The programme of events for Tourism Week 2003 has been announced and this year the focus is on spreading the message of the importance of tourism to Seychelles.

The week's events kick off on Friday September 26, with a special welcome for passengers arriving on the Air Seychelles flights from Dubai and Paris.

Saturday 27 September, World Tourism Day, however, sees the real start of the activities.

A day long traditional fair, to take place at the Domaine de Val de Près, has been organised as a joint undertaking by the eastern region districts and SIDEC (Seychelles Industrial Development Corporation).

At 10:00 a.m. the launching of the Eco-Tourism Strategy, with pilot projects to be carried out in Anse Royale, will take place at the Seychelles Polytechnic.

Creole Holidays and Travel Services Seychelles (TSS) have teamed up to host a cultural activity at Cap Lazare at 1:00 p.m. The event will feature traditional dancing, singing and Creole cooking. More information and tickets are available from the Creole Holidays offices at Kingsgate House.

The final event on Mahé on Saturday September 27 will be the "U" First Preliminary Awards Presentation at the International Conference Centre, to pay tribute to the participants from the various "U" First competitions held throughout the previous twelve months.

Meanwhile on Praslin and La Digue visitors to the islands will be greeted with a special welcome, those disembarking at the La Digue jetty being entertained by Masezarine. And in the evening at Anse Severe an open air beach gala will be held for Diguios and visitors alike.

The rest of the week will be taken up with a series of presentations, given by members of the "U" First committee on the importance of tourism for Seychelles.

The final event in this year's Tourism Week calendar will be a Tourism Ball at the Berjaya Mahé Beach Hotel, organised by the Seychelles Hospitality and Tourism Association (SHTA).

Assistant Director of the "U" First Unit, Ms Yvette Antat, said that in addition to rewarding the participants from the various tourism professional competitions the "U" First committee will also recognise the contribution of staff who have given over 25 years service to the tourist industry.

Ms Antat said that the "U" First committee hoped to use Tourism Week to bring the U-first scheme to public attention.

She added that the committee had been unhappy with the industry's participation during the previous year and wanted them to realise that the programme was in place to assist them.

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