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U-First: Analysis |
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Tourism: a driving force for economic development and social harmony |
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The backbone of the Seychelles economy has for many years been its tourism industry. As a small developing nation with not much natural resources, the Seychelles’ economy is almost entirely dependent on tourism and its numerous related activities. As people of Seychelles, we are all either directly or indirectly touched by this vital industry due to the inevitable fact that tourism has both economical and social impacts on any nation. Like any other industry, tourism brings with it positive as well as negative outcomes. It is therefore up to us to adopt the best ways of benefiting to the maximum from this industry. It is to this end that the U-First Unit of the Ministry of Tourism and Transport has adopted the theme "Tourism: a driving force for economic development and social harmony" for the year 2003. As a crucial economic activity, tourism undoubtedly fosters economic development. This is mainly by the creation of wealth, bringing in Foreign Direct Investment, generating foreign exchange, creating employment, developing infrastructure, introducing new technology, etc; hence a motor for economic growth. Being a major pillar of our economy, tourism also provides various levels of contribution to ensure social harmony amongst our nation. The business of tourism links up many businesses and consequently individuals in their everyday lives. The fact that we are a multi-racial society with a rich culture, impacts on tourism and vise-versa. Through the creation of direct employment for almost 20% of our total workforce, the tourism industry contributes greatly in ensuring that we dwell in a socially stable society with reduced social problems. We grow as a nation when we are able to accept and respect people regardless of their beliefs. Tourism provides us with the opportunity to meet and interact with people of all walks of lives, traditions, backgrounds, etc; in other words tourism plays an important role in turning us into a socially matured nation. All things considered, it is obvious that we cannot dissociate tourism from either the economy or our social lives. On the contrary, we should recognize that efforts put into this industry will always positively or negatively impact on our economic and social lives. It is up to us to decide on how best to benefit from such influences so as to make tourism the real motor behind our economic development, which will in turn ensure social harmony amongst our nation. |
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