The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in collaboration with the Ministry for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Port and Marine for the Seychelles, undertook a mission from 23 to 30 July 2017 to conduct an initial assessment of the national tourism statistical system in the country. The objective of the mission is to evaluate this system, identify gaps and constraints, and prepare a roadmap to reach an efficient and dynamic system of tourism statistics with a view to developing a Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) for the country.

Tourism is an important activity for the Seychelles. In 2016, the number of inbound tourists in Seychelles reached 303,000, a 10 per cent increase over 2015 (Source: UNWTO). Tourism receipts have increased by 8 per cent during the first nine months of 2016. Other sources indicate that tourism contributed as much as SCR 4,779.7mn (24.1 per cent of total GDP) in 2015 and that it is a major source of employment in the country directly supporting 12,000 jobs (26.2 per cent of total employment).

During the mission, a two-day training Workshop was conducted for Government officials to outline the UNWTO framework and methodology for developing tourism statistics at the national level.; The workshop also aimed at promoting conformance with international standards, encouraging and promoting the exchange of information, knowledge and expertise among stakeholders through identifying synergies; and promoting consistency in approaches and methodology.