Category: Latest Travel News

San Francisco, California (United States) – October 10, 2017 (travelindex.com) – Airbnb, the world’s leading community-driven hospitality company, is the latest hospitality sector organisation to join the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).

PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy said, “We are extremely pleased to welcome Airbnb to the PATA family. With more than four million Airbnb listings worldwide it impossible to ignore the impact that the sharing economy is having upon the travel and tourism industry. It is important that we are able to add this voice to our discussions in the development of a responsible travel and tourism industry, especially when we examine the role of the sharing economy in the dispersal of tourists to lesser known and emerging destinations.”

“Over the next few months, PATA and Airbnb will be working together to bring greater insights on topics related to the sharing economy – including its economic impact and the issue of over tourism,” added Dr. Hardy.

“Home sharing has become an important economic engine for communities around the world,” said Thao Nguyen, APAC head of strategic partnerships at Airbnb. “We’re excited to join the PATA family and play our part in promoting healthy and sustainable tourism that directly benefits local communities.”

About PATA:
Founded in 1951, PATA is a not-for-profit membership association that acts a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its member organisations, comprising 95 government, state and city tourism bodies, 25 international airlines and airports, 108 hospitality organisations, 72 educational institutions, and hundreds of travel industry companies in Asia Pacific and beyond. Thousands of travel professionals belong to the 36 local PATA chapters worldwide. The chapters organise travel industry training and business development events. Their grassroots activism underpins PATA’s membership in Uniting Travel, a coalition of the world’s major Travel & Tourism organisations dedicated to ensuring that the sector speaks with one voice and acts in unison on the major issues and includes ACI, CLIA, IATA, ICAO, WEF, UNWTO and the WTTC. The PATAmPOWER platform delivers unrivalled data, forecasts and insights from the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre to members’ desktops and mobile devices anywhere in the world. PATA’s Head Office has been in Bangkok since 1998. The Association also has official offices or representation in Beijing, Sydney and London.

About Airbnb:
Founded in 2008, Airbnb’s mission is to create a world where people can belong when they travel by being connected to local cultures and having unique travel experiences. Its community marketplace provides access to millions of unique accommodations from apartments and villas to castles and treehouses in more than 65,000 cities and 191 countries. With Experiences, Airbnb offers unprecedented access to local communities and interests, while Places lets people discover the hidden gems of a city as recommended by the people that live there. Airbnb is people powered and the easiest way to earn a little extra income from extra space in a home or from sharing passions, interests and cities.

Contact:
PATA
Paul Pruangkarn
Director – Communications & Marketing
communications@PATA.org
+66 (02) 658 2000
Bangkok, Thailand

Beijing (China) – October 10, 2017 (travelindex.com) – In 2016, China registered a 13 per cent increase in outbound trips – city trips and Sun&Beach holidays are becoming more and more important – trips to Europe declined – ITB Berlin and IPK International analyse outbound travel behaviour of the Chinese

In 2016, while international travel grew by about four per cent, China registered a growth rate of 13 percent, further consolidating its position as one of the world’s most important source markets for international travel. Thus, China exceeded the Asian/Pacific average outbound growth rate, which was at nearly nine per cent in 2016. These are the results of a special analysis by the World Travel Monitor®, conducted by IPK International and commissioned by ITB Berlin.

Decline in trips to Europe in 2016:
In 2016, the Chinese went on 51.2 million international trips with overnights, not including trips to Macau and Hong Kong. Compared to the previous year, that amounts to an additional six million trips and an increase of 13 per cent. China also strengthened its position as the world’s fourth-largest source market behind Germany, the USA and the UK, while further distancing fifth-placed France. Around three out of four outbound trips from China are to destinations within Asia/Pacific, with the Top-5 destinations being within the region, such as South Korea and Thailand. The USA is China’s sixth most popular destination, to which some 2.8 million trips have been made in 2016. The most preferred European destinations are Germany, Spain, France, Switzerland and Austria. However, following seven years of consecutive growth, Chinese trips to Europe declined by four per cent in 2016 compared to the previous year, resulting in a total of 16 per cent of all Chinese outbound trips going to Europe. Nevertheless, first trends for 2017 indicate a positive development again regarding Chinese trips to Europe.

City trips and Sun&Beach holidays are gaining ground:
Holidays are the reason for over 80 per cent of Chinese outbound trips. Above all, holiday trips only (without visiting friends or relatives) have a significantly higher share among Chinese travellers (72 per cent) compared to the global average of 57 per cent. For some years, the most popular type of holiday has been round trips, whereas city trips as well as Sun&Beach holidays have been catching up recently. Even though the share of business trips in 2016 was rather small (15 per cent), the number grew by 22 per cent compared to 2015, while holiday trips increased by 11 per cent. Moreover, the average length of stay abroad was nearly 6 nights, which represents a slight increase compared to the previous year, while spending per night remained at the same level.

Preference for first class hotels and above average travel agency bookings:
Around 75 per cent of Chinese outbound travellers chose to stay in hotels. Four and five star hotels were the preferred categories, accounting for 52 per cent of accommodation on all trips. Thus, also regarding the accommodation choice, the Chinese differ widely from the global average, which in respect to luxury hotels stands at only 39 per cent. For the Chinese, planes are the preferred means of transportation, making up for over 80 per cent. This figure is also significantly higher than the global average of around 60 per cent.

When it comes to information sources used prior going on an outbound trip, 88 per cent of Chinese travellers use the internet, which is only slightly higher than the worldwide average of 81 per cent. However, while worldwide, around one in three travellers seek for information through a travel agency, Chinese exhibit a much higher share of nearly 70 per cent. This also applies to travel agency bookings. Globally, around 30 per cent book their outbound trip through a travel agency, while almost 50 per cent of Chinese do so.

The World Travel Monitor® Forum is an exclusive industry gathering which discusses the latest travel trends and forecasts of tourism development, taking place on the 9th and 10th of November 2017 in Pisa, Italy.

About ITB Berlin and the ITB Berlin Convention:
ITB Berlin 2018 will take place from Wednesday to Sunday, 7 to 11 March. From Wednesday to Friday ITB Berlin is open to trade visitors only. ITB Berlin is the World’s Leading Travel Trade Show. In 2017 a total of 10,000 companies and organizations from 184 countries exhibited their products and services to around 169,000 visitors, who included 109,000 trade visitors. Parallel with the show the ITB Berlin Convention, the largest event of its kind, will be held from Wednesday, 7 to Saturday, 10 March 2018. Admission to the ITB Berlin Convention is free for trade visitors and exhibitors.

Press contacts:
ITB Berlin / ITB Asia / ITB China:
Julia Wegener
PR Manager
T: + 49 30 3038-2269
j.wegener@messe-berlin.de
www.messe-berlin.com
IPK International:
Fenja Weberskirch
Marketing Consultant
T: +49 89 8292370
weberskirch@ipkinternational.com
www.ipkinternational.com

Montreal (Canada) – October 9, 2017 (travelindex.com) – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced industry performance statistics for 2016 showing that system-wide, airlines carried 3.8 billion passengers on scheduled services last year, an increase of 7% over 2015, representing an additional 242 million air trips. This information is included in the 2017 edition of the IATA World Air Transport Statistics (WATS), the yearbook of the airline industry’s performance.

Highlights of the 2016 airline industry performance:

Passenger:
– Once again, airlines in the Asia-Pacific region carried the largest number of passengers. The regional ranking (based on total passengers carried on scheduled services by airlines registered in that region) is:
1. Asia-Pacific 35% market share (1.3 billion, an increase of 11.3% compared to 2015)
2. Europe 26% market share (992.4 million, up 6.1% over 2015)
3. North America 24% market share (911.5 million, up 3% over 2015)
4. Latin America 7% market share (275.1 million, up 1.8% from 2015)
5. Middle East 5% market share (206.1 million, an increase of 9.1% over 2015)
6. Africa 2% market share (84 million, up 6% over 2015).

– The top five airlines ranked by total scheduled passengers carried (domestic and international) were:
1. Southwest Airlines (151.8 million)
2. American Airlines (144.2 million)
3. Delta Air Lines (143.3 million)
4. China Southern Airlines (114.5 million)
5. Ryanair (112 million)

– The top five international/regional passenger airport-pairs were almost the same as they were in 2015, and all were within the Asia-Pacific region:
1. Hong Kong-Taipei (5.2 million, up 2.1% from 2015)
2. Jakarta-Singapore (3.4 million, up 0.9% from 2015))
3. Bangkok Suvarnabhumi-Hong Kong (3 million, a decrease of 3.14% from 2015)
4. Kuala Lumpur–Singapore (2.8 million, up 3.3% from 2015)
5. Hong Kong-Seoul (2.8 million, down 15% from 2015)

– The top five domestic passenger airport-pairs were also all in the Asia-Pacific region:
1. Jeju-Seoul Gimpo (11.6 million, up 4.6% over 2015)
2. Sapporo-Tokyo Haneda (7.7 million, down 1.2% from 2015)
3. Fukuoka-Tokyo Haneda (7.3 million, a decrease of 4% from 2015)
4. Melbourne-Tullamarine-Sydney (7.3 million, down 4.6% from 2015)
5. Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City (6.4 million, up 16.2% from 2015)

Passenger Traffic by Nationality:
A new feature available this year in the WATS+ edition is the ranking of passenger numbers in terms of nationality (citizenship). Highlights include:
– US Citizens are the world’s most prevalent travelers. Some 810 million passengers traveled on US passports in 2016 comprising 21% of all passengers worldwide.
– Internationally, American citizens also took top place, comprising 9.5% of all travelers. This was followed by citizens of the UK (7.8%), Germany (6.5%), China (6.4%) and France (4.1%).
– Domestically, US citizens were also the most prevalent travelers at 29.9%, followed by China (19.0%), India (5.2%), Indonesia (4.4%) and Japan (3.5%).

New Model Airlines:
New Model Airlines¹ (NMAs), a classification that includes Low Cost Carriers (LCCs), accounted for 28.3% of all passengers in 2016, up from 27.1% of passengers in 2015. Network carriers account for 69.5% of total passengers while leisure carriers² contributed 2.2% to passenger volumes.

Measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), NMAs accounted for 20% of global traffic, reflecting the concentration of this sector on short-haul flying. By the same RPK measure, network carriers accounted for 77% of traffic with leisure carriers comprising 3% of traffic.

Cargo:
– The top five airlines ranked by total freight tonnes carried on scheduled services were:
1. FedEx Express (7.1 million)
2. United Parcel Service (4.7 million)
3. Emirates Airline (2.5 million)
4. Qatar Airways (1.8 million)
5. Cathay Pacific Airways (1.6 million)

Airline Alliances:
– Star Alliance maintained its position as the largest airline alliance in 2016 with 38% of total scheduled traffic (in RPK), followed by SkyTeam (33%) and oneworld (29%).

The 2017 WATS and WATS+ are available for purchase on IATA’s website

For more information, please contact:
Corporate Communications
Tel: +41 22 770 2967
Call:+41 22 770 2967
Email: corpcomms@iata.org

Victoria, Mahe (Seychelles) – Octobre 8, 2017 (travelindex.com) – Alain Saint Ange said “Analysing who are the people who stand behind politicians, investors, corporations and the economy; It is the working people. Many are employed and some venture out by becoming what is today simply called the self-employed workers. It is a fact that the Government of the day can propose a new regulation that can better the lives of all its citizens, inclusive of every worker, the self-employed and the business community, as and when they feel the need to do so arises. The Opposition in the Seychelles National Assembly can, on their part, propose a Private Members Bill if and when they feel there is the need to bring about better conditions for the citizens, inclusive of every worker, the self-employed and the business community, of the country. They have successfully shown that for the Offshore Sector, their Private Members Bill was duly assented to by the Head of State.

Recently the Stevedore Workers took action in their own hands when they felt their working conditions were not acceptable anymore. Fishing Boat Owners also stood outside the National Assembly to make the case for grievances they had.

Workers and the Self-Employed have been seeking a Non-Politically Affiliated Organisation to be by their side.They felt that an Independent Labor Union was needed to assure them that those with political or economic power are not allowed to unduly ignore their rights, aspirations and necessities. The call for a Labor Union was made.”

The “Seychelles Labor Union” (SLU) is born following a meeting of a group of workers at the Savoy Hotel on Wednesday the 4th October 2017. It was at 1700hours when a group of workers and also members of the self-employed community gathered at the Savoy Hotel to be counted as founding members for a new Trade Union in Seychelles. They came from all professions and from diverse employment groups. From teachers to health workers, from stevedore workers to landscape gardeners, to musicians and entertainers, office workers, taxi drivers, truck drivers and shop owners were all present.

It was Alain St.Ange, Paul Chow, Bernard Port-Louis and Peter Sinon who opened the meeting with short addresses to explain broad objectives and the reasons for the creation of a politically independent Union. Recognise, Respect and Remunerate workers equals a Responsible workforce was the theme discussed and adopted as the motto of the SLU.

It was Alain St.Ange, Paul Chow, Bernard Port-Louis and Peter Sinon who opened the meeting with short addresses to explain broad objectives and the reasons for the creation of a politically independent Union. Recognise, Respect and Remunerate workers equals a Responsible workforce was the theme discussed and adopted as the motto of the SLU.

Various exchanges and Q&A were addressed

Political Independence: The history of Trade Unions in Seychelles has thus far been a strong liaison between the Unions and Political parties. SLU makes a new departure as the very first independent Trade Union in this new era. Peter Sinon informed the founding members of his resignation as a Central Committee Member of Parti Lepep for the district of Au Cap to ensure the independence of the leadership of the Union.

Partnerships & Solidarity: SLU declared its willingness to liaise, cooperate with all like-minded institutions that have to do with the welfare and working conditions and environment of the Seychelles workforce. Solidarity for a strong and effective collective bargaining of the workforce is key for success.

Communication, Awareness and Information sharing: were deemed as critical factors of success and for member/workers education. Thus a monthly SLU Newsletter will be launched.

Membership Contribution: It was agreed that membership contribution of the Union will be SCR25 per month. However, if one choses to pay an annual contribution he/she will benefit from a two month discount and rather than SCR300 they will only pay SCR250.

On the question of the operating location of the Union. Members were assured that it will be in Victoria and soon the specific office space will be confirmed.

Election of Office Bearers of the Seychelles Labor Union
The following office bearers with designated responsibilities were elected and nine Executive Committee Members were also duly nominated and subsequently elected by show of hand by all present. This founding group of elected officials will be revisited at the next meeting in December when SLU will be opting to have Executive Committee Members to represent the different groups of workers and the self-employed.

The complete Executive Committee of the SLU comprises of the following:
– A. St.Ange President
– H. Anthony Vice – President
– P. Sinon Secretary General
– C. Savy Treasurer
– M-F Marie Secretary

Executive Committee Members:
B. Port-Louis
S. Sultan
D. Nancy
S. Ademe
G. Sopha
D. Hoareau
E. De Stefani
A. Poussou
A. Adonis

Alain St.Ange explained that the Seychelles Labor Union (SLU) will work for the betterment of working conditions as well as working to ensure the right conditions to work for those who are employing workers and venturing as self-employed entrepreneurs. The SLU will be working to be associated with other important Trade Unions of the World to benefit from their experience and support.

Alain St.Ange emphasised that the SLU makes a new departure as the very first Independent Trade Union and is not affiliated with party politics as he congratulated the movement’s founding members present coming from across the political divide for being present. Today the Government of the day can propose a new regulation that can better the lives of Seychellois who are employed and also for those who venture out by being what is today called the self-employed. The Opposition in the Seychelles National Assembly can also, on their part, propose a Private Members Bill if and when they feel there is the need to bring about better conditions for the citizens of the country. This they have successfully shown can be done when they took up the issue for the Offshore Sector and their Private Members Bill was duly assented to by the Head of State.

Manta Rays in the Seychelles
As the winds of the Southeast monsoon start to ease around the Seychelles, manta ray sightings are being reported at many of the surrounding islands. On Denis Island, divers and the resident fishing crew have been spotting a few rays feeding in the shallows since late August. The team on D’Arros has also witnessed multiple spectacular congregations recently.

Globally, there are two species of manta ray; the Giant manta (Manta birostris), and a smaller species, the Reef manta (Manta alfredi). The Reef manta is most common in the Indian Ocean, including around the Seychelles. Reef mantas are Red Listed under the IUCN as “Vulnerable. This is mainly due to the species being exploited by Asian markets for their gill rakers for their use in traditional Chinese medicine. Fortunately, in Seychelles, there is no manta trade to Asia, thus the fishery is practically non-existent.

Manta rays, like most elasmobranchs, have an extremely slow reproductive rate, making them quite vulnerable to over-exploitation. They start maturing at around 15-20 years of age and producing one pup every one to three (or even more) years.

The Manta Trust is a UK-based charity that was formed in 2011 to investigate global movement patterns, feeding ecology and the demography of manta rays. The work that they do will help scientists gain a better understanding of the health and size of the manta population, as well their movement patterns through the Seychelles archipelago. The Trust also constantly seeks the help from the general public to assist with their efforts through photo submissions. Individual mantas can be identified through the unique pigmentation patterns on the ventral side of their bodies and it is relatively easy to collect ID photos of them by free-diving down facing their front side as they approach and snap a photo as they swim overhead.

The Trust is also very engaging with the public. The team will happily provide you with information on your personal encounter with a manta. They reply to each submission with details of the history of the manta ray that was photographed which includes information such as: the name of the manta, its ID number, its gender, its size, and where and when it has been sighted before. If you happen to spot a manta ray that has not been previously recorded, you can also have the privilege of choosing its name.

So the next time you are diving in Seychelles, or anywhere else in the world, be sure to keep an eye out for these gentle giants and have your camera ready. You can contribute directly to the research and conservation of manta rays by submitting your images and sighting encounters through the Manta Trusts online submission form. Alternatively, you can email your images to IDtheManta@mantatrust.org.

Seychelles says thank you to Alain St.Ange

World Tourism Day is celebrated in Seychelles with a grand Seychelles Ball where the tourism industry comes out in numbers to join the public sector in the event of the year. For an island so dependent on their tourism industry, the annual Seychelles Ball is a night that continues to attract everyone who believes in tourism and those who are not shy to say they are part of that industry that has become the pillar of their island’s economy. The Tourism Ball provides that unique opportunity for stakeholders in the industry to network and socialize in a more relaxed atmosphere.

Minister Maurice Loustau-Lalanne, the Seychelles Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine and Sherin Francis, the CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board addressed the packed Ball Room at the Eden Bleu Hotel and used the evening to say thank you to the private sector trade for their support and togetherness.

It was at this 2017 Seychelles Ball that Alain St.Ange, the former Minister for Tourism and Culture & Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine received a certificate of recognition for the contribution he has made while leading this primary sector of the economy and also for his continued contribution towards the betterment of this industry.

The Certificate of Recognition says:- “The Seychelles Tourism Board proudly recognises Mr Alain St.Ange for his valuable contribution to Seychelles’ Tourism Industry as Seychelles Tourism Board Director of Marketing and Chief Executive Officer and as Seychelles Minister of Tourism”.

It was Minister Maurice Loustau-Lalanne, the new Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine of Seychelles who presented former Minister Alain St.Ange with his Certificate of Recognition.

This year was also the opportunity to add more names on the Tourism Pioneer Wall at the island’s Tourism Academy. Four names from the new era Sir James Mancham, founding President of the islands and the man credited to have launched tourism as an industry for Seychelles, Louis D’Offay the longtime Chairman of the Seychelles Hospitality & Tourism Association and Owner of the L’Archipel Hotel of Praslin, Maryse Eichler of Seychelles Hotels and the first head of the island’s Tourism School, Zita Monthy of Carefree GuestHouse joined Adrien Michel, John de Matta Mascarenhas, Richard Mancham and Raymonde Delorie on the island’s Tourism Pioneer Wall.

Family members of Sir James Mancham, Mr Louis DOffay, Mrs Maryse Eichler and Mrs Zita Monthy were presented with a certificate recognising them as tourism pioneers and all of the eight names will now be featured at the Tourism Pioneers Park.

The park located next to the Seychelles Tourism Academy at La Misere has been designated to honour and recognise individuals who have served the tourism industry with passion and have played a pivotal role in strengthening this industry which is today the pillar of our economy. The park was opened on September 26, 2015, by the former president James Michel and the first eight pioneers were unveiled on September 27, 2016. The honouring of individuals who have made significant contributions to the industry will now feature as an annual activity as part of Tourism Week.

Alain St.Ange, the former Seychelles Minister is today the Deputy Secretary General of FORSEAA (Forum of Small Medium Economic AFRICA ASEAN) based in Jakarta Indonesia, listed as a Consultant for TMN (Travel Marketing Network) in New York USA, Co-Chair of the SUNx (Strong Universal Network) Organisation in London UK, Vice President & Founding Member of ICTP (International Coalition of Tourism Partners), Consultant to PMAESA (Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa) based in Mombassa Kenya, CIOA ( Cruise Indian Ocean Association) based in Durban South Africa and for Cruise Africa.

Travelindex Endorsed as World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Member

Travelindex is one body that has been republishing the weekly Saint Ange Tourism Report and from the Seychelles Alain St.Ange says that he is happy to see that the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has officially approved Travelindex affiliate membership application, adding to a group whose members include such prestigious institutions as CNN, World Tourism Forum Lucerne, Club Med, European Travel Commission, International Air Transport Association (IATA), Hong Kong Tourism Board, Amadeus, George Washington University, Colorado State University, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University – School of Hotel and Tourism Management (HTM).

The Travelindex application for UNWTO Affiliate Membership has been approved by the Executive Council at its 106th session, and has been ratified at the 22nd Session of the UNWTO General Assembly held in September 2017 in Chengdu, China. The UNWTO Affiliate Members Programme recognizes the great potential in collaborating with organizations in generating global sustainable wealth through enhanced tourism knowledge, ethical and responsible principles and joint initiatives.

“We’re truly honored to have been approved as a UNWTO Affiliate Member and to become part of an incredible array of passionate organizations, destinations, NGOs and educational institutions all committed to the UNWTO Mission of promoting responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.” said Mr Bernard Metzger, Founder of Travelindex.

Bernard added “We’re thrilled to be a part of the UNWTO family which will provide an unrivalled opportunity to share and exchange best practice with other members, as well as jointly participate in projects, events and other mutual learning activities. At the same time, through active participation, we’ll be able to share our expertise and experience helping destinations and organizations across the world develop and evolve digital cultures.”

About the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO):
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, UNWTO promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.

UNWTO generates market knowledge, promotes competitive and sustainable tourism policies and instruments, fosters tourism education and training, and works to make tourism an effective tool for development through technical assistance projects in over 100 countries around the world. UNWTOs membership includes 156 countries, 6 Associate Members and over 500 Affiliate Members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism authorities.

About Travelindex:
Their vision is to become the de-facto digital connectivity node for the travel and tourism industry. The Travelindex portfolio of products includes over 70 destination reference tools and one of the world’s largest, open and curated, database on travel and tourism covering 241 countries and territories. Our integrated platform is fast emerging as the central channel in destination and travel knowledge. Travelindex puts a priority on the integration of sustainability into distribution and management systems to bring tangible benefits to its partners and clients helping them to improve reputation and goodwill. For more, visit www.travelindex.com

Seychelles – India Day Celebrations 2017

Congratulations to Ramu Pillay, the Chairman of the Indian Association of Seychelles and his Committee Members for another great edition of the Seychelles-Indian Day Celebrations. Everyone who believes in the diversity that makes Seychelles what it is today were present over the three days of rich colourful experience. Vice President Vincent Meriton was present at the Official Opening Ceremony and this echoed a positive message that Seychelles embraces its diversity.

Tourism, Culture & Environment Ministers were also present and the Tourism Minister pledged continuous support for the annual event. The fifth edition of the annual Seychelles-India Day Celebrations kicked off on Friday October 6 and it transported the Seychelles capital of Victoria across the Indian Ocean and into the heart of India. The three-day event was filled with singing, dancing, flavoursome Indian cuisine and vibrant colours.

The event is a collaborative effort between the Indian High Commission, Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, the Tourism Ministry, Seychelles Tourism Board, the Seychelles India Day Committee, the Indian Association, among others. Representatives of these stakeholders met with the media on Thursday to highlight the main activities that would be featured this year. This was during a press conference at the headquarters of the Ministry of Tourism Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, at Botanical House, Mont Fleuri.

The theme chosen for this year is: Incredible India in Paradise

The Minister for Youth, Sports and Culture, Mitcy Larue said on top of cultural events, the organisers have also added more sports activities, including a mini-marathon and badminton tournament. There was also a special chess event, with the participation of Indian chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand. Mr Anand who dominated the world of chess for six years from 2007 to 2013, took part in a speedy chess competition against 18 Seychellois chess players at the ex-national assembly hall, at the National Library on Saturday.

Minister Mitcy Larue said: “This was a good opportunity for the youths to take part in a competition alongside the grandmaster.”

Another innovative event this year is the inauguration of what has been dubbed the India Diversity Garden located at the Botanical garden.

The Seychelles Creole nation of around 93,000 people today, is primarily made up of the descendants of five groups: French, British, African, Chinese and Indian settlers. It was with the aim of celebrating the island nations Indian heritage that the first Seychelles India Day was initiated in 2013, as a collaboration between the Indian Association of Seychelles and the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.

Five years on, Ambassador Maurice Loustau-Lalanne pledged the tourism ministry’s continuous support for the annual event, adding that the Seychelles-India Day Celebrations has also contributed to raising awareness about the island nation as a tourist destination.
“The event brings artists, different performers to Seychelles and when they go back they become our best marketing agents … I attach a lot of the success of the Seychelles-India Day Celebrations to the visitor numbers that we have from India, which has recorded a significant increase in recent years,” said Mr Loustau-Lalanne
“We will continue to support the Seychelles-India Day Celebrations and if it requires that we put additional flights eventually because of its success, to Bombay through Air Seychelles, we shall do it,” he added.

She also announced that new dates have been proposed for the next Seychelles India Day in 2018, as the current dates in October clash with preparations for the Creole Festival. The 2018 edition of the event is therefore expected to be held on July 28, 29 and 30. The new dates which is a fortnight before Indias Independence Day celebrations, was welcomed by both Minister Loustau-Lalanne and the Indian High Commissioner to Seychelles, Dr Ausaf Sayeed, who also reiterated the Indian governments support towards the event and towards promoting bilateral ties between the two countries. Dr Sayeed said: “We attach great importance to strengthening our cultural ties with Seychelles and we already have a memorandum of understanding and actually a cultural agreement with Seychelles and we are soon working towards a cultural exchange programme for the year 2018 and 2019, where lots of bilateral activities will be brought in.”

The Fun and Food fair set by and held in the car park of the Stad Popiler remains a key activity. The fair which opened on Friday morning, will remained open until Saturday.

The official inauguration of the event itself was held at the International Conference Centre on Friday evening.

Indian celebrity singers, dancers, choreographers performed again at this year’s Seychelles-India Day Celebrations.

Seychelles – Indian Day Celebrations how it all started

It all started in 2013 when a group of patriotic Seychelles with respect for the islands diversity conceived the idea that the islands needed to celebrate the five branches that makes the Creole People of Seychellois who they are today.

Alain St.Ange chaired the meeting as the then Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture alongside Benjamine Rose, the PS for Culture and Elsia Grandcourt, the CEO of the Tourism Board, and it was agreed that a Seychelles – Indian Day Celebrations would recognise the part played by the Seychellois of Indian Origin to make Seychelles the successful country it has become.

The Indian Association of Seychelles and the Indian High Commission were also on board and the project was seen as one for the Country and the celebrations would then become listed as one of the Seychelles National Events alongside FetAfrik, Seychelles – China Day Celebrations, the Commonwealth Day and La Francophonie and prepare the celebrations of what the islands are today with the celebrations that unite everyone together and that is the Seychelles Festival Kreol.

The 2013 Seychelles – India Day Celebrations was recorded by the International Press as “Seychelles islands welcome glitzy and glamorous Bollywood stars”.

The press wrote:- “After taking Europe by storm in their mission to mark the 100 years of Bollywood, cinema high profiles of the Indian film and music industry touched down on Seychelles islands for the first edition of the Seychelles-India Day Celebrations.

Once Emirates Airlines landed at Seychelles International Airport, the 23 Bollywood mainstream actors, actresses, singers, flautist, and percussionist disembarked in true show-business star fashion. Never before has Seychelles International Airport hosted such a large group of the finest from the Indian entertainment world.

The star of the moment was Ranganathan Madhavan, the guest of honor of the Seychelles-India Day Celebrations. Madhavan, ranked among the top ten Indian actors, will join Terrence Lewis, the ace Indian choreographer, and other Bollywood stars in an open air gala evening – flooding the town of Victoria with Indian tunes.

He said that he is thrilled to be in Seychelles.

“Its the first time that I come to Seychelles, and its surely a fascinating experience to be here not only for the Seychelles-India Day Celebrations, but also that of being the guest of honor of this first Seychelles-India Day Celebrations. The beauty of the Indian Ocean will surely be an inspiration for my future films.”

Aakriti Kakkar, another knock-out Bollywood vocalist, walked her way down the plane – the ultimate depiction of the modern Indian super star.

“I am proud to represent my country for the Seychelles-India Day Celebrations. Seychelles is an island of un-touched beauty, and I am looking forward to discover the Island,” said Aakriti Kakkar.

Sivamani, Indian top percussionist, brings to Seychelles his own fusion of drumming, of which he gave an impromptu session to the media interviewing the celebrities at the VIP Lounge at the Seychelles International Airport.

For the red carpet event at the first edition of the Seychelles-India Day Celebrations, celebrities Aakriti Kakkar, Shazahn Padamsee, Anjana Sukhani, Miss India Universe Ushoni Sen, actor Madhavan, and Chef Sanjeev Kapoor will be dressed by New Delhi-based designer collections by Mayyur Girota. Mayyur Girota is the official designer of the Seychelles-India Day Celebrations.

“I will give different looks to all celebrities. Anjana will be wearing a chikan lehenga with choli while Shazahn will be dressed in a cocktail sari.”

Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister for Tourism and Culture, and Benjamine Rose, Principal Secretary for Culture, were both at the Seychelles International Airport to welcome the Bollywood celebrities. Minister St.Ange said, “Today I am proud that Seychelles-India Day has come into fruition.”

It was at this first Seychelles – India Day Celebrations that the Top Indian percussionist Sivamani enthralled the Seychellois public.

This was in October 2013 and India’s top percussionist, Sivamani, was flown in to lift the heartbeat of Seychelles through an enthralling performance. He represented India as part of a celebrity-studded, 50+ Indian team, in Seychelles to celebrate the first ever Seychelles-India Day. “Seychelles-India Day is a 3-day extravaganza to showcase Indian talent and culture. Sivamanis performance was a high-energy bugle call to this most important event in the relationship between Indians and Seychellois,” said Indian High Commissioner Thanglura Darlong.

Siva, as he is fondly called by his fans and peers, is a rare phenomenon in the world of music. Known to create magic with just about any instrument or flat surface, his audience has crossed the boundaries of usual classical music, getting just about anyone foot-tapping to his beats. Schooled in both Carnatic rhythmic tradition and western jazz instruments, Siva is truly a world-class percussionist. Siva has played the world over with some of the best international artists and is also a part of world music outfits like the Zakir Hussain World Drum Ensemble, and a most important member of the great maestro AR Rehmans troupe.

The Seychelles India Day Celebration Committee and the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, in close collaboration with the Indian High Commission and local business houses, promised an annual celebration to mark one of the five historical branches that makes the Seychellois the people they are today.

“I have been able to serve Seychelles as Minister for Tourism and Culture and later as Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine and with the Team at Culture and Tourism put into place events that should continue to bring more unity in the Islands.

Alain St.Ange is quoted for these famous lyrics by John Lennon at the opening of an edition of the Carnaval International de Victoria “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us, And the world will live as one” I was sure that dreaming of UNITY will promote respect and bring about a climate where democracy will be the guiding principle.

Club Liberté Casino of Seychelles

Club Liberté has recently welcomed aboard a new General Manager – Mr. Michel Claeys. It was interesting to see the new General Manager who has a name in the casino business. Michel has voyaged all around the globe driving the entertainment business to accomplishment in numerous countries.

Club Liberté team was eager to get on board such a capable professional, who joined the group toward the end of September. Michel Claeys explains “My professional career in the casino business started 40 years ago and like most of us started as a dealer or croupier in Belgium – then moved away to obtain my British Gaming License in Cardiff and Manchester , other countries followed suit very quickly such as Holland, France , Romania, Turkey , Egypt, Lebanon , Morocco , Canada, North Cyprus. I have a world wide excellent reputation in the the mysterious world of gaming and I am constantly in demand for my advice, expertise and knowledge.

I feel very positive that I can highly contribute to the Club Liberté Casino of Seychelles and to the tourism industry in general if the islands.

I am a very approachable person with good communication and social skills – so come and meet me – you will not be disappointed”

In spite of being a leader in such a sphere of business as night entertainment, Michel is a family man, who welcomed his newly born daughter 1 year ago.

“It will be one year since the night Club Liberté opened its doors on 28th of October last year and we want to accomplish something unique for this occasion”says Michel. Club Liberté team has experienced numerous thoughts on special occasion and affirmations to their loyal visitors and chose the idea of being valuable to all the public of the Seychelles. Club Liberté is proposing to blend in with an association in Seychelles and coordinate by all methods in showcasing introduction, fascination of sources and gift of materials or fund raising against drug enslavement. “We have met with the pioneers of this association and acknowledged how grave the issue is and how much power is required keeping in mind the end goal to unravel this” says Irina Etienne, marketing manager of Club Liberté.

Irina Etienne went on to say that it was with this goal that will be the best step forward of Club Liberté`s public life as it enters its second year of operation.

Club Liberté is in the new chapter of its improvement and numerous new surprises are set up to its customers for the coming Festival Creole, Christmas & New Year’s Eve and many other worldwide and local events.

This latest appointment highlights their continued expansion and ongoing commitment to develop the services they offer to growing client base, as well as career opportunities for team members.

Managing Director of Club Liberté Jake Waller on his part said:- “The quality of our services is defined by our people, and Club Liberté is committed to attracting candidates of the highest caliber to lead the business. Michels appointment exemplifies this commitment; he brings a huge amount of valuable experience and expertise to the company and is the perfect person to lead this business into its next exciting chapter of growth”.

Bangkok (Thailand) – October 6, 2017 (travelindex.com) Disseminate the King’s wisdom through 5 days exhibition. On October 5, Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor and Mr. Martin Hart-Hansen, Deputy Resident Representative of United Nations Development Program (UNDP), presided over the opening ceremony under the project “Follow the King’s Wisdom for sustainable tourism” to commemorate King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s graciousness and inherit His Royal Determination through the cooperation with the model communities of the project.

Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, mentioned that the project “Follow the King’s Wisdom for Sustainable Tourism” is a combination of TAT’s marketing plan under the concept of “Local Experience”. The project aims on giving tourists the impression of traveling as well as knowledge of the communities’ way of living under the King’s principles. The principle includes the principle of understanding, accessing and developing. These principles are going to be used for the management of community tourism to achieve sustainable growth. We can say that this project is a continuation of his royal determination, especially the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP).

The project “Follow the King’s Wisdom for Sustainable Tourism” has selected 4 model communities which are Chanthabun Waterside Community, Ban Pong Huai Lan Community Chiang Mai, Nongyai Area Development Project Community Chumporn and Ban Nongsan Tourism Community Sakon Nakhon.

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) expects the “Follow the King’s Wisdom for Sustainable Tourism” to strengthen the communities’ economy through the management of resources such as natural resource conservation, local way of life and culture conservation, activities for tourism organizing, facility management as well as the management of tourism products that adds value and creates economic value to the community. The development will emphasize on self-thinking which leads to a strong community in long-run. The success of these 4 model communities area will serve as a prototype for further development of the tourism community in the future.

The exhibition “Follow the King’s Wisdom for Sustainable Tourism” presents 4 sustainable tourism communities of the project. There will be the exhibition of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s contribution of to his principles. The exhibition also includes tourism community routes and community products from the 4 model communities, which will stimulate domestic tourism and present communities tourist attractions. In addition to the exhibition, visitors can also participate in the daffodil making, dedicated to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej royal cremation. The exhibition will be opened on 4 – 8 October 2017 at the Emporium Gallery, M floor, The Emporium Shopping Center.

See more details at www.tourismthailand.org/kingwisdom or tel.1672

Langkawi, Kedah (Malaysia) – October 5, 2017 (travelindex.com) – Tropical Charters came to be when businessman Dato’ Alexander Issac decided he would share his passion for sailing by starting a charter yacht company in Langkawi and offering cruises to tourists, locals and foreign alike.

Tourists seeking an experience to remember Langkawi by are now able to experience the Unesco-endorsed Geopark from the unlikeliest of places – while sitting in a net, trawled through the pristine waters of the Andaman Sea.

The company offers a relaxing Day Cruise, where guests aboard the boats are taken out to open water, where they can tan in the sun, then take a refreshing dip in the cool waters right off the edge of the boat. Freeflow of food and drinks, as well as a delicious barbecue on a private beach is part of the package.

The Sunset Cruises, however, remain a favorite among guests. Amidst a party-like atmosphere, a giant net is released into the water where guests are encouraged to sit in and relax, while they are pulled through the water from the boat in what Tropical Charters quite aptly calls the ‘Salt Water Jacuzzi’. A Sunset Cruise is of course not complete without guests gasping with amazement at the splendor of nature when they feast their eyes upon the myriad colors in the dusk sky.

Undoubtedly, Unesco’s endorsement of Langkawi as a Geopark – older than even the Himalayas – has driven tourism up several notches on the island. The island’s natural flora and fauna is a sight to behold. Naturally, Tropical Charters incorporates Langkawi’s natural offerings to guests who go for the cruises.

“Tropical Charters places an emphasis on preserving Langkawi’s natural heritage. We try our best to drive education about the importance of preserving the island natural assets through our Langkawi Geopark Educational Cruise Programme,” said Sasha Arsheela, Managing Director of the charter company.

The company was launched by the current Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia in 2009 and from one catamaran we have grown to 7 yachts. Tropical Charters is also a registered Langkawi Yachting Entity as well as a registered Langkawi International Yacht Registry agent for the Marine Department of Malaysia. In 2016 the company won the prestigious Langkawi International Tourism Award, and was presented the award by the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Tropical Charters Langkawi set up a One Stop Centre wherein all displays and selling material are digital and guests are allowed to use the one stop centre as a lounge to relax and plan their holiday activities.

In 2013, Tropical Charters expanded and started ferry services from Kuah Jetty in Langkawi to Koh Lipe in Thailand , which have since become a popular route for local and foreign travellers visiting Langkawi. They have also set up a lounge at the Kuah Jetty for travellers who wish to use their facilities whilst waiting for their ferries.

What started out as a charter company has now become a one stop Destination Management Centre with its expertise in all on ground logistics and services in Langkawi, Malaysia. With their travel agency license Tropical Charters is making Langkawi a popular Destination amongst MICE and Luxury Wedding clients.

With a staff of 60 and growing the main aim of Tropical Charters is to provide the best experience to our guests.

For media enquiries, please contact
William Lee at 0126270903 or william@patterevents.com

Phetchabun (Thailand) – September 15, 2017 (travelindex.com) – Phetchabun province together with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) invites you to attend Um Phra Dam Nam Festival 2017 on September 19-23, 2017 at Phetchabun Buddha Garden, Wat Trai Phum, Wat Bot Chana Man, in order to promote traditions in the province. Watch a variety of performances and activities such as parades around the city, water parades, Um Phra Dam Nam and food festivals.

Um Phra Dam Nam Festival is an annual tradition of Phetchabun which falls on the Sart Thai Day or 15th day of wanning moon 10th month of each year. On the day of the ceremony, Phetchabun Governor will enshrine Phra Putta Maha Thammaracha, Phetchabun invaluable Buddha statue into water. Locals believed that a sacred ritual will bring happiness and peace to the town. Rain will fall in its season, crops will be abundant and happiness will last longer for Petchabun Province. Um Phra Dam Nam Festival 2017 has the important activities as follow.

Tuesday, September 19, 2017
– The sacred offering ceremony at Wat Trai Phum 09.09
– Buddha image procession around the city 18.00
– Opening ceremony by deputy prime minister Thanasak Patimapakorn 19.00

Wednesday, September 20, 2017
– The ceremony of Um Phra Dam Nam at Wat Bot Chana Man waterside 10.39

Thursday, 21-22 September 2017
– The boat races at Wat Trai Phum waterside.

For more information, please contact Phetchabun Municipality Telephone 056 711 007, TAT Office Phitsanulok Tel. 055 252 742-3, 055 259 907

Manchester (United Kingdom) – October 2, 2017 (travelindex.com) – The Climate smART Award is the first cultural initiative of SUNx – Strong Universal Network, which exists to actively encourage the massive Travel and Tourism sector to play a leading role in response to eXistential Climate Change. It is a legacy to our friend Maurice Strong, a champion of Sustainable Development and advocate for Travelism to radically revitalize its climate resilience actions, through Impact-Travel: measured; green; 2050 proofed.

Professor Geoffrey Lipman, SUNx Co-founder said: “Climate Change is eXistential. SUNx strongly supports The Paris Accords which are under irresponsible threat. Travel and Tourism must stand up to this challenge, and public opinion can play a big part. This award will honor museums and cultural centers that make public education a priority and we are delighted to join up with Leading Culture Destinations Awards (LCD) – sharing their vision of Museums as focal points for education of travelers.”

Building partnerships is an essential part of climate resilience strategy. Our partnership with LCD is an important step. We believe that by creating a movement of organizations and individuals committed to climate education, innovation and resilience, we can catalyze change in the Travel & Tourism sector.

The judging panel of the Award is drawn from SUNx Council members with environmental, business, art, civil society and climate expertise. The process took into account the substance of the project, as well as outreach, quality, imagination and innovation. From a dozen longlisted nominees, we narrowed down to a shortlist of three leading-edge institutions, from different parts of the world, with the following result.

WINNER 2017 LCD/SUNx “Climate smART Award”
MANCHESTER MUSEUM: CLIMATE CONTROL Manchester, UK.
RUNNERS UP 2017 LCD/SUNx “Climate smART Award”
ART+CLIMATE=CHANGE 2017 Melbourne, Australia
FRANKLIN INSTITUTE: CHANGING EARTH Philadelphia, USA MANCHESTER MUSEUM: CLIMATE CONTROL Manchester, UK.

Climate Control was developed as part of Manchester’s time as European City of Science. They wanted to connect people with climate change as it is a tremendous challenge, that goes far beyond the scientific, but into the social, economic, and social justice spheres.

Climate Control took place in two main areas: a specially designed exhibition in our special exhibitions space, that had as its starting point ‘we can’t change our past but we can change our future’.

The exhibition took inspiration from the Chinese Yin and Yang symbol. It had two entrances- ‘explore the past’ took the visitor into an all-black room which linked coal and fossil fuels with industrialization and impacts on Arctic wildlife and worldwide. The other entrance took visitors into an all-white room, ‘explore the future’, where people shared their ideas and concerns around climate change, and solutions for a more sustainable future.

Climate Control has gone beyond a special exhibition, to represent the Museum’s commitment in this area of work. The Museum won its Carbon Literacy Organization Award in 2016, being the first carbon literate museum in the world.

ART+CLIMATE=CHANGE 2017 Melbourne, Australia

A festival of exhibitions and events harnessing the creative power of the arts to inform, engage, and inspire action on climate change. ART+CLIMATE=CHANGE 2017 presents over thirty curated exhibitions at leading museums and galleries in Melbourne and regional Victoria including EXIT, the highly acclaimed 360° video installation commissioned by the
Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris. EXIT investigates human migrations and their leading causes, including the impacts of climate change.

Its complete 2015 update coincided with the pivotal Paris based United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21). Together with keynote presentations and public forums by leading international and Australian artists, scientists and activists, ART+CLIMATE=CHANGE 2017 will help us to acknowledge the challenges we are facing, and embrace the solutions that are already here.

FRANKLIN INSTITUTE: CHANGING EARTH Philadelphia, USA

Each experience in Changing Earth provides insights into repercussions that may result from our responses to changes— natural or manmade. Changing Earth is constructed of sustainable materials.
The flooring is made from recycled content and post-consumer waste products. All wood is Forest Stewardship Council certified or bamboo. All metal is recyclable. Paint is low-VOC and graphics are printed on recycled material using water-based inks.

Dynamic sensory experiences demonstrate the interconnected systems of earth science. Calculate your carbon footprint, find solutions to reduce carbon emissions, explore seismographs of recent earthquakes, and construct a building to see if it can withstand an earthquake. Experiment and discover how dams and water volume effect river flow and erosion. Go “on camera” and deliver your own weather forecast.

JUDGING PANEL

Tom Selänniemi – Director, Finnish Nature Centre Haltia (Chair) Finland
Geoffrey Lipman – SUNx Co-Founder, President ICTP. Former ASG. UNWTO CAN
Felix Dodds – SUNx Co-Founder- Former Exec Director UN Multi-stakeholder Forum, US
Ignace Schops – Director RLKM, Goldman Award, President Europarc Fed. Belgium
Tom Goldberg, MBE – Chair AWI, former M.D. Atlas Ward UK
Richard Prosser – Chair Audley Travel and Tusker Direct UK
Maureen Lipman, CBE – Actress, Columnist, Comedian UK
Paul Wilke – Former Global PR Manager Visa, CEO Upright Position Communications US
Rose Mukogo – Economist & former Director Research Zimbabwe Tourism Authority ZIM
Madan Bezberuah – Former Secretary Indian Ministry of Tourism IN
Jeanine Pires – Former Head of Embratour, Brazil Tourism BR

The Climate smART Award is part of a journey to raise awareness, develop education systems and to foster innovation. By 2030 we aim to have a SUNx Centre in every country and to inspire a cadre of committed next generation transformation advocates. These SUNx “Champions” will help to drive the behavioral change and influence the fundamental government and industry actions needed.

Victoria, Mahe (Seychelles) – October 2, 2017 (travelindex.com) – Yield from the tourism industry is again on the table. “High end tourists who spend more” is once again the call. Sharing with the Tourism Board the address of that magical shopping centre where one can pick up these tourists “off the shelf” would be a start, but as the new Seychelles pushes down this path we see a subsidiary of Air France confirming its arrival with direct flights from Paris.

They are not high-end and they will be competing directly with the existing Air Seychelles non-stop direct flights to Paris. This discussion is on the table even though everyone knows that the country’s yield from tourism is not a matter the State has any control on. Applicable Room Rates by Hotels remains a private sector decision and they charge what they feel is possible and what holiday makers are comfortable with. An empty bed will never be sold after the day is gone, thus the constant drop in rates when Seychelles is not enjoying a very high occupancy level in its hotels. Now we are hearing that some in Seychelles are calling for higher-end tourists who will spend more and also that Seychelles needs fewer tourists. I am unsure who will be sitting in the economy section of all the planes flying to the islands if and when Seychelles pitches itself as a high-end destination ONLY. Talk this week has echoed dismay by worried small Seychellois hoteliers who see the discussions as pushing for the demise of all the small ‘home grown establishments’. Taxis are also set to be hit by this new call for high end tourists only and a drop in visitor arrival numbers. Taxis will be compelled to fight for Seychellois transfers only because the high end tourists use private limo-transfers or helicopters. Seychellois need to watch out because they can be, and probably will be bystanders in their tourism industry.

One positive sign is that British Tour Operators are reacting positively with the announcement of British Airways. Many are flying to Seychelles to re-look at hotels they are programming and getting ready for BA’s return. They are enthusiastic but have also spoken about the current state of insecurity. The case of Margaret Devlin on Praslin is today being spoken about. This UK couple have personally written to the Saint Ange Tourism Report and we are addressing the incident in this issue.

Stop Illegal, Unregulated & Unreported Fishing

The 2017 report from Stop Illegal Fishing takes a look at the work of the FISH-i Africa Task Force and focuses attention on the actions and cooperation that are still needed to tackle Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing in the Western Indian Ocean.

At the second earth summit with much prompting and insistence of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), global goal 14 for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is dedicated to “life below water” or below our common oceans. SDG 14 contains 7 targets covering issues of great concern such as tourism, nutrition, overfishing, pollution, scientific research, coastal zone and reef management, both being critical to islanders livelihood and being a first line of defense against tidal surges.

IUU is one of the practices that contravenes the very ethos and spirit of sustainable management of our oceans. ‘One in four fish in Africa is caught illegally, this threatens the sustainability of fish stocks, damages the ecosystem and deprives governments of income and people of livelihoods’. Seychelles has been hailed as one of the cleanest inhabitable oceans on the planet. Its small population is one of the highest per capita consumers of fish on the planet. Those two elements combined explain a lot about the diet culture that is now part of our DNA and the tourist attraction to the destination that is the number one pillar of the archipelagic economy. Illegal Unregulated and Unreported fisheries is identified as an illicit activity that must be effectively discouraged if not totally annihilated as an unsustainable criminal activity in our ‘Blue Economy’.

The FISH-i Africa Task Force was established in 2012 in the Republic of Seychelles at the Coral Strand Hotel. It was established to do exactly that the aforementioned. Fish-I was officially launched by the former Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Mr. Peter Sinon with fisheries officials of five founding members: Comoros, Kenya, Mozambique, Seychelles and Tanzania. This was considered a pioneer endeavour operating outside of traditional political structures. Since then, FISH-i has facilitated information sharing and regional cooperation that has led to significant enforcement actions and increased compliance in the region. Since 2012, FISH-i Africa has expanded with the addition of Madagascar, Mauritius and Somalia and now has eight members.

Stop Illegal Fishing Chairperson Elsa da Gloria Patria welcomed the publication of the 2017 Report. She stated that, “FISH-i Africa and the VIGILANCE programme offer a great opportunity to clean up the illegal activity that is taking place in the fisheries sector. Our countries and our people rely on the ocean for their livelihoods and their development we need to make sure that our resources are protected and our blue economies get a chance to thrive.”

‘FISH-i Africa: Our future’ sets out a real agenda for change; looking at the roles and responsibilities that port, flag, coastal and market States can play. Nicholas Ntheketha, Chair of FISH-i states, “FISH-i has been a big success and has achieved real cooperation with tangible results, but as we look forward we see the need to develop this cooperation further, we need to incorporate greater contact and communication with key port and flag States and we need to make sure that we have strong cooperation with all the relevant authorities at the national level.”

Sandy Davies of ‘Stop Illegal Fishing,’commented: “The scale and extent of illegal activity in the Western Indian Ocean has come as a real surprise to all of those involved in FISH-i Africa. We started out with the traditional expectation that most operators set out to comply with rules, or opportunistically took advantage of gaps and loopholes. But what the FISH-i investigations and analysis have shown is that in fact there are a significant number of operators who set out, deliberately and systematically to act illegally. They do this through falsifying information, forging documents, hiding company information behind secretive shelf companies and flags of non-compliance. Even when caught red handed, it is difficult for coastal States to exercise effective sanctions and penalties as vessels routinely abscond from authorities, change name and change flag. This is a significant undertaking involving around 500 vessels and a lot of work, but we believe this is the most effective means we have to end illegal fishing in this region.” Davies added, “We’ve had a strong response already to VIGILANCE and will be looking to work with a range of organizations and funding partners.”

FISH-i Africa plans to counter these systematic illegalities with a systematic programme of ‘VIGILANCE’ which will verify and cross-check the documentation and characteristics of all the vessels licensed to or flagged by the FISH-i members. www.stopillegalfishing.com

Aldabra, Once upon an Island – See The Wonderland Before It’s Lost!

The premier of this film was at the 2016 edition of the Carnaval International de Victoria in Seychelles. With films like the Lion King and the Beauty & the Beast under their belt the film producers today say:- Join us on an adventurous 3D expedition to the shores of a mysterious island lost in the waters of the Indian Ocean. To an atoll, which has stubbornly rejected human life yet is home to a community of exotic animal characters and their entertaining tales. Cross your fingers as turtle hatchlings tumble into lethal shallows teeming with hungry sharks. Gaze in wonder at the world’s largest terrestrial crabs clambering up palm trees in search of juicy coconuts. Hold your breath in awe as a giant grouper fearlessly guards an ancient shipwreck against all comers. Discover how the giant prehistoric tortoises live together with their babies. Explore an island, which has risen from the sea only to be engulfed once again by ocean currents and rising seas. Meet our heroes, Elvi, Tory, robber Buster, Snooper, fighter Luis and many others in the story full of excitement, emotions and unexpected twists. Discover Aldabra before it’s lost!

A Family Feature Documentary from the Czech Republic 2017 of 73 minutes. Sales by Vision Films with Robert Schneider as the producer and principle investor in the Aldabra project.

UK producers describe Seychelles as the perfect ‘castaway’ paradise for brand new comedy series coming to E4

The wonderful backdrop and sceneries of Seychelles have convinced producers of an upcoming UK television series that the popular holiday destination is also a perfect filming location. Kerry Waddel, the producer of High and Dry — a new comedy series filmed entirely on location in the Seychelles — said they are looking forward to returning to the island nation to film a second series of the sitcom.

Starring popular British comedian Marc Wootton, the series being produced by a UK-based company, Baby Cow Productions, unfolds with passengers surviving a plane crash on a deserted island. Shooting of scenes for the six half-hour episodes were done at some of the well-known beaches on the Seychelles main island, Mahé, namely Anse du Riz, and Anse-Major, which is where the key scenes were filmed. The filming was done from July 9 to August 4, 2017.

Ms Waddel said: “We were looking for a location ‘castaway’ paradise and we found it in the Seychelles. Our requirements were unspoilt white sandy beaches, clear blue sea and jungle and we discovered them all to perfection. Our island had easy access to the airport and small enough to move around easily with fabulous accommodation at a reasonable rate.”

The Seychelles Tourism Board that pitched the idea to the UK production company to choose Seychelles for once, provided full support for the filming on location along with other local authorities.

Ms Waddel said: “STB helped us with the permissions to film, location finding and keeping location costs to a minimum. The people were kind, friendly, trustworthy and helpful. All contributed to a successful shoot.”

While the outcome is positive, the filming did have its share of challenges, but the Baby Cow production team and their actors were able to rise to the occasion and enjoy the perks of filming on a beach destination surrounded by beautiful wildlife.

“The main challenge was the location we chose as it was so remote. There was no access by road so we had to land everything and everyone by boat. This was hindered slightly by some tricky sea swells to negotiate but the crew rose to the occasion and jumped in the water to move the equipment around,” said Ms Weddel.

“We also chose a cave location one day that was a good one hour trek to walk to. The crew were thrilled at seeing tortoise, fruit bats and unusual wildlife and to experience the tropical life on a daily basis,” she added.

High and Dry will air on E4 — a digital entertainment channel owned by Channel 4 in the UK, and while the exact date is yet to be announced, it is expected that the airing will happen early 2018.

Although it won’t be directly mentioning Seychelles, the fact that the beautiful beaches, clear turquoise waters and lush tropical vegetation will be featured this will help to push Seychelles into the UK limelight, which is a market that has been seeing remarkable increase in visitor arrivals to Seychelles over the last two years.

The Chief Executive of the Seychelles Tourism Board, Sherin Francis said: “It has been an absolute pleasure working with the Baby Cow Productions team. We are so happy that Seychelles was the chosen location and we hope that this opens up the destination to other similar productions.”

STB also sought the services of a PR company to feature a “Behind the Scenes” documentary about the filming to help create a forum for viewers to engage and discuss the series and also the location when the series starts airing. A page on IMDb, a popular source for movie, TV and celebrity content, is also expected to be set up for the High and Dry series.

Baby Cow productions is an award-winning production house in the UK, established in 1999. Aside of High and Dry, the company has produced some much-loved comedy series including Hunderby, Hebburn, The Trip, Gavin & Stacey to name but a few.

Etihad appoints Tony Douglas as the new Group CEO to take over in January – Air Seychelles is part of the Etihad Group

Etihad has appointed a new chief executive, formerly in a government defence role, to take over the reins previously held by James Hogan. The airline group issued a statement saying the Chairman of Etihad Aviation Group, His Excellency Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel Al Mazrouei “confirmed the appointment of Tony Douglas as Group Chief Executive Officer, who will join the company in January 2018”.

Douglas joins Etihad from Britain’s Ministry of Defence, where he served as chief executive of the Defence Equipment and Support department, responsible for procuring and supporting all the equipment and services for the British Armed Forces.

In the UK, he held senior positions with airport operator BAA, and as Chief Operating Officer and Group Chief Executive designate of Laing O’Rourke. His roles under airport operator BAA included Managing Director of the Heathrow Terminal 5 project, Group Supply Chain Director, Group Technical Director, and CEO of Heathrow Airport.

Previously Tony Douglas held senior positions in the UAE, most notably as chief executive of Abu Dhabi Airports Company and as chief executive of Abu Dhabi Ports Company where he was responsible for the successful delivery of Khalifa Port.

H.E. Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the Board of Etihad Aviation Group, commented: “We are delighted to have Tony return to Abu Dhabi to lead Etihad. He has guided the transformation of large organisations in the UAE and the UK, and he understands the UAE and the region. He is also deeply knowledgeable about commercial aviation and keenly familiar with Etihad’s challenges and opportunities in a rapidly changing industry.”

The statement said that as group chief executive , Douglas would work with the board and leadership team “to expand and implement a range of strategic initiatives to position Etihad for sustained success in an increasingly competitive regional and global aviation market”.

Douglas commented: “Etihad is a force in global aviation that must continue to adapt and evolve on its own and with industry partners. It is an economic and employment engine for the UAE and the region. With new infrastructure and attractions like the expanded airport, Louvre Abu Dhabi, and Abu Dhabi Global Market, Etihad has a central role in supporting the UAE’s position as a global hub of transportation, tourism, commerce, and culture.”

Tony Douglas will be supported by a team which includes Ray Gammell, as Group Chief People & Performance Officer; Ricky Thirion, Interim Group Chief Financial Officer; Kevin Knight, Group Chief Strategy & Planning Officer; Mana Mohamed Saeed Al Mulla, Chief Group Support Services Officer; Henning zur Hausen, General Counsel; and Amina Taher, Vice President Corporate Affairs.

The divisional chief executives will report directly to Tony Douglas, including Peter Baumgartner, chief executive of Etihad Airways; Chris Youlten, Managing Director of Etihad Airport Services; Abdul Khaliq Saeed, chief executive of Etihad Airways Engineering; Gavin Halliday, Managing Director of Hala Group; and Robin Kamark who joins as CEO, Airline Equity Partners in October 2017. Air Seychelles is part of the Etihad Group of Companies.

Coffee-In-A-Cone is in Seychelles

Seychelles was invited to share the exciting launch of Coffee-In-A-Cone “The worlds most instagrammable Coffee” at the Chatter Box Cafe at Eden Island. Coffee-In-A-Cone took the social media world by storm and now Chatter Box of Seychelles has partnered with Coffee-In-A-Cone to bring this product to the Seychelles, the first and only country in the Indian Ocean to offer this product. Coffee-In-A-Cone has been featured in major news platforms such as CNN, Daily Mail UK, all major radio, TV and print mediums in South Africa, Australia and numerous social media platforms around the globe.

Marsha & Kirschlee were on hand on Thursday the 28th September to be with their guests as they experienced the latest coffee craze.

Bangkok (Thailand) – September 28, 2017 (travelindex.com) – Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (Public Organization) or TCEB unveiled the marketing communication campaign for the year 2018 entitled “THAILAND CONNECT Your Vibrant Journey to Business Success, decoded with chapters of possibilities”. Built on a legacy of the existing branded campaign, the core concept of the 2018 campaign is aimed at further enhancing a position of Thailand as leading Bleisure destination in the region. The bureau expects that, by the end of next year, the country will welcome 1,192,000 international MICE visitors which generate revenue of 112 billion baht.

Mrs. Supawan Teerarat, Vice President of TCEB’s Strategic and Business Development, said “TCEB develops the operational strategy to be in parallel with the country’s economic development scheme. The objective is to promote the MICE industry into a key mechanism for propelling the national economy, guided by the government’s vision of Stability, Prosperity, and Sustainability. A vital part of the strategy is the marketing communication which TCEB implements to enhance the uniqueness of the Thai MICE industry. Through the recent marketing communication campaign, “THAILAND CONNECT Your Vibrant Journey to Business Success”, TCEB has been introducing key fundamental pillars of MICE industry which include a diversity of destination, business opportunities, and people of Thailand. These strengths are well positioning Thailand as a leading destination for Bleisure activities in the region.

Moving to the next level of success, the concept of TCEB’s 2018 marketing campaign is strengthened and developed to be in line with Thailand 4.0 policy. Under the title “THAILAND CONNECT Your Vibrant Journey to Business Success, decoded with chapters of possibilities”, the three pillars of the country’s MICE industry remain the key focus. Strengthening into “Fascinating Destination – Business Empowerment – Professional Passion”, TCEB will continue to promote theses brand pillars via the vigorous promotional activities throughout next year.”

The emphasis of three fundamental pillars in TCEB’s 2018 campaign:
1. Fascinating Destination: Explore vibrant destinations brimming with captivating Inspirations. The key elements of the value proposition include:
– Perfect stops for Bleisure Trips: Concentration on quality business and leisure activity has helped Thailand’s competitiveness rise in global rankings. The country is ranked the 24th place of the Most Popular MICE Destination in the recent ranking, conducted by International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA). Leading MICE cities namely Bangkok, Pattaya and Chang Mai also perform well in the ICCA’s ranking. In addition, the recent report from the World Bangkok showed that Thailand is ranked the 46th place on the Ease of Doing Business. For tourism, Phuket is ranked the 25th place in the Travellers’ Top-Rated Places – the world, by TripAdvisor.
– Extensive accessibility and Travel Routes: The expansion of basic infrastructure and MICE facilities offers endless opportunities for the business. Major development projects underway include international airports capacity expansion, U-Tapao International Airport upgrade, Laem Chabang Deep Sea Port expansion, and High-Speed Train development.
– Colouring your business journey: By offering the ‘real experience’ through fun-filled activities that combined with a uniqueness of Thai culture, Thailand can transform an ordinary business event into a unique and impressive experience. Examples of highlighted experiences are such as CSR experience – reforestation without planting, or culinary experience – Thai cooking class which showcases the cultural wisdom.

2. Business Empowerment: Resourceful Thailand offers essential collaborations for international opportunities. The key features include:
– Progressive platform for business ventures: The country offers growth opportunities for new business ventures that align with Thailand 4.0 economic policy and the future industries which support the future competitiveness (New S-Curve), as well as the Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) project which is the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) of ASEAN.
– Innovative borderless connectivity: Utilizing innovation to enhance the effectiveness of communications and business networking activities. The SMART MICE events are encouraged through online marketing promotion campaigns and the development of a digital platform that help to facilitate the event organizers.
– The Heart of energetic collaboration: International and domestic collaborations for business events will highlight Thailand’s leading role as MICE destination in Asia. Examples of international and domestic collaborations include TCEB & PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association) and TCEB & Team Thailand.

3. Professional Passion: Meet passionate professionals with a touch of Thai vibrancy. Key features include:
– Positive energy of warm and engaging Thais: Outstanding collaborative efforts between public and private sectors make it so much easier for international travellers to attend business events in Thailand. TCEB’s cooperation projects that showcase a warm welcoming to MICE visitors are the MICE Lane and the Thai Welcome Package.
– Highly-skilled and effective talents: The competence of professionals in the Thai MICE industry is guaranteed by international institutions of human resource development, such as Certificated Exhibitions Management (CEM), and Certified Meeting Professional (CMP).

At a MICE travel show, TCEB exhibits Thailand’s readiness and the country’s vast potential through the Thailand Pavilion. Located at the Booth No. B1, the largest pavilion at the show is a platform for 63 leading suppliers from the Thai MICE industry to jointly present premium products and services to international buyers. TCEB also hosted an opening ceremony and welcome reception, held under the theme “Still on my mind” reflecting the impression of Thailand that inspire visitors to revisit the country.

In addition, the bureau supported the pre and post tour activities providing opportunities for international delegates to discover the potential of Thailand as a destination for MICE. The pre-tour was conducted at the Sampran Riverside offering the ‘real experience’ through activities which combine the Thai agricultural science and incentive activities. Meanwhile, the post-tour is held in two routes, Chiang Mai and Trang, showcasing the MICE facilities which are capable for the corporate events.

“The marketing campaign is aimed at raising the industry profile and visits. TCEB expects that by the end of the year 2018, there will be 1,192,000 international MICE visitors, generating 112 billion baht of revenue to the country. International events which will be held in Thailand in the coming years include: the 2018 MDRT Experience and Global Conference during 1-8 February; Bangkok Entertainment Fest during March-June; Sport Accord Convention 2018 during 15-20 April; ASEAN Sustainable Energy Week 2018 during 6-9 June; ProPak Asia 2018 during 13-16 June; the 45th International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM 2019) during 7-14 July; the 31st Congress of Asia-Pacific Association of Cataract & Refractive Surgeon (APACRS 2018) during 19-21 July; Beyond Beauty Asean Bangkok 2018 during 20-22 September; and Metalex 2018 during 21-24 November” Mrs. Supawan concluded.

About TCEB
Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) – the government leading edge agency – has been the key to success for a wide range of global & regional business events since 2004. With our key strategic model, Growth Driver; TCEB works as your strategic business partner, delivers creative ideas, and provides solutions from our capable resources for every scale and various customised business events.

TCEB has formed numerous collaborations and networks linked to open up grand new chapters of business opportunities, and to strategically enhance every business success with special care that will spur lasting advancement and achievements. Our goal is to equipping business events industry at national, regional, and global stage for continuous development, long-term growth and sustainable success.

For further information, please contact:
Corporate Communications Division
Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau
Ms. Arisara Thanuplang
Email: arisara_t@tceb.or.th
Tel: +66 2 694 6095
Mr. Karun Wararatchai
Email: karun_w@tceb.or.th
Tel: +66 2 694 6179
Ms. Paniyada Mulalin
Email: paniyada_m@tceb.or.th
Tel: + 66 2 694 6091
A publicist Tel: 0 2101 6860
Ms.Arpaporn (A) 089 788 4868
Ms.Thittaya (Jang) 094 323 5641
Mr.Sorasak (Earth) 089 406 5544