The Right Honourable John Whittingdale, Member of the Order of the British Empire and Member of Parliament, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sports and also responsible for tourism and Alain St. Ange, Minister for Tourism and Culture in the Seychelles, took advantage of the opportunity offered by the World Travel Market ministerial dinner held in the Banking Hall to meet and talk about their future co-operation.
John Whittingdale and Alain St. Ange
The ministerial dinner, followed by the WTO and WTM ministerial summit, was held yesterday on the theme of “promoting destinations: new challenges for a changing market”.
The United Kingdom is now the 5th biggest market for the tourism industry of the Seychelles and the Seychelles are a destination where British holidaymakers feel welcomed and comfortable. The islands are a former British colony and English remains one of the three official languages of the Seychelles, along with French and Creole. We drive on the left, just as they do in the United Kingdom. The Right Honourable John Whittingdale and Minister Alain St. Ange took advantage of their first meeting to discuss the possibility of a visit by the Right Honourable Whittingdale to the Seychelles.
Young Seychellois stylists and designers have enjoyed an opportunity to present their creations at another event. During this “Fon Lanmal” event at the Sunset Beach Hotel, six Seychellois stylists and one stylist from Rodrigues showed off their collections at an impressive catwalk show.
The evening was organised by Christine Chetty-Payet, director of the Institute of Art and Design of the Seychelles, as part of the Kreol Festival.
Attendees at this event included Alain St. Ange, the Seychelles’ Minister for Tourism and Culture, Benjamine Rose and Anne Lafortune, respective Secretaries of State for Culture and Tourism, Penda Choppy, the CEO of Institut Créole and Patrick Nanty of the Ministry for Tourism and Culture.
After an excellent Creole buffet at the Sunset Hotel, with Mary and Albert having redoubled their efforts to ensure that the island’s traditional specialities on offer as part of the buffet were as appreciated as the remarks made by Lorna Lepathy, the master of ceremonies invited Minister Alain St. Ange to give a speech.
“Tonight, we have come together to see what we can create. This annual event as part of our Kreol Festival is open to our young stylists and designers. Yes, we are talented but the Government’s responsibility is to facilitate the expression of this talent and tonight is a perfect example as we organise a cultural event which aims to open the doors to our talent,” said Minister St. Ange before asking everyone to applaud Christine Chetty-Payet, the director of the Institute of Art and Design of the Seychelles, for her tireless efforts in working with the Ministry of Tourism and Culture to help to organise this fashion event.
“The Seychelles is blessed with a diversity which makes us the unique people we are. Our diverse culture is unique: from the unique Creole cuisine we’ve enjoyed here tonight at the Sunset Beach Hotel, to our music and our dances which are also unique, and not forgetting the creations we’re going to see tonight on the catwalk, made by talented young stylists and designers. Let’s continue to encourage them and ensure their success with the Créations de Marques Seychelles (Seychellois Brand Creations initiative),” said Minister St. Ange.
