PATA UNWTO Debate in Guam: Seychelles Minister VIP panel guest



During the course of his visit to the US island of Guam as a VIP invited guest at the 2016 PATA Summit being hosted on the island at the Dusit Thani resort, Alain St.Ange, Seychelles Minister for Tourism & Culture has once again appeared on a high level panel of prominent regional personalities debating the nature of tourism and the best way forward for island economies.

Hosted by the Guam Visitors Bureau, the 2016 annual PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Organisation) summit is a 4-day programme consisting of the association’s executive and advisory board meetings, annual general meeting and PATA Youth Symposium as well as a one-day conference that addresses major issues relevant to the travel and tourism industry. This year’s summit has seen an increase in participation to more than 600 delegates which sets a new record.

Minister St.Ange was asked to deliver the summit’s keynote address at its opening on May 19th to a packed convention centre that included senior members of PATA and the Guam legislature and also Zoltan Somogyi, Executive Director for Programme and Coordination at the UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization). Later that same day Minister Alain St.Ange of the Seychelles appeared on a panel discussion: Driving solo or following the pack, which explored whether destinations should be promoted individually or collectively within a region.


The Seychelles minister’s appearance on his third panel discussion, titled Merging Motivations, on how to align tourism public/private sector roles to best effect, saw him give instances of how Seychelles has approached the relationship between public and private sectors in tourism. He was joined on the panel by Jon Nathan Denight, President and CEO of Guam Visitors Bureau; Mark Schwab, CEO of Star Alliance and Derek Toh, Founder and CEO of Wobb. The session was moderated by the popular and hugely respected BBC World News presenter Sharanjit Leyl.

During the course of his stay on Guam, Minister St. Ange has also held meetings with Guam Governor Eddie Baza Calvo and also Senator Tina Rose Muna Barnes, who was present at the airport for the minister’s arrival.

“My stay on Guam has surpassed all my expectations,” enthused Minister St.Ange, “and I have been truly captivated by this magical island and especially by the friendliness of its people and I look forward to further collaboration to strengthen this new friendship and to exploring new ways of working together for our mutual benefit”.

Minister St.Ange, who is accompanied by Glynn Burridge, the Seychelles Tourism Board’s senior consultant, left Guam for Seychelles on 22nd May.