Seychelles Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine Alain St.Ange has resigned. As the term of office of Dr. Taleb Rifai as the Secretary General of UNWTO is coming to an end in September 2017, Mr. St.Ange is a strong candidate for the position.
Alain St.Ange joined the Government of Seychelles in early 2009 as Director of Marketing at the Seychelles Tourism Board and a year later, in June 2010, he was promoted to the position of CEO of the Tourism Board falling under the Office of the President. On the 14th March 2012, Mr St.Ange was appointed as Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture, a position he held until the recent Cabinet of Ministers reshuffle of 2016, when he was given more responsibility as head of the Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine.
In his letter of resignation which is presented to President Danny Faure, President of the Republic of Seychelles, Minister Alain St.Ange writes:- "As part of the Government I have been able to serve my Country and the People of Seychelles in a way that made a positive difference to the lives of so many as I also did my part for the economy of our Country. During the time when I was part of the Government, I know that I worked tirelessly for our country's tourism industry and the results today speak for themselves. The Ministry initiated a lot and, with the support of the private sector, we delivered for Seychelles".
Alain St.Ange also has written to President Danny Faure about his intention to apply for the post of Secretary General of the World Tourism Organisation.
The jolly smiling minister of Seychelles Tourism has been instrumental in opening up the tourism industry of Seychelles.
He is a real success story for Seychelles that sees continuous tourism growth. ““We started 2016 on a high and today we know that we will finish 2017 with a 10% increase over last year. The other major success in 2016 was the arrival of extra flights, airlines or planes serving Seychelles. It is a success because a couple of years ago Seychelles suffered when airlines departed.” These remarks are St.Ange’s last as Minister for Tourism. Seychelles had recorded 19% increase in visitor arrivals in 2015.
The 22nd session of UNWTO General Assembly will take place 4-9 September 2017 in Chengdu, China.
