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The Editorial this week highlights:- a.Tourism in Seychelles. b. Happy Easter. c. Respect breeds a better society as Reunion Island spells it out. d. SEYCHELLOIS CONSULTANT INVITED TO WIOMSA IN MAURITIUS TO PRESENT PHD RESEARCH FINDINGS. e. Africa Tourism – Planning the next meeting. f. Sudan & Kenya needs Africa to be by their side. g. African Tourism Board (ATB) & Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA). h. Seychellois airman, an RAF hero who survived 64 bombing raids & helped trick the Germans over the D-Day landings, dies in the UK aged 100.   Stand alone articles this week:- 1. Wake up in this authentic villa with the breeze from the ocean – Wake up on Denis Private Island in Seychelles. 2. Tourism in Seychelles moving boundaries to greater heights – Domaine de La Reserve is a case in point. 3. Mary Geers offers great rooms at the Sunset Beach that enjoys amazing sunset views . 4. SAINT ANGE TOURISM REPORT CONSULTANT INVITED TO WIOMSA TO PRESENT PHD RESEARCH FINDINGS. 5. Private Medical Insurance underwritten by AXA now in Seychelles. 6.  Tourism minister calls for build-out of more eateries. 7. Seychellois RAF hero who survived 64 bombing raids, helped trick the Germans over the D-Day landings with a Field Marshall Montgomery lookalike and went on to pioneer the package holiday dies aged 100. 8. Thomas Cook selling its travel business: Chinese investment fund interested. 9. Air Seychelles gets ready for delivery of their first Airbus A320NEO. 10. Air Mauritius takes delivery of their first Airbus A339NEO. 11. UGANDA AIRLINES BOMBARDIER JETS TO ARRIVE NEXT WEEK. 12. Discovery of a ”prehistoric” lizard shark. 13. Trade at WTM Africa confident of market rebound for Seychelles. 14.  Masai Mara Reserve is one of the greatest wildlife destinations on Earth. 15. Reunion Island Coastal road will be closed on Sunday 28 April in the morning. 16. Crowning Moment: As Miss Africa University Nicole Musiyarira Qualifies For Miss Tourism Manicaland. 17. Closing Notes.

Alain St.Ange

Welcome to this 16th edition of Vol 3 of the Saint Ange Tourism Report of 2019.

Tourism in Seychelles is currently being discussed throughout the islands of Mahe, Praslin and La Digue. Expectations have grown as more and more Seychellois have invested heavily in this industry that has become the pillar of the island’s economy. My era as the Minister responsible for Seychelles Tourism has been recognised as very successful years. The need to now continue the growth is essential because many Seychellois have invested their life savings in this industry, as they believed it would be the springboard for greater successes. The Seychellois workforce also depend directly or indirectly on tourism as the industry to provide for them and their families. The only way this can happen is to see continued growth of the industry the Seychelles economy so depends on. Seychelles needs to remove barriers and obstacles that are seen as challenges for the industry and refrain from being overconfident and start pricing it out of the market. These would be mistakes that could really cost the People of Seychelles as a whole.

Happy Easter

Yesterday was Easter Sunday and Seychelles again celebrated this special occasion. Easter is one of the most widely celebrated holiday seasons across Seychelles. On all our main islands, Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays that create a 4-day long weekend, marking this day and making it a time for reflection and for family.

We take this opportunity to again wish everyone a Happy Easter!
Respect breeds a better society as Reunion Island spells it out

Faouzia Aboubacar Ben Vitry
Vice President Regional Council Reunion

Respect will bring a more united world as respect brings the freedom everyone wishes for. Respect brings harmony and the spirit of togetherness. Words in Reunion Island echoed by Faouzia Aboubacar Ben Vitry, the Muslim Vice President of the island’s Regional Council caught the eye of so many as she wished everyone Happy Easter.

Mrs Faouzia Aboubacar Ben Vitry said:-
“Yesterday was the Chinese New Year and new Tamil Day, today is Easter, tomorrow will we shall see Eid … etc. That’s the face of my multicultural island that I love passionately!

May joy slip into your hearts from the first moments of the morning of Easter and continue throughout the year!

Happy Easter to you and your loved ones!”

SEYCHELLOIS CONSULTANT INVITED TO WIOMSA IN MAURITIUS TO PRESENT PHD RESEARCH FINDINGS

Ameer Ebrahim

Congratulations to Ameer Ebrahim, our Report’s Environmental consultant, and current PhD Candidate in Marine Ecology at the University of Queensland, Australia! He has been invited by the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) to present his PhD research findings at their 11th Scientific Symposium, which will be held in Mauritius this July. Flying the Seychelles Flag by Seychellois shows we have dedicated islanders committed to move the country forward.

Africa Tourism – Planning the next meeting

Alain St.Ange
President African Tourism Board

Last week, I took up the position of President of the African Tourism Board and this brought the world of African Tourism together as I received calls from so many Tourism Ministers and Heads of Tourism related bodies from across Africa and it clearly showed the importance of tourism for the continent. Even the Seychelles President, Mr Danny Faure sent words of congratulations after I assumed my role as President of the African Tourism Board, as did the island’s former President Mr James Michel. For Seychelles the importance of tourism as the industry, respected as the pillar of the economy, is known and accepted. But Seychelles is no different to the rest of Africa because a buoyant tourism industry can only help consolidate the economies of so many countries on the continent.

We are now planning the next meeting where together we can look at the challenges we are facing and share success stories and learnings. The newly appointed CEO of the African Tourism Board, Doris Woerfel, who is based in Pretoria, South Africa sees huge potential for Africa from China and is already concentrating to build a broad membership base in Africa for ATB. She is now moving to contact Industry Players across Africa to plan the next meeting which will probably be held in August this year. The press from across Africa will be invited to attend, because success for the African Tourism Board is so dependent on them.

African Tourism Board President Alain St.Ange of Seychelles
and CEO Doris Woerfel of South Africa

Sudan & Kenya needs Africa to be by their side

The situation that Sudan and Kenya are facing, needs Africa as a whole to understand their dilemma and to be by their side. The Government change in Sudan now needs to move to reconstruction phase and enable their tourism industry players to rally to put the economy on the road of consolidation. The USPs (Unique Selling Points) of Sudan are real sought after assets. Their pyramids are some of the biggest in the world and their underwater world in Sudan’s Red Sea remains a real gem. Members of the tourism industry are writing looking for assistance and the African Tourism Board remains committed to be by their side

Sudan’s Pyramids and their Red Sea Underwater World

For Kenya, it remains the duty of Africa to stand with Minister Najib Balala, the CS for Tourism and with the Government of Kenya in the recent kidnapping of Doctors and Bomb Threats. Tourism is a success story in Kenya and they need, more than ever, their fellow friends and neighbours to spread their successes and to work with them to help counteract the effects of troubles they face from bandits from across their borders. Kenya’s wildlife is as much an asset for Kenya as it is for Africa and is another key USP. Today, the African Tourism Board confirms that they stand with Minister Balala, the Kenyan Government and People of Kenya and will work with them as and when called upon.

Kenya’s unique wildlife

African Tourism Board (ATB) & Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)

The African Tourism Board (ATB) is for Africa, what Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is for the Pacific and Asia Region. Mario Hardy, the Head of PATA and Alain St.Ange of the ATB are good friends and they make time to meet at every tourism event they attend.

These two tourism organisations have to work together through WTTC (World Tourism & Travel Council) which remains the largest tourism private sector organisation and the UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organisation) the world’s of tourism public sector body.

Tourism remains vital as an industry for both the Pacific and Asia Region, as it does for the Africa Region and it needs everyone working together for the consolidation of the industry that is so important for economies of so many countries. Many small investors have invested their life savings in the tourism industry and large corporations involved in tourism need their industry not only to work, but to grow. So many members of the workforce of the tourism industry depend on a buoyant tourism industry to pursue a career that feeds their family and children.

What can or what should tourism organisations representing the industry and the government’s arm of tourism? It is a fact that theirs is but one tourism industry. The private sector and their Governments share their tourism industry even though the public sector remains the biggest shareholder of the tourism industry through the taxes they collect directly and indirectly. But to consolidate the tourism industry the public and private sector organisations must come together for the common good of the industry.

Gloria Guevara Manzo, the WTTC President and CEO leads the private sector trade with charisma and her latest WTTC Summit in Seville Spain, showed the successes of the tourism private sector trade when they work together for their industry. Tourism Ministers from the world of tourism rally through the UNWTO and need to continue to listen to their private sector who remain the tourism industry’s frontline team. Operating costs through taxes and security for the industry needs to be discussed as well as the concept of tourism for all. The industry has been blessed to have the support of the press and together, the tourism organisations must continue to trust the press as allies of the industry, with the ability of helping consolidate the industry.

Seychellois airman, an RAF hero who survived 64 bombing raids & helped trick the Germans over the D-Day landings, dies in the UK aged 100

Sqn Ldr Sauvage pictured in front of a Lancaster Bomber after D-Day.
He was one of Pathfinders most distinguished pilots in the
Second World War and received three medals for his skill and courage

Seychellois born John Sauvage, the Squadron Leader at the RAF who fought in World War Two, died aged 100. He was one of 10 per cent of Bomber Command airmen to survive the war. He was the Sqd Ldr Sauvage who flew a Montgomery lookalike to Germany to distract the enemy.

Seychelles’ participation in the World War was at a time when the islands were part of the British Empire as a Colony. Many of the Seychellois lost their lives in the War and little is heard of their achievements, successes and pain. John Sauvage is one who today makes news so many years later.

He was a born and bred Seychellois war hero who died at 100 after an illustrious life. He needs to be recognised by our Nation for his contribution to the world’s freedom and to the tourism industry, as was posted by Robert Grandcourt during the last couple of days.

To his sister Liz Harter (nee Sauvage) and to the Harter and Sauvage families, we take this opportunity to extend our sincere sympathy in this trying moment.
It is important to again acknowledge all who are diligently re-posting the Saint Ange Tourism Report weekly. Our Report ranges far and wide, from Australia to the Americas, from the Indian Ocean Vanilla islands to Africa & Asian and Greater Europe, with your continued support, which is greatly appreciated. You are helping us to grow from strength to strength with each new Edition.