The tourism industry has been an economic lifeline and driver of development for many Small Island Developing States (SIDS). In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought a complete halt to the global travel and tourism industry, and many SIDS such as Mauritius and Seychelles have seen a decline in visitors, which has left them without a key revenue source. 

The UNDP Accelerator Lab for Mauritius and Seychelles is exploring the impact of the pandemic on young people directly and indirectly involved in the tourism value chains across Mauritius, Rodrigues, and Seychelles. 

From conversations with young people in the past months, the Lab has identified several weak signals and important insights. Young people have expressed that they feel undervalued and underpaid. While many of them consider employment prospects abroad, some remain optimistic and are keen to explore training, reskilling and upskilling opportunities to increase their employability. Others question the sustainability of current tourism models and are interested in co-shaping new tourism models that are greener and more inclusive. 

To better understand the sector from a youth perspective, the Accelerator Lab needs more data and is thus launching the ‘Youth in Tourism’ survey, which will run for the month of April across Mauritius, Rodrigues, and Seychelles. The objective of this data collection exercise is twofold: to deepen the Lab’s knowledge of the tourism value chain and to include young people and their perspectives as lead users, who can co-define the future of tourism for our islands. 

If you are a young person between 18-35 years and if you are directly or indirectly involved in the local tourism value chain, fill out the respective surveys for:

- Mauritius : https://ee.humanitarianresponse.info/x/pY8ILkdn

- Rodrigues : https://ee.humanitarianresponse.info/x/mgzL2Uda

- Seychelles : https://ee.humanitarianresponse.info/x/yV7DNgbz

If you are a stakeholder of the tourism value chain, join the Mauritius and Seychelles Accelerator Lab in this initiative by sharing the link in your networks!

For more information on this initiative, feel free to reach out to the Accelerator Lab team at: acclab.mu.sey@undp.org