Seychelles model of Sustainable Tourism put under microscope by Cabo Verde through World Bank
Almasalla- Arab Travel Portal News – Seychelles successful model of sustainable tourism is being put under the microscope by Cabo Verde, through the World Bank.
A technical committee comprising of representatives from the World Bank, and the Cabo Verde private sector, Ministry of Finance, Tourism Board, Chamber of Commerce headed by Humberto Brito, Cabo Verde’s Minister for Tourism, Industry and Energy met with Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister for Tourism and Culture, Benjamine Rose, Principal Secretary for Culture, Sherin Naiken, Chief Executive Officer of the Seychelles Tourism Board and Sinha Levkovic, Director of Standards and Regulations in the Tourism Department to discuss the Seychelles best practices of sustainable tourism to help develop tourism growth in Cabo Verde.
Before getting down to business, Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister for Tourism and Culture welcomed his counterpart and his technical committee at the table of discussion. Minister St.Ange outlined efforts to strengthen cooperation between Seychelles and Cabo Verde.
“We are small Island states with common challenges. We are all vulnerable as Island Developing States. Our biggest single asset is our tourism industry, and for Seychelles this remains the pillar of our economy. We should consolidate this industry and as islanders ensure we claim back our key industry”.
Seychelles and Cabo Verde shares the same blue sea and white sandy beaches. But compared to Cabo Verde, Seychelles has learnt to be innovative in its approach to achieve tourism growth.
The Seychelles Ministry of Tourism and Culture is playing the card of visibility and its diversity of culture to outshine its fierce competitors. It is also clear for Seychelles that tourism cannot exist without its people.
The population’s participation in this industry must not only continue, but it must increase the Seychelles Minister explained in his deliberations.
“My statement is clear. The people of Seychelles needed to claim back its industry. Our people understood the meaning of this phase, and its implication. Today we can proudly say, we’ve claimed back our industry, because our people are today more than ever before in the front line of their industry’’ Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister for Tourism and Culture said.
Tourism sustainability is one of the founding axes of Cabo Verde’s Tourism Master Plan. The World Bank is accompanying Cabo Verde to further built this concept. Humberto Brito, Cape Verde’s Minister for Tourism, Industry and Energy said his country’s mission is to grow its tourism figure and for tourism to achieve more for the country than 20% of its country’s Gross Domestic Product as is the case today.
