the opening of an international airport on the east coast of mahé in 1971 improved contact with the outside world. before this most journeys to and from seychelles had involved long voyages on bimonthly steamers running between east africa and india and often required inconvenient transits in mombasa and bombay. air service had been available only on a restricted basis at an airstrip used by the united states in building a satellite station on mahé. the end of the islands' relative isolation triggered tourism and concomitant booms in foreign capital investment and the domestic construction industry. the construction of the international airport changed the economy from a traditional agricultural and fishing one within a few years into one where services accounted for the major portion of employment and gross domestic product (gdp). the two parties differed on the ways to manage the new tourist industry and to apportion its benefits. the spup favoured controlling the growth of tourism and at the same time developing the entire economy, whereas the sdp wanted to stimulate the rapid growth of tourism and to establish the islands as an international financial center.