The Seychelles Hospitality & Tourism Association (SHTA) of which Nature Seychelles is a member, is concerned about the effects of climate change on tourism. Citing the recent shark attacks in Seychelles and elsewhere in South Africa, Russia, and Australia and speculation that the rising effects of climate change are to blame, the SHTA says that whatever the cause, the abnormal incidents have given us all cause for concern.
“Our main market [tourism] is facing trying times,” says Chairman, Louis D’Offay, in an editorial carried in the SHTA monthly newsletter
Small Island Developing States like Seychelles are among the regions thought to be most at risk from climate change impacts. Nature tourism is likely to suffer damage from most of the effects of climate change on island states which include beach erosion, higher sea levels, greater damage from sea surges and storms, and sea warming events that cause corals to bleach.
At the same time, there is now an increased awareness that climate change will have negative impacts on species as well.
The full text of the editorial can be found in the SHTA e-News