aTP- Arab tourism portal News-The elections for the position of Secretary General of the UNWTO is set for the 11 May in Madrid Spain and this 2017 ITB Tourism Trade Fair in Berlin the final list of candidates will be announced.
Todate five candidates are in the running Zimbabwe, Georgia, Brazil, Korea and the Seychelles and most of these counties will be at ITB meeting Member States of the UNWTO Tourism Family.
Breakfasts, Cocktails, Panel Discussions and Delivering Speeches at events are all on the agenda for representatives of the countries vying for the position of Secretary General of the UNWTO.
It must be remembered that Candidates are proposed by Member States only and as such their country, where they have served as a high powered tourism official or Minister must be seen as the example for the world of tourism.
One candidate endorsed by CONDOR German Airline’s Jens Boyd who comes from the smallest country in this race is Alain St.Ange from the Seychelles. He was the former Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine of the islands that are fully dependant on tourism.
When one hears the name Seychelles one immediately think of these idyllic islands with white sandy beaches, warm blue seas and lush green vegetation.
But St.Ange who is also in Berlin for this ITB has said that Seychelles is today the leader in what has been termed sustainable tourism which for the Seychelles has been a way of life promoted simply as conservation even before the 1976 Independence of these mid-ocean islands from Great Britain.
“Today Sustainable tourism is the buzz word, but we live this, safety and security is deemed as a key USP, but we remain with a clean safety label.
We speak of access to all and by all without discrimination of any kind, we also live this with a NO VISA policy for our islands and with the respect for everyone immaterial of colour of the skin, ethnicity, gender, religion beliefs, political affiliation, sexual preferences and for people with any form of disability which we refer to as the handy ables” said Alain St.Ange before adding that it was more important today than ever before for leaders in the world of tourism to come out to commit to these key values because without respect we cannot consolidate tourism.
