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.
Another African country welcomes LGBT travelers with open arms
The African tourism world became larger and more beautiful for LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) travelers.
After President & CEO David Scowsill of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) was a speaker at the recently concluded International Gay Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) Summit in South Africa, after South African Minister of Tourism The Honourable Mr Derek Hanekom, was a host and delivered a keynote speech at the same event, now also The Honourable Alain St.Ange, Minister of Tourism and Culture from the Seychelles is after the rainbow travel dollar.
He told eTurboNews: “Seychelles welcomes tourists with open arms. This include tourists regardless of origin, race, religious believe what includes sexual orientation.
Seychelles is a rainbow nation and had demonstrated this with the United Nations of Culture and the recent carnival and this move to decriminalize sodomy and respect the rights of people is seen as a positive move for the islands.”
This was a reaction after Seychelles’ National Assembly has passed an amendment to the penal code that decriminalizes the act of sodomy.
Currently LGBT travelers are welcome in South Africa, the French Vanilla Island Territory Reunion and now also in the Seychelles.
Homosexual activity between adults also has never been criminalized in Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Gabon, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, and Rwanda.
Benin and the Central African Republic, do not outlaw homosexuality, but have certain laws which apply differently to heterosexual and homosexual individuals.
In Uganda, Tanzania, and Sierra Leone, offenders can receive life imprisonment for homosexual acts. In addition to criminalizing homosexuality, Nigeria has enacted legislation that would make it illegal for straight family members, allies and friends of the LGBT to be supportive. According to Nigerian law, a straight ally “who administers, witnesses, abets or aids” any form of gender non-conforming and homosexual activity could receive a 10-year jail sentence. South Africa has the most liberal attitudes toward gays and lesbians, with a constitution which guarantees gay and lesbian rights and legal same-sex marriage.
Most of Africa has been known to high spending LGBT travelers to avoid. The exception was South Africa and the French territory Reunion where same sex marriages are legal and the LGBT community is fully protected. Now Seychelles can be added to a list of countries LGBT travelers are allowed and are welcomed to spend their money and enjoy exploring as a tourist.
Ironically the British introduces a law in the Seychelles during colonial times making same sex sexual acts a crime. After the election in Seychelles in his State of the Nation Address in February that the Seychelles President James Michel announced his government’s intention to repeal the 1955 law that criminalises sodomy.