socio-economic growth and people-centered development.

Therefore, it is within the spirit of a win-win perspective that the Department of Tourism invites all stakeholders to participate actively and promote the transition of the tourism sector to a more inclusive environment, higher performance with greater inter-sectorial linkages.

One of the main pillars of the Seychelles economy, the tourism sector accounted for around 25% of the country’s GDP, a foreign currency inflow of close to USD 600 million, and a workforce of just over 12,000 employees prior to the pandemic.

MEDIA CONTACT: Tourism Seychelles, [email protected]