Seychellois-owned enterprise to provide digital marketing solutions training for tourism academy
Almasalla,Gate Arab Tourism News-The Seychelles Tourism Academy has embarked on a new venture with the Hotel Link Solutions, a company which provides digital marketing solutions for the accommodating industry.
Hotel Link Solutions which is a WHL group and ResOnline joint venture, will now provide leading edge marketing and booking technology and impart such knowledge to lecturer and students of the academy.
The two parties along with the Tourism and Culture Minister Alain St.Ange signed a memorandum of understanding this week at the ESPACE building in the presence of the principal secretary for tourism Anne Lafortune and the chief executive of the Seychelles Tourism Board Sherin Naiken, general manager Tourism Academy Hotel Dept Peter Moncherry and Tourism Academy external relations coordinator Murla Gabriel.
Speaking after signing the accord, the academy’s principal Flavien Joubert said the project have been discussed over a period of two years, and now that the discussions have been finalised, it is fitting and important to have a memorandum of understanding signed, so as to ensure both sides benefit and to make it feasible.
On his part, Minister St.Ange said it is good to see the private sector, especially a Seychellois enterprise working in the spirit of partnership towards the betterment of the academy and making a positive contribution in the tourism industry.
He added that the whole country needs to support the tourism industry, as it is not only the role of the Tourism Ministry and the Tourism Board. "When we look at our air access and the air connectivity we have, it is tourism. When we look at our environment and how we care for it, it is tourism.
When we look at what we have as facilities and made made attractions, it is tourism" said the Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture."It comes at a fitting time when we are opening the first wing of the new tourism academy and I thank Mr Pascal Esparon for this great venture and partnership with the academy," Minister St.Ange said.
Mr Esparon re-affirmed his support and commitment towards the academy by saying Hotel Link Solutions will do whatever can be done as an enterprise for the tourism industry.
Through this accord signed, the Hotel Link Solutions will help the academy with the provision of specialist training consultant and the demonstration of software programme at the academy.
The tourism academy will exclusively use the software programme in all aspects of front office and students’ practical training.
A key distribution tool of this technology is the channel manager which is used to manage connections with all online travel agencies like Expedia and Booking.com.
A channel manager can be of great advantage as it can reduce the chances of overbooking with better inventory management and room availability among others.
Hotel Link Solutions will provide a free license for the use of its proprietary channel manager software. The technology will be used at the academy for training purposes.
The academy will use the Hotel Link Solutions channel manager with the new hotel due to open soon, which will give students there more live hands-on experience.
