aTP- Arab tourism portal News
By Alain St.Ange of SAINT ANGE CONSULTANCY
Welcome to Edition #52 of 2018
The Editorial this week highlights:- a. White Christmas is subjective . b. The last day of 2018 has arrived and tomorrow is the New Year – Happy New Year. c. Madagascar has a new President. d. President Andry Rajoelina has always believe in tourism. e. Seychelles just got two nice accolades. f. Seychelles is facing a difficult situation in its need for hotel rooms. g. Talking Tourism and Believing in Tourism – Interviews by World Investment News with Alan Mason of Mason’s Travel and by Guillaume Albert of Creole Travel Services. h. Christine Lagarde of the IMF postpones working trip to Seychelles. i. Closer to home – Karl St.Ange. j. The Quest for Justice continues. k. The 10 Best Countries to be a Woman – World Economic Forum’s annual report (Seychelles misses the list). l. Happy Birthday to my daughter Christine St.Ange.
Stand alone articles this week:-
1. Seychelles offers tourism for all – but needs to say it as we start 2019.
2. “Future of tourism looking positive” says Minister Najib Balala of Kenya.
3. UNWTO chief: Growth of African Tourism as industry remains resilient. “Island destinations Seychelles, Cabo Verde and Reunion Island; all reported double-digit growth in arrivals, benefiting from increased air connectivity” says the SG of UNWTO.
4. Michael Mason of Seychelles is Top Tagging Angler (Indian Ocean) for Blue Marlin & Sail Fish.
5. 6.
7. In this end of year issue we reproduce two Seychelles tourism interviews by World Investment News with Alan Mason & Guillaume Albert.
8. The Coffee Club finally established in Seychelles.
9. We like Piña Coladas. 10. Seychelles in World’s best sailing destinations by CNN Travel.
11. Tropical Residence in Seychelles is a ‘home away from home’.
12. Seychelles Islands Foundation says rains on Aldabra Atoll Flightless Rail bird can start breeding.
13. Chinese Celebrity Xu Haiqiao brought the diversity of Seychelles to the Chinese audiences via social media.
14. Meeting Georges Guillaume Louapre – “A Bourbon made in Réunion”.
15. Coquille Bonheur” chosen as “Best DMC” at the “Ile Maurice Tourisme Awards”.
16. Another group certified from “Time and Resource Management Course” with The Academy of High Performance in Seychelles.
17. Seychelles signs African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
18. Closing Notes.
Welcome to Edition 52 of the Saint Ange Tourism Report. Christmas time and all the excitement it aroused has only just ended. Some said that they had been dreaming of a White Christmas which prompted me to pick a post on Social Media by Randolph Uzice. His photo showed that a White Christmas is subjective to one’s own liking or dream.
The last day of 2018 has arrived and tomorrow is the New Year. Firstly Happy New Year to all family members, to my friends and acquaintances and to all who have supported me and the Saint Ange Tourism Report in 2018. My friends from the Press Community, your support during 2018 has ensured that I remained visible and in so doing, relevant – Thank you very much. You have become real and sincere friends.
As we welcome in 2019, we need to reflect on all the happenings in 2018 and we should make resolutions we feel we need to see happen, and what we want to see happen in 2019.
Madagascar has a new President. The Madagascar’s Electoral Commission has published the results of the runoff election for the office of President of the world’s largest island and declared former President Andry Rajoelina as the winner with more than a 10 percent margin of 55.66 percent compared to his perennial rival, also a former President, Marc Ravalomanana, who got 44.34 percent of the votes cast. A new departure for Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands.
President Andry Rajoelina has always believed in tourism as a key industry for Madagascar and for the Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands. In his last term as President after we had met and discussed Regional Tourism he conferred on me the “Ordre National” of Madagascar when I was President of the Vanilla Islands in 2012. It was Jean Max Rakotomamonjy, the Speaker of the Madagascar National Assembly who presided over the presentation ceremony.
In closing the year we need to take note that Seychelles just got two nice accolades:- Listed by CNN Travel in the “World’s best sailing destinations” as “The Seychelles is a Shangri-La for sailors” & the BillFish Foundation confirmed that Michael Mason of Mason’s Travel and Denis Private Island Resort is the TOP TAGGING ANGLER – INDIAN OCEAN for Blue Marlin and Sailfish.
Seychelles is facing a difficult situation in its need for hotel rooms. This situation will impact on airlines because contracted rooms for Tour Operators is seen as not being enough. The need for contracted rooms gives the necessary guarantee to airlines that scheduled routes can work and will be profitable. The Seychellois owned and managed ‘home grown’ properties will continue to make a difference in their niche market, though more marketing effort will need to be initiated. A recent discovery is the one bed room villa, a ‘home away from home’ at Au Cap that is owned and managed by Marie Josee Woodcock. Such small properties remain community assets and are facilities that showcase Seychelles as a cultural tourism destination. They buy fruits from a farmer next door, bread and milk from the roadside shop, get maintenance or general helper assistance from a neighbour, a local taxi does their airport pick-up or drop off. These establishments must be the plus for Seychelles when tourism is assured of success because airlines have hotel rooms contracted by partner tour operators.
Talking Tourism and Believing in Tourism is so important for Seychelles and for many other economies right around the world. As we end the year is important to reflect on what professionals and tourism leaders are saying. Tourism is the pillar of our economy as it also continues to provide employment to our population. It has opened the doors to many to enter the world of business. Let us work together to save all the tourism jobs and to safeguard the investments of those who believed in the call by Seychelles for “Seychellois to claim back its tourism industry”. In stand alone articles we are reproducing two interviews by the World Investment News with Alan Mason of Mason’s Travel and by Guillaume Albert of Creole Travel Services.
Christine Lagarde of the IMF postpones working trip to Seychelles
State House has announced that the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Mrs Christine Lagarde, will be postponing her planned official visit to Seychelles. The visit by Madame Lagarde was first announced by President Faure personally during his State House Press Conference. The President had confirmed that the Managing Director of the IMF was scheduled to visit the Seychelles on 3 January 2019. State House has now announced that the IMF had confirmed that Mrs Lagarde was looking into the possibility of visiting Seychelles in the near future.
Closer to home – Karl St.Ange
The book on the life of Karl St.Ange published after his passing
Today the 31st December, is the birthday of my dear father Karl St.Ange who unfortunately passed away in 2009. As we remember him as a family and with our friends, we are reminded always about all he did and achieved. His name will always associated with La Digue, with Seychelles politics, with agriculture and the cultivation of Vanilla, with tourism and his beachfront Cabanes des Anges Hotel and the passenger carrying oxcart. We miss him dearly and as a family, we will continue to honour him as we celebrate his life. Happy Birthday Dad.
The Quest for Justice continues
2018 saw the start of my court case against the Attorney-General of Seychelles, representing the Government. The case is set to continue early in 2019 with the State’s last witnesses taking the stand. The court case is expected to conclude in the next couple of months. The Attorneys-at-law in the case of St Ange v Government of Seychelles are Mr Frank Elizabeth, Mr Kieran Shah and Mrs Michelle St.Ange-Ebrahim for the Plaintiff (three Seychellois Attorneys representing St.Ange) and Mr J. Chinnasamy for the Defendant (a foreign national representing the Government of Seychelles). This whole saga will undoubtedly make legal precedence, as no cases of its kind have been brought against the Government previously, and will soon be the subject of a book titled “Seychelles United Nations & African Union Saga”.
The 10 Best Countries to be a Woman
– World Economic Forum’s annual report (Seychelles misses the list)
Image: REUTERS/John Sibley
Global Gender Gap 2018 – Top 10
Image: Global Gender Gap Report 2018, World Economic Forum
The list is published on the “Ten Best Countries to be a Woman” by the World Economic Forum.
WEF says:- Progress on gender equality is slowing down. At the current rate of change, it’s going to take 108 years to close the Global Gender Gap, which now stands at 68%. That adds eight years to the 2017 estimate, according to the World Economic Forum’s annual report. The index was first published in 2006, as a framework for measuring gender disparities in countries by four subindexes: Economic Participation, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival and Political Empowerment. This year, five new countries have been included – Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Oman, Sierra Leone, and Togo – bringing the total up to 149.
Extremely slow progress
Since 2006, the overall gender gap has reduced by 3.6% – but in 2018, there was only a 0.03% reduction, revealing “extremely slow progress”. But the general direction of travel is positive: of the 144 countries that were covered in 2017 and 2018, 89 have at least marginally closed their gender gap and 55 have regressed. As the report states: “Although progress continues to proceed at a very slow pace… the fact that most countries are moving toward greater gender parity is encouraging and rewards the efforts of all policy-makers and practitioners across the world that work to achieve the UN’s fifth Sustainable Development Goal: Gender equality.
A recent post on Social Media on these rankings said:-
“Women are special and should be handled with care & loads of love. A woman in developing world faces serious challenges . When I flashback growing up , our mothers sacrificed loads”.
Where does Seychelles fall? We could be leading the pack if we wanted to.
In ending, I take this opportunity to say Happy Birthday to my daughter Christine St.Ange. Tomorrow the 1st. January is her birthday. She has always been by my side, even from Australia where she resides. Have a great day Tine!
It is important to again say Happy New Year to you all and to 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 grow from strength to strength with each new Edition.
Enjoy the read,
Alain St.Ange
Saint Ange Consultancy
