 Hello, welcome to the Seychelles pavilion. So this is what we're showcasing here at Dubai Expo 2020 So Seychelles is a group of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean of the East Coast of Africa Can people go to all these 150 islands or just a few? No, because we are divided into two groups, which is the inner group and the outer group of islands The inner group of islands is closer to the mainland and the outer groups are further away So usually when tourists come, they go to the three main inhabited islands of the Seychelles Which are Mahay, where the capital is, Prama and Ladig And there are also other islands where we have resorts that are also well-frequented such as Silhouette, Derouche and others We are equally beautiful, not just for our sun, sea and sand But we are renowned for the hospitality of our people, our Creole cuisine, our nature trails And of course we are the Blue Economy Champion of Africa What does that mean? It essentially means that we are at the top of our game when it comes to sustainable practices This is why in the pavilion we are showcasing our Blue Economy Room Whereby we are just showing the world that we're not just talk, but we also act So the Blue Economy Strategy of the Seychelles Islands essentially tells us that there needs to be a balance between conservation and economic development in everything that we do So the Seychelles depends on mainly tourism as its main pillar of the economy This is followed by the fisheries sector dominated by tuna fishing And to a certain extent financial services is the third pillar of the economy So what does the Blue Economy Strategy tell us? Essentially in everything that we do we need to do it in the most sustainable manner possible Is it possible to make sure that the fishing happens sustainably? It does, actually we have implemented various strategies on a regional level For example with regards to tuna fishing there are quotas that have been implemented To ensure that there is no overfishing and that the fish stocks are allowed to replenish And this is why in the Seychelles we've gone a step further to launch our aquaculture sector this year Which will complement the wild fishery So this is something that Seychelles takes too hard when it comes to sustainable practices But Seychelles is a very small nation, right? Yes, we are What do you call one of the smallest countries? Yes, we are In terms of our population we're only 98,000 people and that's including expatriates So the local population is even smaller than that So we are considered as one of the world's smallest nations, yes Without the expatriates is half of that? No, not half, maybe around 80,000 or 85,000 So being a small nation it's hard to govern what happens a little bit further away from the coast Because I guess the fishermen come from all the way from the African coast to the Indian coast and everything Essentially IUU fishing which is illegal, unreported Illegal, unreported Yeah, there's some other words Essentially IUU fishing is one of the challenges of the Seychelles islands Considering the vast ocean space that we have 1.3 square kilometers square 1.3 million square kilometers of ocean space is very very hard to manage as a small island state But we do our best, we have a very vigilant and proactive coast guard And we also have the partnership of our other members in the IoTC region Where by illegal fishing is something that we deal with proactively in the Indian Ocean Do you use satellite technology or sensors or something like that? I don't know, I'm just guessing what could be happening I'm not the best person to talk about that one but we know we have Locally we use the VMS, vessel monitoring system On board all vessels that are licensed in the Seychelles So this is a way to track vessels that are registered to fish in the ocean space Seychelles is at So what was happening in this room right here And maybe you can talk a little bit about your economy is one of the big activities is tourism Yes, in this room is basically a snapshot of what the Seychelles is about And the challenges that we are facing as an island nation For example as this video is showing marine pollution and marine litter Is an issue that we're facing and this is not just from the local community But we deal with a lot of marine litter that ends up on our shores from other countries and other regions And because of our geographic location in the African, in the Indian Ocean We have to deal with all of this So and climate change as well is an issue that we're facing We're doing our best to mitigate the impacts of climate change Such as coastal erosion and all that So yeah, we're doing our best What's the next step? What could you do even more like in that direction to mitigate climate change? It's a big issue when you go to the COP26, COP16 There's a lot of education and awareness Not just locally but in the region as well Because to mitigate the impacts of climate change Or to educate the public about marine litter It's not just something that we can do ourselves in this Seychelles It's a mobile effort So as a small island state, there's only so much we can do So it takes a collective approach to essentially be successful In the approaches that we have towards climate change And education and awareness when it comes to dealing with marine pollution What's happening here with the blue economy? This is an expedition that was carried out a few years ago by Necten Research It was the first mapping of our ocean space in the Aldabra region So a group of local scientists got the chance to conduct the research With scientists from the Necten Group And even our former president, Mr. Danifor, also got the opportunity To enter in one of these technologies and see what is beneath Because protecting the coral reef is crucial to a future environment We spend a lot of time, resources and money With replenishing the corals that were damaged with coral bleaching And it took a few years for the corals to become healthy again And there is evidence that shows that we might deal with another wave of coral bleaching soon So this is something that is continuous and it's something that we are doing We have nurseries all over the country, coral nurseries So these are all part of activities that we are doing So you say here discovered the treasures of the Indian Ocean Yes, of course, as we... The Seychelles has a lot of national treasures And this is one of our jewels This is the Cocodemitri It's the largest nut in the world And it is found only in the Seychelles On two main islands, which is Mahe and Prale It is grown naturally on Prale So this weighs about 25 to 30 kg at maturity And the tree can go up to 100 meters high And it's endemic to the Seychelles Because it takes about 25 years for a tree to grow It's important not to get one of these to fall on your head Of course not You will for sure get injured or probably lose your life Because it's so, so heavy What is this green part here? This is a photo booth Visitors come and take pictures at this area And another one of our national treasures is the Aldebra atoll Aldebra is another the world's largest atoll And it is found in the Seychelles as well It is quite isolated from the mainland And it is quite a journey to get there as well As it is not accessible throughout the year Because of the weather conditions Actually it is said that on a clear day You can stand on Aldebra and you can see the coast of Zanzibar From that area Which means it's very, very far from the mainland So Aldebra we've dedicated to research It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site So we have scientists living there full time And doing various research on different marine species That can be found only there And there are a lot of undiscovered treasures there as well And it is home to the giant tortoises So we do have a lot of unique attributes The Seychelles Islands A lot of unique natural reserves And a lot of unique natural biodiversity That are just for us And we are waiting to share that with the world All these mammals in the world, right? Yes, they are, yes They've been there for hundreds of years Biggest of them, giant tortoises So you know one of them that's 200 years old? I have not been to Aldebra It's my dream to visit there as well But all the islands, the turtles can be pretty old, right? Yes, because they've been there since we've been discovered Some of them And we are celebrating 250 years since we've been discovered So it's quite an achievement And there are a lot more to be discovered as well 250 years since you were discovered So these turtles might have been wrong Before you got discovered Tortoises, maybe I wish you could speak with them and talk about How it was to meet these guys in the beginning They've seen a lot, that's for sure Is there like a little shop here? Shop? What are you doing over there in this corner? Over there, this is our counter So basically this is a local perfume Made by one of our local companies So it's made from a natural extract of the Kokorema So it's being sold here Not here in this pavilion, but we are here to promote it As a local product There's for the women, for unisex and for men And they're quite popular with the locals And over here we have As part of our organic and sustainable brand We have this local company That manufactures liquid seaweed We collect seaweed that washes the shore And they make a growth enhancer out of it Which is used in agriculture By our local farmers As part of our organic brand So these are all sustainable practices That Seychelles is promoting Here in the Dubai Expo 2020 I used to ask my father Where is the best place in the world to go And he would just tell me to go to Seychelles Of course, your father was right Always listen to your elders It's maybe the most beautiful beaches in the world Yes Actually, we have two beaches That have been nominated for many years consecutively That's En Sous d'Argent, En La Digue And En Slasio, En Parle And we've won these awards On numerous occasions, consecutive year after year So we're proud and like I've said We're willing to share all these treasures With all of those who want to visit the Seychelles Seychelles is open We are not COVID free, but we are getting there All you need is a negative PCR test And we are ready to welcome you You don't force people to have the thing called I forgot what it's called I'm joking, but the jab The vaccine? No It's a choice Just the PCR is okay And most people are Hopefully healthy with the Vitamin D's you get And there's not been some bad COVID Outcomes, I guess Hopefully not too many, too sick The COVID situation in Seychelles? The COVID situation in Seychelles Has been managed from day one We are 70% vaccinated Our death tolls compared to our Active cases and People who have been Successfully recovered from COVID Is incomparable So we are doing our best And we have done a good job In managing the pandemic And now the country is open And we are ready to welcome you These beautiful beaches can be enjoyed by anyone That just takes one of these Stopover flight with the Emirates Or Qatar Airways It's very cheap connections actually To get the Seychelles It's quite affordable And then it's possible to find accommodation That's not only the five-star Super luxuries In Seychelles we have something for everyone I don't think it's correct to say that Seychelles is only a five-star destination Yes, we have a lot of honeymooners Yes, we have a lot of people who want The tranquility of a resort But we also have Locals with guest houses Self-caterings Airbnbs And all that types of accommodations That can cater to everyone From the backpackers To the family vacations To honeymooners To people who want to have a luxurious vacation We have something for everyone of you