ʻO ka laha ʻana a me ka hoʻolaha ʻana o ka COVID-19 coronavirus ke koi nei i nā luna kūloko ma Seychelles e loiloi i ka hopena o ka hoʻokele waiwai e pili ana i ka mākaʻikaʻi ʻo ia ka pou kiʻekiʻe o ka hoʻokele waiwai o ka lāhui.
Ua nīnauele ka Seychelles News Agency iā Sherin Francis, ka Luna Nui o ka Seychelles Tourism Board, e ʻike i ke ʻano o kēia hopena i ka ʻoihana mākaʻikaʻi o Seychelles.
Nīnau: He hopena paha ka coronavirus i ka nui o nā malihini e hele mai ana i Seychelles?
Sherin Francis (SF): No ka manawa, ʻaʻole wau e ʻōlelo nui. Akā i ka manaʻo e loaʻa iā mākou kekahi kānalua e pili ana i ka wā e hiki mai ana, hiki iā mākou ke ʻōlelo e pono mākou e makaʻala, no ka mea aia kahi pilikia e loaʻa iā mākou kahi hopena.
Nīnau: Ke pili nei ke kūlana i ka mākeke kiʻekiʻe o Seychelles?
SF: ʻAe. ʻO ka mākeke mua i loaʻa i ka hopena pololei ʻo Italia. Ua hāʻule ka nui o nā malihini mai Italia i ka 17 pakeneka i hoʻohālikelike ʻia i ka manawa like i ka makahiki i hala. He mākeke ia i hoʻomaka e ulu, a ua loaʻa hou ka hilinaʻi o ka ʻoihana mākaʻikaʻi ma hope o ka hoʻokele waiwai. Ma hope o kēlā, ua lilo ʻo Seychelles i wahi huakaʻi huakaʻi punahele no ka poʻe Italia.
ʻAʻole wale mākou e nalowale ana i nā malihini, akā pono mākou e kāpae i kekahi mau hana ma ka ʻāina e like me kā mākou kālepa kālepa ma Italia. Ua kāpae ʻia nā hana e pili ana i ka hui ʻana i kahi lehulehu. Eia hou, ke nalowale nei mākou i kā mākou loaʻa kālā.
Nīnau: Pehea ke ʻano o ka Seychelles Tourism Board i kēia kūlana?
SF: Ke nānā nei mākou i ke kūlana, a ua ʻike mākou aia ʻelua mau mākeke ʻē aʻe i hoʻopilikia ʻia e ka maʻi - Kelemānia a me Farani. Aia kekahi mau ʻāina e like me ka ʻIseraʻela i pāpā i ke komo ʻana o nā Kelemania a me Farani mai ke komo ʻana i ko lākou ʻāina. No ka manawa, ʻaʻohe hoʻolaha mai nā ʻāina ʻelua; inā hiki mai kēia, he hopena ia i ko kākou ʻāina.
Nīnau: Manaʻo paha ʻoe e hiki iā Seychelles ke hoʻihoʻi i kēlā mau mākeke inā hoʻomaikaʻi ke kūlana?
SF: He paʻakikī ke ʻōlelo i ka wā he nui kāu mau kānalua. I kēia manawa, mau ka maikaʻi o ka hiki ʻana mai o nā mākaʻikaʻi ma Seychelles, a ke ʻōlelo nei nā mea hoʻokele kūloko ʻaʻole lākou i manaʻo i ka hopena. Malia paha i loko o nā mahina ʻekolu e hiki mai ana e hoʻomalu ʻia ke kūlana ma nā mākeke koʻikoʻi iā Seychelles, aia paha i ka hoʻomaha hoʻomaha nui o ʻEulopa, ʻo ia hoʻi ke kauwela, hiki iā mākou ke hopu i nā helu. ʻO ia ke ʻano i ka wā e hoʻemi ʻia ai ka maʻi virus, pono mākou e ʻoi aku ka ikaika i kā mākou hoʻolālā kūʻai.
Nīnau: Pehea ke ʻano o nā ʻelele e hana nei ma nā ʻāina i hoʻopilikia ʻia e ka maʻi?
SF: He mea paʻakikī kēia no lākou. ʻO ko lākou ola. Ke ʻōlelo nei lākou he nui ke kāpae ʻana, ʻaʻole hoʻi e hoʻihoʻi ʻia kā lākou kālā a lākou i hoʻohana ai i ka puke no nā hōkele. Makaʻu ka poʻe e hele. Ke noi aku nei mākou i nā mea hoʻohana e lilo i mea maʻalahi me kā lākou hoʻoholo ʻaʻole e hoʻihoʻi hou aku no ka mea makemake paha ka poʻe e kākau i kā lākou hōkele ma mua. ʻO kahi pilikia nui inā mākou e noho nei me ka maopopo ʻole, hiki ke koi ʻia nā hōkele e hoʻohaʻahaʻa i kā lākou uku.
Nīnau: He aha ka hopena o ke kūlana ma luna o nā mea hoʻokele mākaʻikaʻi kūloko?
SF: E like me ka pili ʻana o nā hōkele, ke manaʻoʻiʻo nei au e hoʻopilikia ʻia ana nā mea hoʻokele mākaʻikaʻi āpau. Ke hoʻopau nā malihini i kā lākou hoʻomaha, hoʻopau ʻia nā mokulele, nā hōkele, a me nā lawelawe āpau. Ma keia hope aku, nalowale ka loaa i manaoia e ohi. Inā e emi ana kēia maʻi e like me nā helu mai ka Seychelles Central Bank, e lilo ana mākou i $ 1,500 ma ka awelika no kēlā me kēia mākaʻikaʻi. Akā ʻaʻole pono mākou e nalowale i ka manaʻoʻiʻo ʻoiai ʻaʻole ia ka manawa mua a mākou i kū ai a lanakila i kahi kūlana e like me kēia.
Nīnau: Aia kekahi mau kūkākūkā e hana ʻia e hoʻihoʻi i ka poʻe mākaʻikaʻi i hoʻopau i kā lākou puke me nā hōkele?
SF: ʻAʻole hiki iā mākou ke hele pololei i kēia. E like me ka Seychelles Tourism Board, ke paipai nei mākou i nā ʻoihana mākaʻikaʻi e ʻoi aku ka maʻalahi me kā lākou mau kulekele. He kūlana honua kēia a ʻaʻole hui like nā ʻāina āpau. No ka laʻana, ua loaʻa iā mākou kahi ʻelele e hele ana i ITB (ka mākaʻikaʻi mākaʻikaʻi ma Berlin), akā ua kāpae mākou, a ʻo ka hapa nui o nā hōkele ʻaʻole mākaukau e hana i ka uku.
Nīnau: Pehea e pili ana i ke kāpae ʻana i nā mokulele?
SF: Eia hou, hana like kēia. Aia ia i ke kulekele hoʻopau o ka mokulele. Aia nā mokulele i ʻoi aku ka maʻalahi ma mua o nā mea ʻē aʻe. ʻAʻole paha lākou e hoʻihoʻi i ke kālā akā ke hāʻawi nei i nā mea kūʻai aku e hoʻopanee i kā lākou mau mokulele me ka uku ʻole. Ua hāʻawi kekahi i nā mea kūʻai aku i ka manawa e hoʻololi i ko lākou wahi.
ʻO Air Seychelles, ka mea i hoʻopau i ʻelua mau mokulele, ʻaʻole ia e hopena nui i kāna hana. No ka laʻana, ʻaʻole nui ka hopena o ka hoʻopau ʻana i nā mokulele i ʻApelika Hema no ka mea ʻaʻole lākou i ko lākou wā kiʻekiʻe huakaʻi. Eia nō naʻe, he mea nui ia e hoʻokūpaʻa ʻoiai ʻoiai e nalowale ana mākou ma ka mākeke honua, aia nō hoʻi kā mākou mākeke kūloko e pono e hoʻolālā e uku no ka nalowale.
N: ʻAʻole ʻo Farani ma ka papa inoa o nā ʻāina kahi i pāpā ʻia ai nā huakaʻi hele a mai Seychelles; He aha ka hopena inā pili kēia?
SF: ʻAʻole maopopo iā mākou ka mea e hiki mai ana. Ke komo mai nei ka ʻike i kēlā me kēia lā. I kēia lā, maikaʻi paha mākou, akā ʻaʻole hiki i kekahi lā. Ke hoʻomau nei ka nui o nā maʻi i Farani. Manaʻo wau ʻaʻole hiki i Seychelles i kahi wahi e pāpā ai i nā lāhui Farani mai ka huakaʻi ʻana i Seychelles. Manaʻolana kākou ʻaʻole.
He palupalu loa ka ʻoihana mākaʻikaʻi. He ʻoihana hoʻomau ia inā ʻike mākou i ka hoʻokele a hoʻomohala ʻana. ʻOiai e pili ana i ka huakaʻi, ʻo kēlā me kēia pilikia e kū mai ana, ʻo ke olakino, kālā, a i ʻole ka paʻa politika, e hoʻopau i ka ʻoihana.
Nīnau: He aha nā hoʻolālā kūʻai aku e hāpai ʻia nei e kūʻē i ka hopena maikaʻi ʻole o ka laha?
SF: He palena loa mākou ma ke ʻano o nā hoʻolālā kūʻai aku ma muli o ka maopopo ʻole e noho nei. I kēia manawa, pilikia nā malihini a pau e hele mai ana i ko mākou ʻāina. Pono mākou e ʻimi mau i nā ala e huki ai i nā malihini no ka mea ʻo kā mākou ʻoihana kumu e hoʻokele i ka ʻoihana.
ʻO kā mākou hoʻolālā nui ke ʻimi nei mākou i nā ʻāina i loaʻa iā mākou nā mokulele pololei a ʻaʻole i hoʻopilikia ʻia e ka laha. I kēia manawa, ʻaʻole makemake ka poʻe e neʻe i nā hubs ʻē aʻe no ka mea ke ʻike ʻia nei lākou me ka ʻoi aku ka nui o ka loaʻa ʻana o ka maʻi. Ma ka ʻaoʻao ʻē aʻe, ke noʻonoʻo nei mākou i nā ala e hoʻihoʻi hou ai i ka wā e hele ana ka maʻi i lalo. E ʻoi aku ka ikaika o kā mākou kamaʻilio ʻana.
Nīnau: Inā hoʻohaʻahaʻa ka maʻi maʻi, e hoʻihoʻi hou ʻo Seychelles i ke kālā?
SF: I kēia manawa, ʻoi aku ke koʻikoʻi o ke kūlana kālā o ka ʻāina. No ka manawa, pono mākou e hoʻokaʻawale iā mākou iho i loko. E nānā mākou i kā mākou mau lilo. E ʻeli mua mākou i kā mākou waiwai ponoʻī. Ma kahi a mākou e manaʻo ai e makemake mākou i ke kōkua, e ʻimi mākou i ke kākoʻo o ke Kuhina Waiwai.
He aha e lawe ʻia mai kēia ʻatikala:
- Perhaps if in the next three months the situation is put under control especially in the markets important to Seychelles, maybe in the big European holiday break, which is normally summer, we can catch up on the figures.
- But in view that we are having some uncertainty about what the future holds, we can say that we need to be cautious, because there is a risk that we might experience an impact.
- The outbreak and spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus are pushing local authorities in Seychelles to assess the economic impact especially on tourism which is the top pillar of the nation's economy.
