By Alain St.Ange of SAINT ANGE CONSULTANCY
The link to your personal copy:-
edition">http://mailchi.mp/fb08825f0fe3 /saint-ange-tourism-report- 17th-edition
Enjoy the Read,
Regards,
Alain St.Ange
Welcome to Edition 17 of 1st October 2017
Our quote for today is repeated often by many serious leaders:-
“The best way to succeed in life is to act on the advice we give to others”
Unknown to me who first echoed these wise words, suffice to say, that talking about great principles and morale is easy. BUT it is more important to be seen to be doing what one preaches is always more important morally and ethically.
From this derives the saying ‘Do what you say”, and not the derogatory one of “Do what I tell you to do and not what I do”.
In Seychelles some say that all is well when the people, the workers of the islands, are speaking up openly about today’s cost of living. “Nothing for the people” in all that is happening, is a statement heard everyday and everywhere.
Yield from the tourism industry is again on the table. “High end tourists who spend more” is once again the call. Sharing with the Tourism Board the address of that magical shopping centre where one can pick up these tourists “off the shelf” would be a start, but as the new Seychelles pushes down this path we see a subsidiary of Air France confirming its arrival with direct flights from Paris.
They are not high-end and they will be competing directly with the existing Air Seychelles non-stop direct flights to Paris. This discussion is on the table even though everyone knows that the country’s yield from tourism is not a matter the State has any control on. Applicable Room Rates by Hotels remains a private sector decision and they charge what they feel is possible and what holiday makers are comfortable with. An empty bed will never be sold after the day is gone, thus the constant drop in rates when Seychelles is not enjoying a very high occupancy level in its hotels. Now we are hearing that some in Seychelles are calling for higher-end tourists who will spend more and also that Seychelles needs fewer tourists. I am unsure who will be sitting in the economy section of all the planes flying to the islands if and when Seychelles pitches itself as a high-end destination ONLY. Talk this week has echoed dismay by worried small Seychellois hoteliers who see the discussions as pushing for the demise of all the small ‘home grown establishments’. Taxis are also set to be hit by this new call for high end tourists only and a drop in visitor arrival numbers. Taxis will be compelled to fight for Seychellois transfers only because the high end tourists use private limo-transfers or helicopters. Seychellois need to watch out because they can be, and probably will be bystanders in their tourism industry.
One positive sign is that British Tour Operators are reacting positively with the announcement of British Airways. Many are flying to Seychelles to re-look at hotels they are programming and getting ready for BA’s return. They are enthusiastic but have also spoken about the current state of insecurity. The case of Margaret Devlin on Praslin is today being spoken about. This UK couple have personally written to the Saint Ange Tourism Report and we are addressing the incident in this issue.
Finally, it is important to again today 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 go from strength to strength with each new Edition.
Enjoy the read,
Alain St.Ange
Saint Ange Consultancy
STOP ILLEGAL, UNREGULATED & UNREPORTED FISHING
REPORT LAUNCHED – WEDNESDAY 27TH SEPT 2017
The 2017 report from Stop Illegal Fishing takes a look at the work of the FISH-i Africa Task Force and focuses attention on the actions and cooperation that are still needed to tackle Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing in the Western Indian Ocean.
At the second earth summit with much prompting and insistence of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), global goal 14 for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is dedicated to “life below water” or below our common oceans. SDG 14 contains 7 targets covering issues of great concern such as tourism, nutrition, overfishing, pollution, scientific research, coastal zone and reef management, both being critical to islanders livelihood and being a first line of defense against tidal surges.
IUU is one of the practices that contravenes the very ethos and spirit of sustainable management of our oceans. ‘One in four fish in Africa is caught illegally, this threatens the sustainability of fish stocks, damages the ecosystem and deprives governments of income and people of livelihoods’. Seychelles has been hailed as one of the cleanest inhabitable oceans on the planet. Its small population is one of the highest per capita consumers of fish on the planet. Those two elements combined explain a lot about the diet culture that is now part of our DNA and the tourist attraction to the destination that is the number one pillar of the archipelagic economy. Illegal Unregulated and Unreported fisheries is identified as an illicit activity that must be effectively discouraged if not totally annihilated as an unsustainable criminal activity in our ‘Blue Economy’.
The FISH-i Africa Task Force was established in 2012 in the Republic of Seychelles at the Coral Strand Hotel. It was established to do exactly that the aforementioned. Fish-I was officially launched by the former Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Mr. Peter Sinon with fisheries officials of five founding members: Comoros, Kenya, Mozambique, Seychelles and Tanzania. This was considered a pioneer endeavour operating outside of traditional political structures. Since then, FISH-i has facilitated information sharing and regional cooperation that has led to significant enforcement actions and increased compliance in the region. Since 2012, FISH-i Africa has expanded with the addition of Madagascar, Mauritius and Somalia and now has eight members.
This year former Minister SINON was given the honor to write the forward of the annual report.
Stop Illegal Fishing Chairperson Elsa da Gloria Patria welcomed the publication of the 2017 Report. She stated that, “FISH-i Africa and the VIGILANCE programme offer a great opportunity to clean up the illegal activity that is taking place in the fisheries sector. Our countries and our people rely on the ocean for their livelihoods and their development we need to make sure that our resources are protected and our blue economies get a chance to thrive.”
‘FISH-i Africa: Our future’ sets out a real agenda for change; looking at the roles and responsibilities that port, flag, coastal and market States can play. Nicholas Ntheketha, Chair of FISH-i states, “FISH-i has been a big success and has achieved real cooperation with tangible results, but as we look forward we see the need to develop this cooperation further, we need to incorporate greater contact and communication with key port and flag States and we need to make sure that we have strong cooperation with all the relevant authorities at the national level.”
Sandy Davies of ‘Stop Illegal Fishing,’commented: “The scale and extent of illegal activity in the Western Indian Ocean has come as a real surprise to all of those involved in FISH-i Africa. We started out with the traditional expectation that most operators set out to comply with rules, or opportunistically took advantage of gaps and loopholes. But what the FISH-i investigations and analysis have shown is that in fact there are a significant number of operators who set out, deliberately and systematically to act illegally. They do this through falsifying information, forging documents, hiding company information behind secretive shelf companies and flags of non-compliance. Even when caught red handed, it is difficult for coastal States to exercise effective sanctions and penalties as vessels routinely abscond from authorities, change name and change flag. This is a significant undertaking involving around 500 vessels and a lot of work, but we believe this is the most effective means we have to end illegal fishing in this region.” Davies added, “We’ve had a strong response already to VIGILANCE and will be looking to work with a range of organizations and funding partners.”
FISH-i Africa plans to counter these systematic illegalities with a systematic programme of ‘VIGILANCE’ which will verify and cross-check the documentation and characteristics of all the vessels licensed to or flagged by the FISH-i members.
The report is available to download here.
www.stopillegalfishing.com
SEE THE WONDERLAND BEFORE IT’S LOST!
The premier of this film was at the 2016 edition of the Carnaval International de Victoria in Seychelles. With films like the Lion King and the Beauty & the Beast under their belt the film producers today say:- Join us on an adventurous 3D expedition to the shores of a mysterious island lost in the waters of the Indian Ocean. To an atoll, which has stubbornly rejected human life yet is home to a community of exotic animal characters and their entertaining tales. Cross your fingers as turtle hatchlings tumble into lethal shallows teeming with hungry sharks. Gaze in wonder at the world’s largest terrestrial crabs clambering up palm trees in search of juicy coconuts. Hold your breath in awe as a giant grouper fearlessly guards an ancient shipwreck against all comers. Discover how the giant prehistoric tortoises live together with their babies. Explore an island, which has risen from the sea only to be engulfed once again by ocean currents and rising seas. Meet our heroes, Elvi, Tory, robber Buster, Snooper, fighter Luis and many others in the story full of excitement, emotions and unexpected twists. Discover Aldabra before it’s lost!
A Family Feature Documentary from the Czech Republic 2017 of 73 minutes. Sales by Vision Films with Robert Schneider as the producer and principle investor in the Aldabra project.
Petr Keller is the producer and author of the original idea. He first considered the idea to film a movie about Aldabra atoll as far back as 2005. Keller has been active in audio-visual production for over fifteen years and founded successful company Starlite Pictures in 2000. During his career he has worked with many producers, directors and artists from around the world, including Guillermo Del Torro, Lawrence Gordon, Daniel Kleinman, will.i.am, and others. He has been working on Aldabra since 2005. Steve L. Lichtag is the Director. He is a Film producer and director who was born in Czechoslovakia, but lived and worked in the USA from 1980 to 1990. His films focus primarily on wildlife and the marine world. Lichtag’s films have won more than 60 international awards in 18 countries.
Don Hahn is responsible for the Story and is script consultant. Don Hahn is an American film producer who’s credited with producing some of the most successful animated films in recent history, including The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast, the first animated film to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He was also Executive Producer of the Disneynature films Earth, Oceans, African Cats and Chimpanzee, all of which placed in the top five grossing nature movies of all time. Kirk Wise is also the Story and script consultant. He is an American film director, animator and screenwriter best known for his work at Disney. Wise has directed such Disney movies as Beauty and the Beast, the first animated feature to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He also directed the English language translation of Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away.
David Reynolds is another Story and script consultant. He began his writing career in 1993 as one of the original writers on NBC’s’Late Night With Conan O’Brien’. In 1995 Dave took a job with Walt Disney Feature Animation and Pixar. For the next six years, he worked on almost every Disney or Pixar animated movie in production. Including the screenplay for ‘The Emperor’s New Groove’ as well as co-writing ‘Finding Nemo’. He was nominated for an Oscar and BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay for Finding Nemo as well as a BAFTA for New Groove. Michael Havas is another Story consultant who was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, but grew up in New Zealand. He has written, directed and produced over 50 films, many of which won international awards. Havas has worked with television networks such as the BBC, Channel 4, The Discovery Channel, ZDF, ARD, ARTE, MTV and ORF. Jiří Ticháček is the executive producer on the Aldabra film project. As a producer he has worked on various international projects such as Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Hellboy, and others.
Leopoldo Gout is another Executive producer. Leopold Gout is a filmmaker, writer and artist. He hails from Mexico, has studied in London and currently lives in New York. Together with Danny DeVito and Lucy Liu, he wrote and produced the animated film Little Spirit for NBC. He also works on the production of film and television projects based on the novels of James Patterson and participated in the production of the film Megalomania by director Michel Gondry. He also produced Days of Grace which has won several international awards. David Hannan is the Cinematographer, oceanographer. David Hannan’s cinematography is featured in some of the world’s most successful natural history feature films, television programs and series. These include the BBC’s ‘The Blue Planet’, National Geographic ‘The Shape of Life’ and ‘Great Migrations’ series and David Suzuki’s ‘The Nature of Things’. David Hannan and Plankton Productions are currently releasing the ’20th Anniversary Collectors Edition’ of ‘Coral Sea Dreaming – A Celebration of Reefs’ with MLJ-Network.
William C. Parks is the Oceanographer. He lives and works in Florida as a professional technical diver, oceanographer and expert on marine life. For more than 30 years, he has dedicated himself to the research and preservation of endangered marine species. Ernst Pindur is the Seychelles Consul, who significantly helped to birth the film Aldabra. Robert Jíša is Original music composer. He is a well-known Czech music composer. He graduated in film scoring from the Berklee College of Music in Boston but currently lives in Prague. During his career Jíša has released more than 21 albums, of which two went platinum. Robert has also composed the music for several Czech films including Steve Lichtag’s recent films: “Prapodivný svět” (Strange World) and “Poslední lovci” (The Last Hunters).
Jiří Klenka is the Sound engineer and is a leading Czech film sound designer. Klenka has won two Czech Lion awards (the Czech equivalent of an Oscar) in the “Best Sound” category (“Kytice” and “Želary”), and was nominated for a Czech Lion on two further occasions. In 2010 Klenka founded his own sound studio, JK Sound, where he designed and mixed the sound for the feature films “Román pro muže“ (Novel for Men), “Občanský průkaz” (Identity Card), “Tacho” and “V peřině” (Under the Duvet). Petr Kašpar is Head of technology, cameraman. Petr Kaspar is a filmmaker and author of films on extreme sports. He moves with the camera along the ground, in the air and underwater. More than ten years participates in the implementation of expeditions athletes in extreme environments Himalayas, Africa and other locations around the world. Petr is since 2008 part of Twin Star Film. He is dedicated to the development of film technology. For 3D film projects Aldabra and Shark Odyssey he designed and has developed together with leading technology centers in the Czech Republic a unique underwater 3D camera systems and 3D RIG for film cameras RED EPIC.
Ondřej Hošek is the Cameraman. He studied at the Film Academy subject of camera. His bachelors work was dedicated to theme of extreme documentary film directed by Steve Lichtag. Therefore he received an offer from Twin Star Film on cooperation and the cinematographer he worked on the set of the film SANDSTONE (directed by P. Kaspar) and after that followed the filming of Tibet – Last trip in Nepal, Tibet, India and Mongolia. Vojtěch Nedvěd is the Cameraman, stereographer. He graduated from film school, subject of editing and camera. His bachelors work was devoted to the topic of stereoscopy, where he is professionally engaged. Since 2009 he is a member of Team Twin Star Film for the position of director of photography and stereographer. In the Aldabra project he was a key member of the underwater team.
Miroslav Hrdý is the Underwater cameraman 3D and 2D Photographer. He is a Director and cinematographer of documentary films about water, insects and nature around us. Miroslav is dedicated to filming and photography since 1994.. For his documentary he won many awards at film festivals at home and abroad. Jindřich Soukal is the Underwater cameraman and photographer. Jindrich Soukal is longtime diving instructor (issued over 700 certifications) and professional diver leads the underwater work logistics during filming. He has participated in and led many diving expeditions (South Africa, Mozambique, Galapagos, Philippines, Indonesia, etc.). Since 2005 he is a member of Team Twin Star Film, where in addition to the functions he holds the post of 3D underwater cameraman.
Radim Kotěšovec is responsible for Edit. Since 2003, Radim has participated on such films as Last hunters, Dance of the Blue Angels, Myth Called Shark, Prisoners of a White God, Bizarre World, Sandstone and many others for which he owns a number of international awards. For 10 years he has been Head of Acquisitions at the International Film Festival of Water, Sea & Ocean and for the fifth time he co-organise NAIFF film festival. Since 2013 Radim teaches film studies at the Department of Visual Anthropology in Faculty of Arts at the University of Pardubice. Martin Švagr is the Medical doctor and Martin Paleček the Post production supervisor. Martin Paleček is for many years devoted to the visual post production of commercials, as well as feature films. In ACE post studio he implemented leading Czech film projects such as Bathory, Maj, Tobruk (The Best VFX, Los Angeles Movie Award) and also the first Czech 3D stereoscopic film V perine.
UK producers describe Seychelles as the perfect ‘castaway’ paradise for brand new comedy series coming to E4
The wonderful backdrop and sceneries of Seychelles have convinced producers of an upcoming UK television series that the popular holiday destination is also a perfect filming location.
Kerry Waddel, the producer of High and Dry — a new comedy series filmed entirely on location in the Seychelles — said they are looking forward to returning to the island nation to film a second series of the sitcom.
Starring popular British comedian Marc Wootton, the series being produced by a UK-based company, Baby Cow Productions, unfolds with passengers surviving a plane crash on a deserted island.
Shooting of scenes for the six half-hour episodes were done at some of the well-known beaches on the Seychelles main island, Mahé, namely Anse du Riz, and Anse-Major, which is where the key scenes were filmed. The filming was done from July 9 to August 4, 2017.
Ms Waddel said: “We were looking for a location ‘castaway’ paradise and we found it in the Seychelles. Our requirements were unspoilt white sandy beaches, clear blue sea and jungle and we discovered them all to perfection. Our island had easy access to the airport and small enough to move around easily with fabulous accommodation at a reasonable rate.”
The Seychelles Tourism Board that pitched the idea to the UK production company to choose Seychelles for once, provided full support for the filming on location along with other local authorities.
Ms Waddel said: “STB helped us with the permissions to film, location finding and keeping location costs to a minimum. The people were kind, friendly, trustworthy and helpful. All contributed to a successful shoot.”
While the outcome is positive, the filming did have its share of challenges, but the Baby Cow production team and their actors were able to rise to the occasion and enjoy the perks of filming on a beach destination surrounded by beautiful wildlife.
“The main challenge was the location we chose as it was so remote. There was no access by road so we had to land everything and everyone by boat. This was hindered slightly by some tricky sea swells to negotiate but the crew rose to the occasion and jumped in the water to move the equipment around,” said Ms Weddel.
“We also chose a cave location one day that was a good one hour trek to walk to. The crew were thrilled at seeing tortoise, fruit bats and unusual wildlife and to experience the tropical life on a daily basis,” she added.
High and Dry will air on E4 — a digital entertainment channel owned by Channel 4 in the UK, and while the exact date is yet to be announced, it is expected that the airing will happen early 2018.
Although it won’t be directly mentioning Seychelles, the fact that the beautiful beaches, clear turquoise waters and lush tropical vegetation will be featured this will help to push Seychelles into the UK limelight, which is a market that has been seeing remarkable increase in visitor arrivals to Seychelles over the last two years.
The Chief Executive of the Seychelles Tourism Board, Sherin Francis said: “It has been an absolute pleasure working with the Baby Cow Productions team. We are so happy that Seychelles was the chosen location and we hope that this opens up the destination to other similar productions.”
STB also sought the services of a PR company to feature a “Behind the Scenes” documentary about the filming to help create a forum for viewers to engage and discuss the series and also the location when the series starts airing. A page on IMDb, a popular source for movie, TV and celebrity content, is also expected to be set up for the High and Dry series.
Baby Cow productions is an award-winning production house in the UK, established in 1999. Aside of High and Dry, the company has produced some much-loved comedy series including Hunderby, Hebburn, The Trip, Gavin & Stacey to name but a few.
The link to your personal copy:-
edition">http://mailchi.mp/fb08825f0fe3 /saint-ange-tourism-report- 17th-edition
