Editing Seychelles (section)

=== Tourism ===
{{main|Tourism in Seychelles}}
[[File:General hotel.jpg|thumb|left|Beach resort at Seychelles]]
[[File:Seychelles 083.JPG|thumb|right|Aircraft at [[Seychelles International Airport]]]]

In 1971, with the opening of [[Seychelles International Airport]], tourism became a significant industry, essentially dividing the economy into plantations and tourism. The tourism sector paid better, and the plantation economy could expand only so far. The plantation sector of the economy declined in prominence, and tourism became the primary industry of Seychelles. Consequently, there was a sustained spate of hotel construction throughout almost the entire 1970s which included the opening of Coral Strand Smart Choice, Vista Do Mar and Bougainville Hotel in 1972.

In recent years the government has encouraged foreign investment to upgrade hotels and other services. These incentives have given rise to an enormous amount of investment in real estate projects and new resort properties, such as project TIME, distributed by the World Bank, along with its predecessor project MAGIC.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

Since then the government has moved to reduce the dependence on tourism by promoting the development of farming, fishing, small-scale manufacturing and most recently the offshore financial sector, through the establishment of the Financial Services Authority and the enactment of several pieces of legislation (such as the International Corporate Service Providers Act, the International Business Companies Act, the Securities Act, the Mutual Funds and Hedge Fund Act, amongst others). In March 2015, Seychelles allocated [[Assumption Island]] to be developed by India.<ref>[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-to-develop-two-islands-in-Indian-Ocean/articleshow/46533103.cms India to develop two islands in Indian Ocean – Times of India] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315162052/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-to-develop-two-islands-in-Indian-Ocean/articleshow/46533103.cms |date=15 March 2015 }}. Timesofindia.indiatimes.com (11 March 2015). Retrieved on 8 December 2016.</ref>

Owing to the effects of [[COVID-19]], Seychelles shut down its borders to international tourism in the year 2020. As the national vaccination programme progressed well, the nation's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Tourism decided to reopen the borders to international tourists on 25 March 2021.