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Thursday, 20 March 2008 00:00

From TAREC to TESS - Anse Royale gears up for Ecotourism

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It is now four years since The Anse Royale Ecotourism Committee was set up as part of the process of implementing ecotourism in districts as outlined in strategy document Vision 21.

However, it wasn’t until last year when former Seychelles Ambassador to the UN, Mr. Marc Marengo took over the chairmanship of the committee that it became really active.

Very soon now, Mr. Marengo will go one step further and integrate TAREC within the broader spectrum of The Ecotourism Society of Seychelles (TESS).

The forming members registered TESS last year and have programmed its official launching to take place later this year. The wider aim of TESS is to develop ecotourism in Seychelles in all the districts, not just Anse Royale, but as the structure there is already in place, it will be the starting point.

Well known for his growing of exotic flowers which he sells to the local community, Mr. Marengo is through TESS taking his dream of bringing ecotourism to the community, through projects by the community itself for the community. Together with his family he has already dedicated an important stretch of prime land in the Anse Royale district to this project, which when completed will entail not only an amazing garden, a beach front full of activity, as well as a nursery but also a real live community which is earning a living from ecotourism.

Turning possibilities into realities, is the motto of TESS and though it Mr. Marengo sees the full positive exploitation of the tourism potential of Anse Royale and Seychelles.

To put action to his words, Mr. Marengo has donated the site where the headquarters of TESS will be, which is right in the middle of the project he has baptized Les Canelles II. In a similar charitable vein, his neighbours have also agreed to give parts of their land for a car park and for further extension of the garden now fondly referred to as Les Canelles I. The headquarters will boast of many features other than just the usual offices. It will have its very own garden centre, from where interested parties will be able to buy farming equipment and seeds. It will also boast of its very own amphitheatre where cultural activities will take place as part of giving visitors the ultimate experience and Seychellois a great venue for those so well loved, ‘bal asosye’.

Mr. Marengo says that they will also be looking into the possibility of offering visitors light refreshment like Citronelle tea, but that so far they have shied away from the notion of a cafeteria/restaurant style venture, as this might be too commercialised. Mr Marengo says that the whole idea which forms part of the Ecotourism Pilot Projects for the Anse Royale District termed PP33, will bequeathed to the Seychellois people.

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