Saint Ange Tourism Report 9th September 2019
Welcome to Edition #27 of Volume #3 of 2019 Monday 9th September 2019
The Editorial this week highlights:- a. Air France flying back to Seychelles on 31st October. b. New Seychelles Tourism Policy discriminating against La Digue Business Operators. c. Tourism 2019 and the Seychelles economy. d. Delivered the keynote address at the 3rd Travellinks Conference holds in Canada. e. The Islander Weekly – a new weekly newspaper for Seychelles. f. France recognises Paul Hodoul and Colette Gillieaux for dedication and hard work. g. UNWTO General Assembly 2019 in St. Petersburg in Russia, h. Pope Francis in the Indian Ocean Region. I.The Seychelles Tourism Festival 2019 announced. j. Unrest in South Africa is a lesson to everyone. k. A picture speaks a thousand words – so does this photo by Ameer Ebrahim of Denis Island. Stand alone articles this week:- 1. “Le Cerf” Excursion Boat is launched by Mason’s Travel. 2. Creole Travel Services with a state of the art glass bottom boat. 3. Precision, Performance and People: Re-Writing Our Narrative in Sustaining the Tourism Business. 4. International Conference Keynote Speaker Alain St. Ange Visits Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg. 5. IATA – helping to build capacity for the future of the aviation industry 6. A Trilingual Dictionary is issued in Seychelles – Creole, French and English. 7. Seychelles trade partners getting closer to the Israeli market in a Trade & Media Events. 8. Air Seychelles inaugurates new ground handling equipment. 9. African Sports Tourism Week Ghana 2019 gathers momentum 10. Closing Notes.
Alain St.Ange
Welcome to this 27th edition of Vol 3 of the Saint Ange Tourism Report of 2019.
Air France flying back to Seychelles on 31st October
The arrival of Air France is seen as a benefit for the Seychelles tourism industry. The advertising might of the airline will help the visibility of the islands. This news could not have come at a better time for Seychelles as it prepares for its annual participation at TOP RESA, the Paris Tourism Trade Fair in the coming weeks.
President Danny Faure chaired a scheduled meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday 21st August, at which a number of legal and policy memoranda were considered. Cabinet approved the Tourism Development (Accommodation Establishments) Regulations was part of the news released to Seychelles on the 22nd August.
The freeze on La Digue’s accommodation network with a set time frame following the initial drafting of land use plans and carrying capacity seems to now be extended and made as a regulation. The reasoning behind the regulation is nevertheless flawed.
Controlling the number of visitors to La Digue Island cannot only be seen to punish only the La Digue Business Community and the island’s population. As the inhabitants of the island see limits imposed on them with the aim of managing visitor arrival numbers and to ensure that the La Digue services can cope with the influx of visitors, the island continues to see charter yachts enter La Digue daily. An experienced local sea captain took the trouble of contacting the Saint Ange Tourism Report when the news of the new regulations were being discussed.
“Controlling the overnight tourism numbers cannot only be for tourism establishments who are now limited to ten pax when a bare boat charter anchored at La Digue carries ten passengers who land on the island and use the facilities and infrastructure; except they do not employ any Diguois and these boat owners are not islanders” the local sea captain said.
The new regulation is not controlling visitor arrival numbers but is instead removing food from the islanders of La Digue and encouraging other businesses to milk the benefits of the La Digue attractions. Why punish La Digue Islanders and its Business Community?
Tourism 2019 and the Seychelles economy
Tourism Operators are facing new cost operating challenges that have been compounded with the drop in exchange rates of the Euro. The various reasons being aired by the private sector trade for the challenges ends up with the high operation costs being levied in Seychelles. Seychelles cannot operate in isolation from the region and operation costs cannot continue to increase with no control.
Work permits are also being listed as continued constraints. Delivering on service in the tourism industry is a must and any bureaucratic machine that only delays recruitment unnecessarily is hurting the economic development of Seychelles.
The exchange rate for the Euro in 2019 is also listed as a challenge when compared to 2018. This the islands have little control on, but understanding the shortfall is important for those deciding on the Seychelles tourism future.
The La Digue businesses had an additional challenge with the extended power cuts that virtually killed their August. What the State will do to compensate the island inhabitants and its business community who suffered extensively across the board is left to be seen.
Delivered the keynote address at the 3rd Travellinks Conference holds in Canada
“Precision, Performance and People: Re-Writing Our Narrative in Sustaining the Tourism Business” was the topic of the conference I attended in Winnipeg in Canada recently. This working visit, which was my first one in Canada, opened new doors as it helped consolidate working partnerships with members of the press fraternity and tourism operators who have been associated with Seychelles and the African Continent for many years.
The Islander Weekly – a new weekly newspaper for Seychelles
The online version of the newspaper is updated every Thursday
France recognises Paul Hodoul and Colette Gillieaux for dedication and hard work
Colette Gillieaux was awarded with a Medal of Honour by the Republic of France, represented by His Excellency Mr. Lionel Majesté-Larrouy, French Ambassador to the Republic of Seychelles in the presence of many friends which included three former Ministers of Culture (Patrick Pillay, Bernard Shamlaye and myself).
19 years in the works, Seychellois woman publishes Creole-French-English dictionary
Translating Creole into English or French is now a bit easier with the launch of the first trilingual dictionary in Seychelles.
The dictionary, the work of Belgium-born Seychellois national Colette Guillieaux, has been published in two volumes. It is now on sale at the Antigone shop in Seychelles’ capital Victoria at $55.80 (SCR 750) and online at www.amazon.co.uk.
The 81-year-old Guillieaux spent 19 years working on the dictionary, which is aimed at promoting the Creole language.
“Creole is based on imagery and creations. The language is very rich and today we don’t have the right to say it’s not rich. This is why is I fought for it for 19 years,” said the author.
Guillieaux first came to Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, in 1978 and immediately the young psychologist fell in love with the island life and its beauty. She started her first job as a teacher in the island nation in 1982, at the school for the exceptional child which had just opened.
She was tasked with breaking the barriers that hinder the learning of children who cannot attend normal school.
As Guillieaux always wanting to be a writer, she decided to write some early childhood books to help her students.
“Here in Seychelles, those children needed help. So I wrote books like ‘Titi sa pti Katiti’and ‘Tenten sa pti Maten’ so they could learn to read. This was my chance to write,” said the author.
Guillieaux started working on the trilingual dictionary with her close friend Danielle de St. Jorre. But after her death in 1997 her work came to a halt. With the support of colleagues, she started to work on the second volume of the dictionary.
