Kenya & Seychelles cooperation strengthened through UNWTO Tourism Conference of Mombassa personally chaired by Secretary General Taleb Rifai
ATP- Arab tourism portal- H. E. William Ruto, the Deputy President of Kenya met Minister Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture in the presence of Phyllis Kandie the Cabinet Secretary at the Kenya Ministry of Tourism of East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism. Minister St.Ange of the Seychelles was in Mombassa for the UNWTO East Africa Tourism Development Forum.
H. E. William Ruto, the Deputy President of Kenya was representing President Uhuru Kenyatta at the opening ceremony of the UNWTO Conference when he met the Seychelles Minister and where they spent time together even over lunch when the shared the shame table.
Kenya and Seychelles have always enjoyed friendly ties and many Seychellois lived and worked in Kenya during the period preceding the island’s Independence from Great Britain in 1976. The Seychelles has always been proactive in the tourism arena and has been seen to be a solid working partner in marketing of themselves in twin-centre packages. The Kenya Safari and Seychelles Beach Holidays is often programmed these days by Tour Operators in the four corners of the world using the tagline "From the Big Five to the Best Five", a tagline that showcases the safari strongpoints of Kenya and the spectacular white sandy beaches of the Seychelles.
Also in Mombassa for this UNWTO Tourism Forum were Dr Mohamed AbuZaid, the Minister of Antiquities & Wildlife of Sudan, Agnes Akiror Egunyu, the State Minister at the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities of Uganda, Elsia Grandcourt, the Director for Africa at the UNWTO and Anita Mendiratta, the Special Advisor to the UNWTO Secretary General a well as Senior Officials from the Ministry of Tourism of Tanzania. In Mombassa they were jounced by Hon Ali Hassan Joho, the Governor for Mombassa County, Dr Ibrahim Mohamed, the Principal Secretary at Kenya’s State Department of Commerce & Tourism and Muriithi Ndegwa, the Managing Director at the Kenya Tourism Board amongst many others.
Minister St.Ange of the Seychelles said that it was great to see tourism being supported at the highest level by the Kenyan Government and that he appreciated having had the opportunity to meet with H. E. William Ruto, the Deputy President as well as with his Kenyan counterpart, Mrs Phyllis Kandie the Cabinet Secretary at the Kenya Ministry of Tourism of East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism.
"Our discussions has helped pave the way for even closer cooperation that wheat we already enjoyed before" said Minister Alain St.Ange as he left Mombassa on Sunday morning.
