CS 2023 "Sustainable Land Use in the Seychelles II – Rethinking the Sustainability of Tourism"

2024/03/12 – Case study on Seychelles' TV

The Seychelles Broadcasting Company (SBC) reported on the results of the 2023 case study in its news programme. Watch it on their YouTube channel:

• external pageNews at 7pmcall_made (1:38 to 3:33 min)
• external pageNews at 8pmcall_made (17:12 to 20:35 min)

2024/03/12 – Newspaper article on Case study

The Seychelles newspaper "Today" wrote about the 2023 case study (click on the photo to read the article).  

Course

The tdCS is problem-oriented and research-based 7 ECTS teaching activity in a real-world setting. The project starts from a real-world problem and aims to produce usable results for the local community. Intensive collaboration with local partners from the public and the private sectors, as well as civil society is key. Collaboration includes: joint problem framing before the study starts; mid-term validation through local experts; joint field work with students from the local university; and creation of joint knowledge.

Objectives

Learning objectives of the tdCS include: understanding a case in its complexity and context; knowledge application and methodological skills in a real world setting; independence in managing research activities (develop own research plans); use of (transdisciplinary) methods according to the project needs; collecting, analyzing and reporting of own data; working in intercultural teams (ETH & UniSey); collaborating with local stakeholders using different formats; adapting to foreign social, economic, cultural and political settings; and reporting of work progress and insights in local media and public events.

Study area

The Seychelles, located in the southern part of the Indian ocean, is a small state of 450km² land mass spread over some 115 islands within a sea area of 1.4 million km². The archipelago shares most of the other Small Island Developing States’ (SIDS) challenges like size; isolation from global markets; limited resources and small domestic markets. Furthermore, they are exposed and highly vulnerable to effects of climate change and international disturbances; face side effects typical of rapidly developing societies; have limited capacities for long-term planning and infrastructure management; and are often dependent on few economic activities such as tourism and fishery.

Topic

Tourism is the most important economic pillar of the Seychelles. It brings in 70% of foreign exchange, creates numerous jobs and generates considerable tax substrate. Tourism in Seychelles is known for its exclusivity; with recent diversification, it also offers facilities for tourists in the middle and lower price ranges. Arrivals have increased dramatically over the last decade at rates of 10% per annum. Tourism-related facilities and infrastructure take up a lot of land, especially along the coastal strip, where they compete with infrastructure, housing and agriculture.

According to the Strategic Plan 2040 and the Tourism Master Plan, tourism should become more sustainable while growing. The general theme is "rethinking the sustainability of tourism". The study may include e.g.: Synergies between agriculture and tourism; social impacts of tourism on local society; (environmental) impacts of tourism use and development of mountain areas and offshore tourism; the relationship between tourism and transport; circular value and resource chains; effects of climate change on tourism.