Happy miscellaneous but not yet “happy tourism”*. Wednesday, the prefect of Mayotte, the regional directorate of the economy, employment, work and solidarity (DREETS), the Departmental Council of Mayotte, the Mayotte tourist attractiveness and development agency (AaDTM) and the skills operator AKTO, met at the Happy Divers diving center to sign an agreement for action to develop employment and skills in the tourism sector.
“We could have done it in Mamoudzou at the Departmental Council but we chose a highly symbolic tourist location to show our desire to support the sector. We wanted to show the full potential of our marine biodiversity,” comments El-Yamine Zakouana, Regional Director of AKTO. For him, it is above all the 68,000 km2 marine natural park of Mayotte which makes this island so unique. “Its richness in terms of marine biodiversity really has potential.” But to make it attractive, local players must be able to adapt to the social, economic and technological changes of modern society. “There are societal, technological and regulatory changes, we must take the turn of these ecological and digital transitions, tourism companies will have to adapt to them,” comments the professional training expert.
A common pot of 570,000 euros to develop tourism
According to him, to promote the tourism development of the island, training and increasing the skills of local forces is essential. “Some are valid today but not tomorrow. To develop tourism in Mayotte, we need a truly active policy in terms of skills development. » To train future tourism professionals, attract new talents, retain employees by strengthening their commitment, secure career paths, preserve and enhance the environment of Mayotte, 570,000 euros were mobilized by the stakeholders. The State and the AKTO group committed 190,000 euros each, the Departmental Council supported the initiative by mobilizing 150,000 euros, and the AdDTM was involved with 40,000 euros.
“It’s not just a question of money”
But El-Yamine Zakouana specifies that the tourist development of Mayotte “is not just a question of money since beyond the financial contribution of AKTO to this employment and skills development action, the 'ADEC is the provision of our skills and experience acquired within the framework of the annual agreement on the national commitment to the development of employment and skills, EDEC, which will really develop qualifications local forces today and tomorrow.” The advantage of these training courses is that they are aimed at a very wide audience. “We train existing employees so that they can strengthen their skills or broaden their knowledge, job seekers in particular young people, but also the self-employed to support structures in the face of change. We also support training organizations directly and all stakeholders who can be involved in developing skills in the tourism sectors,” he explains.
Integrate “digitalization of the offer”
When he talks about these “changes”, the professional training specialist mainly mentions the climatic and technological challenges that our society faces. On November 7, a national delegation from AKTO, led by its president Laurent Barthélemy, traveled to Mayotte. During meetings with local partners of the Joint Orientation Council (COP), training experts highlighted “strong or very strong employment tensions” in key professions, such as health and social professions. and medico-social, Safety Prevention Agent (APS), Dog Safety (ASC), maid, cook, kitchen assistant, or mason. It is in this spirit that El-Yamine wishes to insist on strengthening Mayotte's tourism in a global way: “We must rely on local assets and in particular integrate numerous aspects such as the digitalization of the offer, new methods marketing, ecological dimensions. It is tourism in the global sense of the term. It’s not just restaurants and hotels, we support the sector in the broadest sense. »
A “very limited” training offer
Aware that the training offer “is not always available depending on the targeted areas, in any case it is very limited”, the actors involved in the tourism development of the island announced the creation of a committee of piloting composed of local actors, who will follow a very specific schedule of training provided in the region. “It is a long process of discussions, exchanges and consultation with local stakeholders, to work in a constructive and concerned manner, and to identify the right stakeholders to support employees and assets for the development of tourism in Mayotte. », Explains the regional director of AKTO.
Mayotte still struggles to attract tourists
Although he remains cautious in his comments, explaining that he specializes in training and not in tourism, El-Yamine Zakouana points to insecurity as a major obstacle to the tourist development of Mayotte. When he speaks of “global tourism”, he cites the example of a need to secure certain tourist areas to reassure foreigners who come to Mayotte for the first time: “This global tourism is very vast and the training provided will cover a very wide range of professions, in particular to enable the security of the tourist sectors. » Indeed, despite idyllic landscapes, beaches with crystal clear waters, dolphins and turtles as far as the eye can see, Mayotte struggles to attract tourists. Most visitors come to visit family or friends, but rarely “by chance”, for simple vacations and the desire to discover a new place. On average, Mayotte attracts 74,000 tourists each year, compared to more than 550,000 tourists in Reunion. Insecurity, the water crisis, the installation of dams for more than a month and a half on the island, are all elements which tarnish the image of the seahorse island every year. To overcome this, the regional director of AKTO is banking on a global dimension of tourism development, ranging from the management of transport, whether land, sea, air, to the reception of tourists in attractive and protected areas, to discover Mahorean treasures that are still too little known.
*Happy tourism (in English).
Mathilde Hangard
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