UNWTO Secretary General and Seychelles Tourism Minister meet at ITB 2014
Almasalla Arab Travel Portal News – Mr Taleb Rifai, the Secretary General on the UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organisation) made time at the 2014 ITB Tourism Trade Fair to meet with Minister Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture.
The meeting between the Secretary General of the UNWTO and Minister St.Ange, that took place on the Seychelles Stand at the 2014 ITB was also attended by Elsia Grandcourt, the Director for Africa at the UNWTO among other UNWTO Directors, Sherin Naiken, the CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board and Bernadette Willemin, the Paris based Director for Europe for the Seychelles Tourism Board.
The recent UNWTO Bahamas meeting where Seychelles was represented by Sherin Naiken was discussed. "We all appreciated the presentation that explained the Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands which also impressed many CTO (Caribbean Tourism Organisation) Members" Mr Taleb Rifai said.
Discussions also centred on the historic October ICAO & UNWTO meeting in Seychelles for Tourism and Transport Ministers and on the African Union (AU) Tourism Ministers meeting set to take place in Seychelles in mid March. It was reconfirmed that Elsia Grandcourt, the Director for Africa at the UNWTO would also be attending that meeting.
The Secretary General of the UNWTO was briefed on the coming edition of the Carnaval International de Victoria, the tourism event that rallies countries from the Community of Nations to promote themselves through culture and in so doing through their people. The Seychelles Minister, who is also the sitting President of the Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands, also gave a briefing to Mr Rifai and his delegation on the happenings in the Vanilla Islands. "Today this organisation of six islands is known and the visibility it has attained is the result of the work by member islands" Minister St.Ange said.
Minister St.Ange used the meeting to reassure the UNWTO Secretary General of the continued support by Seychelles for the UNWTO. "We see you as the umbrella body for the industry that remains the pillar of our economy. We shall be present for the UNWTO General Assembly in 2015 in Columbia and we shall continue to work with you to raise the profile of tourism industry to greater heights" the Minister said.
