Seychelles Throws Support Behind New UN Tourism Vision Focused on Sustainability and Resilience
Seychelles has endorsed the new UN Tourism Management Vision 2026–2029 during the 126th Executive Council in Toledo, Spain. Minister Amanda Bernstein welcomed the focus on stronger institutional foundations, collaboration, capacity building, and sustainability, while highlighting connectivity, workforce development, and resilience as priorities for island destinations.
Toledo, Spain — Seychelles has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening global tourism cooperation and advancing the interests of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) during the 126th Session of the UN Tourism Executive Council held in Toledo, Spain.
The meeting marked a significant milestone for both UN Tourism and Seychelles. It was the first Executive Council convened under the mandate of the newly elected Secretary-General, who unveiled an ambitious Management Vision for 2026–2029 centered on four strategic priorities: strengthening the Organization’s foundations, enhancing collaboration, building human capital, and advancing sustainability.
The vision is widely seen as a roadmap for modernizing UN Tourism and positioning the sector to address emerging challenges ranging from climate change and workforce shortages to connectivity, investment, and digital transformation. The Secretary-General emphasized that stronger institutional foundations and governance would enable UN Tourism to better serve its member states, while greater collaboration among governments, the private sector, development institutions, and international partners would help destinations become more resilient and competitive.
For Seychelles, whose economy depends heavily on tourism, the vision resonates strongly with national priorities.
The island nation was represented by Minister for Tourism and Culture, Mrs Amanda Bernstein, accompanied by Principal Secretary for Tourism, Mrs Sherin Francis. The session also marked Seychelles’ first participation on the Executive Council since regaining its seat following elections held during the UN Tourism Regional Commission for Africa (CAF) meeting in Nigeria last year.
Addressing the Council, Minister Bernstein welcomed the Secretary-General’s vision and expressed Seychelles’ full support for the strategic direction proposed for the Organization.
“As a Small Island Developing State where tourism underpins our GDP and the livelihoods of our communities, Seychelles has a direct stake in UN Tourism’s effectiveness. We strongly support the Secretary-General’s management vision and its four priorities,” she said.
The Minister noted that strengthening the institutional foundations of UN Tourism is particularly important for smaller member states, which rely on the Organization as a key platform for international cooperation, policy support, knowledge sharing, and capacity development. She also welcomed the vision’s emphasis on collaboration, highlighting the need for stronger partnerships to address common challenges facing tourism destinations worldwide.
A key element of Seychelles’ intervention focused on connectivity, an issue that remains critical for many African and island destinations. Minister Bernstein stressed that air access, visa facilitation, and affordable transportation are fundamental to tourism growth and resilience.
“Connectivity remains a shared challenge for Africa and island destinations alike. While visa facilitation, airlift availability and affordability are largely commercial matters, UN Tourism has an important convening role in fostering dialogue among stakeholders, particularly when connectivity disruptions threaten destination resilience,” she said.
She noted that every visitor supports an extensive value chain involving airlines, accommodation providers, tour operators, local businesses, farmers, artisans, and communities. Disruptions to connectivity therefore have consequences that extend far beyond tourism arrivals, affecting employment and economic stability across entire destinations.
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Another pillar of the Secretary-General’s vision focuses on capacity building, recognizing that people remain the tourism industry’s most valuable asset. Workforce development, education, leadership training, and skills enhancement have become increasingly important as destinations adapt to changing visitor expectations and technological innovation.
Minister Bernstein underscored the relevance of this priority for Seychelles and many tourism-dependent economies, where attracting, developing, and retaining skilled workers remains a major challenge. She highlighted Seychelles’ upcoming hosting of the UN Tourism Thematic Conference on Human Capital Development from 2–4 July 2026, alongside the 69th Meeting of the Regional Commission for Africa, as a significant contribution to advancing the global workforce agenda.
Sustainability, the fourth pillar of the Secretary-General’s vision, was also strongly endorsed by Seychelles. The framework places environmental protection, climate resilience, cultural preservation, and long-term economic viability at the center of tourism development, recognizing that the future of the sector depends on balancing growth with responsible stewardship of natural and cultural resources.
For island nations particularly vulnerable to climate change and environmental degradation, this priority carries special significance.
“For island nations, sustainability is an existential reality. Protecting our natural and cultural heritage while ensuring economic viability is the defining challenge of our tourism model, and we fully support its central place in the Secretary-General’s vision,” Minister Bernstein said.
The Secretary-General’s vision reflects a growing recognition that tourism must evolve beyond traditional growth metrics and become a driver of inclusive development, resilience, innovation, and environmental responsibility. For Small Island Developing States such as Seychelles, the framework provides an opportunity to ensure that the concerns of vulnerable destinations remain firmly embedded in global tourism policy.
Seychelles’ participation in the 126th Executive Council underscores the country’s renewed role in international tourism governance and its commitment to ensuring that the priorities of island and African destinations continue to shape the future direction of global tourism.
As UN Tourism embarks on a new chapter under its new leadership, Seychelles has positioned itself as a strong supporter of a vision that seeks to strengthen institutions, foster partnerships, invest in people, and place sustainability at the heart of tourism development worldwide.
