Category Archives: Seychelles

LONDON: The UK has its sights set on trade deals with the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), according to International Trade Secretary Liz Truss.

The Gulf is a definite target and we are working on the approach to (the) Gulf, Truss told the Daily Telegraph.

We are in discussions with the GCC and I hope that well be able to say more about that soon.

The GCC comprising Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar makes up a significant proportion of Britains international trade.

In 2019, the UKs trade with the six Gulf states was worth around $63.5 billion,putting the GCC behind only the US, China and the EU in value of trading partners.

Truss is also closing in on a potentially lucrative investment deal with Mubadala, the UAEs sovereign wealth fund, which a source told the Daily Telegraph is getting some real traction now after a couple of very big meetings.

Mubadala is said to be targeting investment in the UKs health, clean energy, infrastructure and technology sectors, in what could be a significant boost to Britains post-Brexit economy.

Since the UKs decision to leave the EU was implemented at the beginning of this year, the country has been pushing hard for trade deals with its existing trade partners and allies.

Last year, the British government announced a review into UK-GCC trade, and said in a statement: With the United Kingdom embarking on its new independent trade policy outside of the European Union, and with GCC Member States delivering their economic diversification and vision plans, now is the moment for the United Kingdom and the GCC to build on their historic and deep friendship to develop even closer economic ties, boosting our trade and investment further still.

It added: We celebrate the strength of the bilateral relationship, nowhere more apparent than through our continued collaboration on the Covid-19 pandemic, and share an ambition of boosting our businesses, delivering new investment, creating new jobs and ensuring prosperity in the years to come.

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Saudi Fund for Development in talks to finance infrastructure projects in Seychelles - Arab News

The Aldabra Giant Tortoise on Curieuse Island, Seychelles. (Photo: Chris Close)

Pack linen, straw hat, flip-flops, a bucket of sunscreen, and proof that you got the second/final Covid-19 vaccine shot at least two weeks prior (for children under 18, an RT-PCR negative report will do) and head to the Seychelles, an archipelago of 115 granite and coralline islands that has just opened its doors to international tourists.

Too many islands?

Ignore the count, because only four are inhabited (Mahe, Praslin, La Digue and Silhouette).

You could hike, dive, eat a fruit bat, dip your toes in silken sand, gape at the worlds largest species of coconut - and tortoise. And hear stories about Marie Antoinette (last queen of France) escaping the guillotine and shacking in a Seychelles island. Of writer Ian Fleming waiting for the muse to write the Bond adventure For Your Eyes Only. Of Prince William and Kate Middleton picking a Robinson Crusoe-type island for their honeymoon. So many stories, so many to-do things on an island that if you believe the myth was the Garden of Eden.

Heres a quick look at must-see, must-do, must-eat in Seychelles:

Victoria: Nothing screams Small is Beautiful better than Victoria, the capital of Seychelles. One of the smallest capitals in the world, it is so small that you could walk around it in anhour and spin around in 20 minutes by car.An old church stands as a reminder of the colonial era, a Hindu temple painted bright shimmers by the arcade, and the weekly market buzzes with hawkers and buyers. The crown jewel of the central roundabout is the Big Ben. The Little Big Ben, actually. A tiny silver replica of Londons Vauxhall Clock Tower that was erected to mark Seychelles new status as the Crown Colony. This Big Ben is small but do not call it Little Ben. It has a proper name: IHorloge (literally, painted silver).

La Digue: With a population of 1,500, La Digue seems to be sitting on another planet. For long, cars were not allowed on the island. Rent a bicycle and pedal around. Laze on white beaches and gape at rocks carved exquisitely by lashing waves over millions of years. Anse Source dArgent on La Digue is said to be the most photographed beach in the world. Spare half a day for Aldabra Atoll, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to get up close with the Aldabra Giant Tortoises that can live for centuries. Do not miss LUnion Estate, a former coconut and vanilla plantation that offers a peep into the islands colonial history.

Praslin Island: If legends are to be believed, Valle De Mai, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Praslin, was the original site of the Garden of Eden. Not many talk of Adamand Eve, though. All chatter is around Coco de Mer, an

Female Coco De Mer nut. (Photo: Gerald Larose)

Tip: Take Cat Cocos Ferry from Mahe to Praslin and Praslin to La Digue. Operational twice daily every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesdayand Friday; once on Sunday. Do not think of bringing home the Coco de Mer - it is strictly prohibited.

Fruit batsandshark chutney: Pwason Sale (salt fish) chutney with green mango; grilled red snapper basted with garlic and ginger; red lentil stew; snake gourd curry; breadfruit or cassava chips or daube, a sweet/salty staple soup. In Seychelles, Creole meals meld local flavours with French flair. But wait, you have not heard of the unusual lunch delicacy: thefruit bat. Thats what Sundayare for -the bat meal. Fruit bats are dressed, diced, marinated overnight in garlic, ginger, cloves, cinnamon and vinegar, then sauted and slathered with tamarind juice. Four bats are enough for a hearty meal for three people! If bats are not enough to fill a plate, theres satini reken. That is, shark chutney. Skinned, boiled shark meat finely mashed and cooked in lime and bilimbi juice and garnished with fried onions.

Vanilla tourandtreat: You cannotcome away from Seychelles without hearing its vanilla story, a pod that turned the fate of the African island and its people. In 1877, the archipelago exported the first batch of vanilla for a puny 1,195 Seychelles Rupees. Almost 60 kilograms of cured vanilla derived from 48,000 green pods! Today, vanilla is an economy and culinary essential. Visit a vanilla plantation; dig a spoon into Ladob (made of sweet potato and plantain boiled in coconut milk, nutmeg, sugar and vanilla) and Carotte Bananas (bananas wrapped in banana leaves with honey and vanilla).

Anse Source d'Argent, La Digue. (Photo: Michel Denousse)

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Travel in the time of Covid: Seychelles has opened its doors to international tourists - Moneycontrol.com

A Spanish tuna fishing vessel, the Playa de Anzoras, named after a beach in Spain, sailed under the Spanish flag until January 9, 2014. On January 10 that year, the 2,200-tonne vessel dropped the Spanish flag in favour of the Seychelles flag. Seychelles is a small archipelagic nation in the Indian Ocean.

Neither Spain nor continental Europe share a coast with the Indian Ocean, wherePlayadeAnzorasoperates. Yet the European Union dominates tuna fisheries here and profits the most from it. This dominance is, in part, explained by ships like thePlaya de Anzoras, which is flagged to Seychelles but ultimately controlled by European companies, according to records reviewed by Mongabay.

EU-controlled ships have pulled in the lions share of the regions valuable yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) for more than three decades. Now, the stock is teetering on the verge of collapse. A plan to stop overfishing and restore it has failed.

This March, talks on the issue ended in a stalemate. The EU wants other members of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), the intergovernmental agency charged with managing tuna fisheries in the region, which India is a part of, to be subject to greater restrictions. Meanwhile, some observers point to the EUs own failure to play by the rules and save a stock that it profits so greatly from.

The Indian Ocean is ringed by developing countries, many of which have only in the last century gained independence from European colonial rule. Some see EU states grip over resources like tuna as the persistence of an exploitative relationship.

The attitude of the EU is hypocritical and neo-colonial, Nirmal Shah, chief executive of the non-profit Nature Seychelles and former head of the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA), told Mongabay. You have some of the richest countries in the world overfishing and they are blaming poorer countries.

Tuna fisheries are lucrative, feeding a market worth billions of dollars. The Indian Ocean is thesecond most productive tuna fishery in the world, and most of this tuna is caught in the western Indian Ocean.

In 1982, the U.N. recognised states sovereign rights to marine areas 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres) from their coasts, creating exclusive economic zones (EEZs). Seychelles, a fledgling nation that won independence from the U.K. in 1976, stood to benefit immensely. Between them, the 100 or so islands scattered just south of the equator in the western Indian Ocean carve out an EEZ of 1.37 million square kilometres (530,000 square miles), a little less than half the size of India.

Seychellois waters are a prime spot for tuna fishing, with yellowfin, bigeye (Thunnus obesus) and skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis) being the major catches there.

As tuna fisheries profitability in the Atlantic Ocean declined, European nations like Spain and France sought new fishing grounds. The formation of EEZs forced these countries to enter into agreements with poorer coastal states to feed the continents growing appetite for seafood. (The EU is second only to China in seafood consumption.)

We have this amazing orchard of apple trees, and right now we do not have ladders to climb to them and collect the apples, is how Jeremy Raguain, who works for the Seychelles Islands Foundation, described the situation. E.U. and other countries, which have very advanced technology and ships, say: look, we have the ladders to take these apples that you would not otherwise be able to get.

In the western Indian Ocean, the European Economic Community (EEC), the precursor to the EU, struck deals with Madagascar and small island nations like Seychelles, Mauritius and Comoros, which didnt have the financing or technical capacity to harvest their own marine resources at a commercial scale, partly due to decades of colonisation.

Spain signed a pact with Seychelles in 1983 allowing its ships to fish migratory species like tuna in Seychellois waters, and the first Spanish purse seiners started operating there in 1984. But with its entry into the EEC in 1986, Spains fishing activities, like those of France, became subject to agreements between the EEC and Seychelles.

These agreements have long been criticised as disadvantaging the smaller, poorer countries.

There are direct benefits for states like Seychelles. Fishing access fees are an important source of revenue for the country. Under the latestagreementwith the EU, this amounts to 5.3 million euros ($6.3 million) annually.

EU shipowners also pay about 80-85 euros ($97-$102) per ton of tuna. One can buy canned yellowfin for about $17 per kilogram on Amazon. A ton of tuna 1,000 kilograms would cost $17,000 (14,145 euros) at that price.

Yes, they bring in some money, yes they give us license fees. But look at what they give us compared to the profits that these people make, Shah said. They give us trinkets for our treasure.

Canned or pouched yellowfin tuna caught by purse seine vessels in the Indian Ocean brings in $1 billion every year from customers, according to an analysis by The Pew Charitable Trusts, a U.S.-based policy research group. Almost 80% of this tuna is caught by European-controlled vessels.

These vessels are mostly purse seiners, some of the worlds largest industrial fishing boats. They deploy seine nets, up to 2 km (1.2 mi) in length if laid out flat, which encircle the fish school and squeeze shut at the bottom like a drawstring purse.

There are 15 Spanish-flagged and 12 French-flagged purse seine vessels currently authorised to fish in the Indian Ocean.

On paper, Seychelles has a purse seine fleet operating in the Indian Ocean that rivals that of Spain, the EUs biggest fishing nation. But the entire fleet of 13 vessels that fly Seychelles flag is effectively in European hands.

EU records and other fishing agreements reveal that Pesquera Vasco Montaesa SA (Pevasa), a founding member of Spains Pevaeche Group, owns Playa de Anzoras. AlbacoraSA owns four other Seychelles-flagged vessels,S. Echebastarowns three,Inpescaowns two, andAtunsa, one. All these companies are based in Spains Basque Country, a traditional stronghold for the fisheries industry in Europe.

French company SAPMER SA, controls the remaining two vessels in the Seychellois fleet. It also owns three boats that make up the entire purse seine fleet of Mauritius, another small island-nation in the western Indian Ocean.

The Albacora group, which has four vessels in the Seychellois fleet and annual revenues exceeding $100 million, is a major player in tuna fisheries. It owns vessels, canneries and tuna marketing companies. From its start as a family-run outfit in the early 1970s in Spain, it now operates in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, in addition to the Indian Ocean where it has vessels flagged to both the EU and Seychelles.

Using a flag of convenience is a widespread but controversial practice. It allows vessel owners to save on taxes, bypass labour regulations, and avoid tougher oversight and increasingly stringent environmental checks that their own countries may require.

For the first time, the EUSeychelles agreement signed last year set aside about 175,000 euros ($209,000) a year to be paid by EU purse seine vessel owners toward an environmental fund. It also seeks to phase out the use of harmful fish aggregating devices, or FADs, fishing aids that have contributed to overexploitation of yellowfin populations. But provisions under the agreement dont extend to thePlaya de Anzorasor the 12 other Seychelles-flagged ships, even if their beneficial owners, the ones that ultimately profit from the ships, are European.

While EU records list Spanish company Pevasa as the owner of the Playa de Anzoras, IOTC records identify the ships owner as Sea Breeze Ventures Limited, based in the Caribbean nation of Belize. This company, per the D&B Business Directory, has one employee. While the connection between Pevasa and Sea Breeze remains unclear, it bears the hallmarks of a common arrangement in the fisheries industry in which a larger established company, the beneficial owner, sets up one or more companies in a tax haven as nominal owners of its fleet or a portion thereof for business purposes.

All the Spanish-backed Seychellois vessels appear to have nominal owners headquartered in jurisdictions like Belize that regularly feature in the EUs list of tax havens.Neither Pevasa nor the other European companies that own Seychelles-flagged purse seiners responded to attempts by Mongabay to seek a comment for this story.

A ships flag determines which country is responsible for the vessel, and in the case of yellowfin tuna, which countrys quota its owners can exploit. By sailing under the flag of a small island nation with a nominal owner based in a fiscal paradise, a ship can maximise profits and minimise regulatory oversight.

The use of flags of convenience is a loophole, said Vanya Vulperhorst, a campaign director at the European office of the NGO Oceana, headquartered in Washington, D.C. Its a way to circumvent EU requirements.

It is really an oversight if you are trying to get more sustainable fisheries, she added.

Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna is not only one of the worlds most profitable fisheries; it is also one of the most threatened.

The stock could collapse as soon as 2026, according to an assessment the IOTC commissioned. The tuna management agency has 31 members, including local parties like Seychelles, and others like the EU, China and Japan that operate distant-water fishing fleets in the region.

In 2016, the agency launched a yellowfin rebuilding plan, which required member states to reduce their purse seine catches by 15% from their 2014 levels. An IOTC report from 2021 found that EU-flagged purse seiners overfished yellowfin tuna in 2017 and 2018, after the rebuilding plan was implemented.

Everybody has an equal responsibility to abide by their quotas, said Glen Holmes, a fisheries expert with The Pew Charitable Trusts. But the EU as a well-resourced country block has a moral obligation to set the highest standard.

The Seychelles-flagged purse seine fleet also exceeded its yellowfin quota in 2017 and 2018.Being a small island developing state, a special status under the U.N., Seychelles was allowed to choose the baseline year upon which to calculate its target quota.Instead of 2014, when its catch was only 23,463 tons, it chose 2015, when its catch stood at 39,072 tons. This resulted in a much higher target quota under the rebuilding plan another advantage for European-owned vessels flying the Seychellois flag.

Mauritius is also recognised as a small island developing state and chose 2018 as its baseline year, when its catch was 11,322 tons, as opposed to 2014, when its fleet caught only 4,844 tons of yellowfin tuna. As a result, its purse seine fleet is today allowed to catch about 10,500 tons of tuna, more than double what it was catching in 2014.

Christopher OBrien, the IOTCs executive secretary, told Mongabay that catch limits for the following year are lower for fleets that overshoot their catch limits but there are no other penalties for breaching them.

Experts argue that even the present catch reductions are not enough to save the stock.

The yellowfin tuna stock rebuilding plan put in place by the IOTC in 2016 has, thus far, failed to reduce catches from the baseline at all, let alone by the 25 percent necessary to save the stock from collapse, a 2020 Blue Marine Foundation report authored by Jess Rattle concluded.

The rebuilding plans failure has prompted the IOTC to hold a series of special meetings to build consensus around measures to curb overfishing. At a meeting held this March, the EU proposed that catch reductions for purse seiners increase marginally from 15% to 18%. The Maldives, another small island nation, is pushing for more: a 35% cut for purse seiners from developed countries and 28% from developing countries.

The European Union proposal is less ambitious, Holmes said. There is less change involved in the EUs proposal than there is in the Maldives one. The Maldives proposal will almost certainly reduce the overall catch to a level that will reduce or prevent overfishing.

Julio Morn Ayala, managing director of OPAGAC, which represents the Spanish tuna fishing industry, including Albacora, told Mongabay in an emailed response that his organisation wants fleets of IOTC member countries that are currently exempt from reductions to also be subject to catch cuts.

Since 2016, IOTC regulation has established a larger cut on the purse seine gear (15%) compared to others (10-5%) and exempting most of the Coastal countries, Ayala said. So, the EU has and is taking a major cut on the yellowfin catch, but the final result is that other gears had increased their catch offsetting the reduction achieved.

The countries currently exempt from cuts are almost all developing Indian Ocean countries, including Yemen and Madagascar, some of the worlds poorest nations. Most do not operate industrial fleets but rather small-scale fisheries in their own EEZs that largely supply local populations. None of the individual countries shares of the yellowfin tuna catch is anywhere close to the EUs. But the combined share of this dozen or so countries has grown in the past few years.

Experts say that in the absence of proper enforcement, illegal fishing activity will also deplete fish stocks in the region.

Read more: El Nio-Southern Oscillation can affect tuna fish in the Indian Ocean, says FAO report

Even if the quotas are reduced, enforcing them will still be difficult.

The IOTC relies on self-reporting by member states to track catches, so transgressions are hard to pinpoint independently. In 2018, a discrepancy in Spains catch reports came to light only after Blue Marine Foundation flagged it. TheIOTClater confirmed that Spain underreported its yellowfin tuna catch by 30% that year.

The ability of Seychelles, a small coastal state whose total government revenues stand at around $400 million, to police multimillion-dollar companies with beneficial owners abroad is questionable, as suggested by the Seychellois fleets involvement in overfishing yellowfin. An IOTC report found poor training and a lack of support for the countrys observer program, where personnel board ships to collect data and monitor their practices. The program is partly funded by the industry.

Operators can choose freely where to register their vessels, the EUs Office for Seychelles and Mauritius said in a statement in response to Mongabays questions about ships using flags of convenience. The office becomes concerned only if vessels change flags regularly to escape obligations or circumvent their quota. Since many of the vessels have flown the Seychelles flag for several years, it doesnt qualify as abusive, the statement said.

Seychelles has to exercise its flag state responsibilities on their fleets and report on their compliance records to the RFMOs [regional fisheries management organisations] covering their EEZ, it added.

The Seychelles Fishing Authority and the ministry of fisheries did not respond to several attempts by Mongabay to seek comment.

The ship owners view the arrangements as investments and point to the benefits they offer to coastal states. Since our operations started back in the 60s, some companies not only invest in coastal countries through fleet, but through tuna processing plants inland. Ayala from OPAGAC said in his email. In the Indian Ocean, the EU fleet operating since 1987, has developed the tuna industry in Seychelles, Mauritius, Madagascar and Kenya, where more than 15,000 direct employments depend on the tuna operations.

However, foreign workers are overrepresented in this sector. Of theroughly 2,000 employees at Indian Ocean Tuna Ltd. (IOT), the largest cannery in Seychelles, for instance, almost 70% are foreigners.

The Thai Union group that owns the cannery supplies some of Europes leading seafood brands, including John West, Petit Navire, Parmentier and Mareblu.

It isnt just the ownership of the Seychellois purse seine vessels that is shadowy; they often operate under the radar. A recent analysis showed that, in violation of international law, most of the Spanish-controlled tuna purse seine vessels did not continuously transmit their locations via the automatic identification system (AIS).

AIS, which tracks vessels through their unique alphanumeric signature, allows seafarers to map out other ships locations and aids navigation. But it is also central to coastal states ability to monitor vessels activity to ensure they are not entering protected areas or fishing where they are not supposed to.

The analysis, by the U.K.-based NGO OceanMind compiled by Blue Marine Foundation, looked at AIS use by tuna purse seiners over 850 days between 2017 and 2019 in the western Indian Ocean. It revealed low rates of AIS transmission for both Spanish-flagged and Seychelles-flagged ships.

ThePlaya De Anzorastransmitted its location for less than 40% of the 850-day period. It did better than most. TheArtza, owned by Atunsa, did not transmit its location at all. For the nine remaining Spanish-controlled ships, the figure ranged between 3% and 33%. The numbers were similar for the 14 Spain-flagged ships considered in the report.

The fact that these ships beneficial owners are based in Europe also allows them to profit from EU fishing subsidies. Between 2000 and 2010, Spains global fishing industry received more than $8 billion in subsidies. The Albacora group has benefited from subsidies not just from the EU but also from the Spanish government.

Critics say such state subsidies allow unprofitable fishing to remain viable and lead to overfishing.

The EU has continued to subsidise fisheries over the years, while trying to purge those that lead to overexploitation. Reports that the EU is seeking to reintroduce allegedly harmful fishing subsidies as part of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund have sparked alarm.

Between 2021 and 2027, around seven billion euros of public money will be injected into the ocean economy. However, countless studies and reports show that the vast majority of the fund is used to encourage overfishing and fuel the demise of nature at sea, a group of more than 100 scientists wrote in anopen letterpublished in November 2020.

It has also raised concerns in Seychelles, whose fisheries sector is greatly impacted by the EUs actions. For us in the Western Indian Ocean where 40 percent of the E.U. catch of tuna comes from, this may mean the end of our tuna stocks, Shah toldlocal news agencies.

He told Mongabay in an interview in March that the EUs reputation was being sullied because of the actions of two countries: Spain and France. It is not even two countries but the private companies in two countries of the EU being supported, defended and paid for by the EU, he said.

European interests dominate Indian Ocean tuna fisheries not just in terms of supply but also demand.

Almost all of the processed tuna from Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascaris exported, and the exports are largely destined for the EU. Canneries in those countries are all supplied by the European industrial purse seine fleet. The mainly European shipowners areassured a captive market for their catches, a 2017 report from the EU think tank IDDRI found.

These tuna exports haveduty-free accessto European markets under economicpartnership agreements, saving them from a 24% tariff. Under the rules of origin that are part of the agreements, the canneries in Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar can use only fish caught either by their fleets or by the EU fleets, Liam Campling, an expert on global trade centred on tuna fisheries, at the Queen Mary University of London, said. The rules of origin have been a massive support to the EU distant water fleet because it means they have a locked-in market.

Since almost all the tuna comes from EU-controlled ships, it is unclear how the three countries benefit from these tax breaks.

If the Europeans really wanted to deal with the problem of yellowfin, they can, Campling said. but they dont want to take the economic hit.

In some ways, the biggest cannery in Seychelles, Indian Ocean Tuna Ltd. (IOT), embodies the unequal relationship around tuna that has become entrenched between some Indian Ocean countries and the EU. It is owned by Thai Union/M.W. Brands, a Thailand-based leading supplier of canned tuna. It buys tuna almost exclusively from EU-owned ships, sends most of its tuna back to the EU duty-free, and employs mostly foreigners.

Tuna and the money to be made from it leave Seychelles every year and its not clear if the countrys gains outweigh its losses. What is certain is that those gains are themselves in jeopardy.

If the worst were to happen and fish stocks decline to a point where we couldnt fish anymore, the EU purse seine fleet could almost certainly go to a different ocean to fish, says Rattle of the Blue Marine Foundation, whereas the coastal states left behind, they cant go anywhere else, so they will just be stuck with no fish.

For Shah, too, it isnt just immediate economic gains that are at stake. Is it right for you, no matter how much money you make, to destroy our natural resources? he asked. What will happen to future opportunities for Seychellois?

This article was first published in Mongabay on April 8, 2021.

Editors Note: The article has been updated to clarify IOTC executive secretary Christopher OBriens comments.

Banner image: A yellowfin tuna. Photo by sucinimad via Flickr.

The rest is here:

Predatory European ships push Indian Ocean tuna to the brink - Mongabay-India

Ethnic groups, languages, and religion

The original French colonists on the previously uninhabited islands, along with their black slaves, were joined in the 19th century by deportees from France. Asians from China, India, and Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia) arrived later in smaller numbers. Widespread intermarriage has resulted in a population of mixed descent.

Creole, also called Seselwa, is the mother tongue of most Seychellois. Under the constitution, Creole, English, and French are recognized as national languages.

Arul Mihu Navasakthi Vinayagar temple in Victoria, Seychelles.

More than three-fourths of the population are Roman Catholics. There are also Anglicans, Christians of other denominations, Hindus, and Muslims.

More than four-fifths of the population lives on Mah, many in the capital city, Victoria. The birth and death rates, as well as the annual population growth rate, are below the global average. Some one-fifth of the population is younger than age 15, and an additional one-sixth is under age 30. Life expectancy for both men and women is significantly higher than the global average.

Seychelles has a mixed developing economy that is heavily dependent upon the service sector in general and the tourism industry in particular. Despite continued visible trade deficits, the economy has experienced steady growth. The gross domestic product (GDP) is growing more rapidly than the population. The gross national income (GNI) per capita is significantly higher than those found in most nearby continental African countries.

A beach in Seychelles.

Agriculture accounts for only a fraction of the GDP and employs an equally modest proportion of the workforce. Arable land is limited and the soil is generally poorand the country remains dependent upon imported foodstuffsbut copra (from coconuts), cinnamon bark, vanilla, tea, limes, and essential oils are exported. Seychelles has a modern fishing industry that supplies both domestic and foreign markets; canned tuna is a particularly important product. The extraction of guano for export is also an established economic activity.

The countrys growing manufacturing sectorwhich has expanded to account for almost one-sixth of the total GDPis composed largely of food-processing plants; production of alcoholic beverages and of soft drinks is particularly significant. Animal feed, paint, and other goods are also produced.

Seychelles sizable trade deficit is offset by income from the tourism industry and from aid and investment. Although the countrys relative prosperity has not made it a preferred aid recipient, it does receive assistance from the World Bank, the European Union, the African Development Bank, and a variety of contributing countries, and aid obtained per capita is relatively high. The Central Bank of Seychelles, located in Victoria, issues the official currency, the Seychelles rupee.

Seychelles main imports are petroleum products, machinery, and foodstuffs. Canned tuna, copra, frozen fish, and cinnamon are the most important exports, together with the reexport of petroleum products. Significant trade partners include France, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and Italy.

The service sector accounts for nearly four-fifths of the GDP and employs the largest proportion of the workforce, almost three-fourths of all labourers. After the opening of an international airport on Mah in 1971, the tourism industry grew rapidly, and at the beginning of the 21st century it provided almost one-fourth of the total GDP. Each year Seychelles draws thousands of tourists, many attracted by the islands magnificent venues for scuba diving, surfing, windsurfing, fishing, swimming, and sunbathing. The warm southeasterly trade winds offer ideal conditions for sailing, and the waters around Mah and the other islands are afloat with small boats.

The majority of Seychelles roadways are paved, most of which are on the islands of Mah and Praslin; there are no railroads. Ferry services operate between the islandsfor example, linking Victoria with destinations that include Praslin and La Digue. Air service is centred on Seychelles International Airport, located near Victoria on Mah, and the smaller airports and airstrips found on several islands. Seychelles has air connections with a number of foreign cities and direct flights to major centres that include London, Paris, Frankfurt, Rome, and Bangkok. Scheduled domestic flights, provided by Air Seychelles, chiefly offer service between Mah and Praslin, although chartered flights elsewhere are also available. The tsunami that reached Seychelles in 2004 damaged portions of the transportation infrastructure, including the road linking Victoria with the international airport.

Telecommunications infrastructure in Seychelles is quite developed. The country has a high rate of cellular telephone useamong the highest in sub-Saharan Africaand, at the beginning of the 21st century, the use of personal computers in Seychelles was several times the average for the region.

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Seychelles - People | Britannica

Many island economies are dependent on tourism and island resorts around the world will lead the recovery in leisure travel, according to recent research.

Indian Ocean islands of the Maldives (28% of GDP) and Seychelles (over 55% of GDP) are both expecting a bumper Easter holiday period. With both islands less than four hours 30 minutes away, Emirates has added an extra four flights taking its weekly schedule to 28 flights.

Meanwhile, Air Seychelles is launching a weekly flight to Dubai to cope with the increased demand, which is in addition to two extra flights a week that Emirates is adding to its existing schedule of five weekly flights to Mahe.

Even though demand maybe pent-up, visitors will still want direct flights, easy access, reasonable restrictions, low COVID cases, good vaccination rates, open and in some cases isolated resorts, with a natural environment including quiet beaches, saidDanielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market.

The Maldives is expecting to have its 500,000 inhabitants vaccinated by August and with less than 100,000 citizens, the Seychelles is hoping for 100% vaccination within the coming months.

And although both countries have a list of approved countries, Seychelles and the Maldives only require visitors to provide a negative PCR test 72 or 96 hours respectively, prior to arrival, no proof of vaccination or quarantine is required.

And after a standard temperature check upon arrival at the hotel, guests in the Maldives can roam freely, they only need to wear a mask indoors, with similar restrictions applicable in the Seychelles, added Curtis.

However, many travel professionals feel that the real game changer is that both countries will accept any fully vaccinated visitors. And with the global rollout expected to accelerate, as more vaccines are approved and manufactured, island nations will be the catalyst for increased international leisure travel.

Other islands with great potential for the Middle Easts outbound market are Sri Lanka, Cyprus and the Greek islands. Emirates and Etihad operate seven flights a week to Colombo and visitors need a negative PCR test 96 hours before arrival and then two further tests within the next seven days. The Sri Lankan government aims to have the entire country of over 21 million vaccinated by the end of 2021, currently that figure stands at around 500,000.

With three weekly flights from Dubai, Cyprus is another interesting case and from April, it will welcome Israeli tourists who have had both vaccination doses, said Curtis.

The Greek authorities aim to vaccinate the vast majority of their 10.35 million population by this summer (more than 725,000 have been vaccinated so far) to help revive their tourism sector and again Greece is well connected with five weekly flights between Dubai and Athens.

Exhibitors from island territories participating at ATM this year include the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation, Greek National Tourism Organisation, Cyprus Ministry of Tourism, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, Philippines Department of Tourism and Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, among others.

Now in its 28th year and working in collaboration with DWTC and Dubais Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing(DTCM), the theme of ATM 2021 will be A new dawn for travel and tourism.

ATM 2021s strategic partners include Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) as Destination Partner, Emaar Hospitality Group as Official Hotel Partner and Emirates as Official Airline Partner.

Dubai is one of the safest cities in the world to visit with a wide range of precautionary measures in place to ensure the safety of tourists at every stage and touchpoint of their travel journey, from arrival to departure.

Dubais commitment to maintaining the highest standards of hygiene and safety and its effective citywide management of the pandemic received a strong endorsement from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), which gave the city a Safe Travels stamp.

If you are planning to attend ATM in-person, please feel free to post using the hashtag #ImGoingtoATM.

Registrations for ATM 2021 are open. To register, go to https://www.wtm.com/atm/en-gb/enquire.html

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Maldives and Seychelles Ready to Welcome Easter Travelers - FTNnews.com

Phuket

Thinking of travelling soon? You will still need to serve your quarantine when you return home but here are all the countries that are opened up to vaccinated travellers

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Last week, Thailand announced that they would be reopening Phuket to tourists that had been vaccinated against Covid-19 from July 1 this year. They are expecting to reopen the rest of the country to vaccinated individuals in October which means Phuket will have a three-month headstart.

Thailand's announcement was certainly an optimistic one for the potential reopening of borders and the restarting of travel once again.

That said, currently, travellers will still have to serve out their quarantine or Stay-Home-Notice (SHN) when they return to Singapore. Back in January, it was reported that travellers who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 may avoid serving a stay-home notice once they return to Singapore. However, more details have yet to be announced.

If you are getting excited at the possibility of travelling again soon, here are all the countries that are welcoming vaccinated individuals.

(Related: Vaccine Certificates: Singapore and Malaysia to Work on Establishing Cross-Border Travel)

Well-known for its beaches, luxurious islands and incredible food, Phuket is a favourite for many Singaporeans looking for a short and cheaper getaway.

From July 1 this year, visitors who have been fully vaccinated will be allowed into the country. They will also not have to serve a quarantine.

Phuket also plans to vaccinate at least 70% of its residents by this time to make it safe for both travellers and residents.

Known for its beautiful beaches and exotic sea life, Seychelles is a popular honeymoon location for newlyweds. As of January 14 this year, Seychelles announced that it will allow all visitors who can prove that they have received a full Covid-19 vaccination at least two weeks before arriving in Seychelles.

However, vaccinated individuals will still need to show a negative Covid-19 test that was obtained less than 72 hours before they travelled.

Seychelles is also hoping to open their country up to visitors, vaccinated or not, once the majority of their own country has been vaccinated.

As of March 18, all travellers to Iceland who have been completely vaccinated against Covid-19 can freely enter the Nordic island nation without having to undergo quarantine or any testing.

All travellers must provide proof that they have been given a vaccine that has been certified for use by the European Medicines Agency. These vaccines include Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson.

Famous for its rich wildlife in its Amazonian rain forests, this country in South America also has gorgeous beaches which makes it a pretty popular holiday spot.

As of March 17, Ecuador has announced that anyone can enter the country as long as they can prove that they have taken a full Covid-19 vaccination. Travellers without the vaccine will have to present a negative Covid-19 PCR or antigen test that was taken no more than three days before their arrival in Ecuador.

Visitors will also be screened for typical Covid-19 symptoms such as fever, cough and loss of taste. If there is cause for concern, they will have to take a rapid antigen test. Should the test come back positive, you will have to quarantine for 10 days at your own expense.

While in Ecuador, you will also have to abide by all Covid-19 measures which include wearing a mask and not gathering in groups of more than 10 people.

On February 2, Estonia announced that those who had been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 could enter the country. Currently, if you do not have a vaccination, you will have to undergo a quarantine that will last 10 days and also be subject to a Covid-19 test. That said, despite a vaccination, travellers will still have to adhere to all safety protocols in the country.

(Related: What it's Like to Get the Covid-19 Vaccine, According to a Singapore Airlines Stewardess)

Slovenia is a mountainous country that is well-known for its hiking trails and beautiful caves. Travellers to this beautiful country will need to provide proof of a Covid-19 vaccination that was taken at least seven days before they travelled to be allowed entry. The countryalso has a "red list" of countries that will require more precautions to be taken but Singapore is not on this list.

(Related: 'Vaxication' in the Maldives: What to Know About Vaccine Tourism)

Located between Eastern Europe and western Asia, Georgia is well known for its plantations which produce peanuts, pecans and Vidalia onions. Since February 1, any fully vaccinated traveller has been allowed to enter the country. They will have to present proof of their vaccination as well.

As of February 24, travellers to Guatemala, a country south of Mexico, would have to provide proof that they have been fully vaccinated. The vaccine would have had to be administered at least two weeks before their arrival to be applicable. Alternatively, you can present a negative Covid-19 test that was taken within 72 hours of one's arrival.

If you have tested positive and recovered from Covid-19 within three months of your arrival in Guatemala, you will also be allowed to enter the country.

(Related: How to Register For the Covid-19 Vaccine in Singapore)

If you are travelling to this Central American country, you will need to present proof that you have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19. For those who are not vaccinated yet, you will need to provide a negative Covid-19 test that has been taken within 96 hours before you travelled.

(Related: Covid-19 Vaccine in Singapore: What You Should Know)

Read the rest here:

Covid-19 Vaccine: These Countries are Now Welcoming Vaccinated Travellers - Tatler Singapore

21 March 2021 | Foreign Affairs

Doha, Qatar, March, 21: Seychelles and Qatar are set to strengthen and diversify relations of cooperation between the two nations. This emerged today following talks between the President of Republic of Seychelles, Mr Wavel Ramkalawan and the Amir of the State of Qatar, His Highness, Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

The two leaders highlighted the deep bonds of friendship that have existed between the two countries for over three decades and expressed their shared commitment to further elevate collaborations to new heights.

During bilateral discussions attended by both the Seychelles Presidential delegation, Qatar Government Ministers and senior officials, key issues of common interest were outlined. The value to both Seychelles and State of Qatar. Cooperation and exchange in areas such as tourism, budget support, sharing of technical expertise in addressing Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, maritime security, trade and investment, among others were also discussed.

The two leaders also met for a tte--tte before the signing of two Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

Later in the afternoon, as per tradition for visiting Heads of State or Head of Governments to address young adults enrolled in the Qatar Leadership programme, President Ramkalawan addressed a group of fifteen young Qatari leaders during a high-level dialogue session themed: The role of leadership, skills in decision-making process, lessons learned and challenges facing leaders and how to overcome them.

Visit the State House Facebook Page for full photo gallery:https://web.facebook.com/StateHouseSey

Editors Note:

President Ramkalawan and his delegation is currently on a 3 day official visit to the State of Qatar at the invitation of the Amir of the State of Qatar, His Highness, Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

He is accompanied by the First Lady, Mrs Linda Ramkalawan, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Mr Sylvestre Radegonde and the Minister for Finance, Economic Planning and Trade, Mr Naadir Hassan.

View post:

Seychelles and Qatar committed to bolstering relations to greater heights - Office of the President of the Republic of Seychelles

New Delhi: The Indian government has extended the ban on international commercial flights till 30 April, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a circular on Tuesday. The ban on scheduled overseas flights was to end on 31 March after a twelve-month gap.

Dedicated cargo flights, flights under the bilateral air bubble pacts with select countries will continue to operate, the civil aviation watchdog said.

A bilateral air bubble is a mechanism to resume flights between India and other nations with preconditions during the pandemic.

India currently has bilateral air bubble agreement with about 27 countries, which include countries like Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Canada, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Maldives, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Rwanda, Seychelles, Tanzania, Ukraine, the UAE, the UK, Uzbekistan and the US.

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India extends ban on international flights till 30 April - Mint

Its a small list of countries accepting vaccinated travelers, but the list will probably continue to grow in the upcoming months.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons/Jorge Royan.

Some countries are starting to welcome travelers who have received both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine. Currently, its a small list of countries accepting vaccinated travelers, but the list will probably continue to grow in the upcoming months, according to a report by Simple Flying, an aviation news website.

Cyprus: This Mediterranean country will be open for vaccinated travelers (both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine) starting in May.

Estonia: This countrys 10-day isolation policy doesnt apply to travelers who have had the Covid-19 vaccination.

Georgia: As of February, vaccinated travelers from any other country can enter Georgia without needing to self-isolate.

Iceland: As of March 18th, Iceland Tourism states that travelers who have been fully vaccinated will be allowed to travel to Iceland and wont need to be tested or do self-quarantine.

Greece: Sofia Zacharaki, Greeces deputy minister of tourism, said that travelers who have a vaccination certificate and those who have recovered from Covid are able to come to Greece.

Lebanon: Travelers who show proof of vaccination can avoid quarantine when arriving in Lebanon. But a negative PCR test taken within 96 hours (before their flight) must be presented.

Panama: Panamas media has reported that vaccinated travelers can skip a test upon arrival, according to Luis Francisco Sucre, minister of health. However, Panamas official tourism site doesnt make mention of vaccinated travelers being able to skip a test upon arrival.

Poland: Since December 28th, travelers who have been vaccinated are exempted from the countrys required quarantine. Travelers must show a certificate confirming their Covid vaccinations.

Portugal: Portugals tourism website states that the country is open to arrivals from several countries. But travelers arriving to the Azores and Madeira Islands can present a vaccination certificate to avoid needing to quarantine or take a Covid test.

Romania: In late January, Romania said that those who have been fully vaccinated dont need to quarantine when arriving. But the National Committee for Emergency Situations of Romania added that travelers need to wait at least 10 days from the administration of the second dose until arriving in Romania.

Seychelles: Travelers who have received their full vaccinations can arrive 14 days after the second dose. The country also requires a pre-departure test fewer than 72 hours old.

Originally posted here:

Which Countries are Allowing Vaccinated Travelers to Visit? - Auto Rental News Magazine

The Seychelles has announced that it will be welcoming visitors from across the globe, irrespective of their vaccination status, from March 25, 2021. Visitors from South Africa will still not be permitted to enter Seychelles for the time being until further review. The announcement was made by the minister for foreign affairs and tourism Sylvestre Radegonde in a press briefing Thursday morning with the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB), following the Tourism Task Force Committee meeting.

Visitors will now only berequired to present a negative PCR test taken 72 hours prior to departure. Therewill be no quarantine requirementnor restriction on movement upon entry intoSeychelles. Additionally, the minimum stay in establishments upon arrival willno longer beapplicable.

With that said, visitorswill still be required to adhere toother public health measures put in place; these willinclude wearing of face masks, socialdistancing and regular sanitization orwashing of hands. The new measures also give visitors access to all communalarea within the hotel premises inclusive of bars,swimming pools, spas andKids clubs.

Minister Radegonde stated that the decision toreview and relax the entry procedures in the country has been made possible inview of thesuccess registered in the aggressive vaccination campaign that thecountry embarked on earlier in the year.

The small island nation off the east coast ofAfrica whose economy is based primarily on tourism was the first Africancountry to launch abold, comprehensive and effective Covid-19 immunizationcampaigndone so in January 2021.According to the STB, the Indian Ocean country is on track to become the first to achieve COVID-19 herd immunity, which it will accomplish by mid-March.

The destination will continuously review thenew entry measures to ensure that at all times the health and safety of thevisitors and the local population are not compromised. More details will be available shortly throughthe updated travel advisory onwww.tourism.gov.sc.

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Seychelles to Fully Open Borders March 25, Regardless of Vaccination Status - Luxury Travel Advisor