According to a report by Alain St. Ange, the former minister of tourism for Seychelles, Seychelles is facing a difficult situation in its need for missing hotel rooms.

Airlines are basing their flights on a guarantee of available hotel rooms at a destination, combined with expected domestic outbound demand.

Not having enough hotel rooms will impact on airlines serving Seychelles, St. Ange thinks. “The need for contracted rooms gives the necessary guarantee to airlines that scheduled routes can work and will be profitable”, St. Ange says.

There are a good number of locally owned ‘homegrown properties.” They will continue to make a difference within their niche market, though more marketing effort will need to be initiated to support them.

In his blog St. Ange shows the example of a one bed room villa, a ‘home away from home’ at Au Cap that is owned and managed by Marie Josee Woodcock. Such small properties remain community assets and are facilities that showcase Seychelles as a cultural tourism destination.

They buy fruits from a farmer next door, bread and milk from the roadside shop, get maintenance or general helper assistance from a neighbour, a local taxi does their airport pick-up or drop off.

Self-catering guest houses could be the next trend in Seychelles and would put airlines at ease to expand their operation to the Indian Ocean island.