The New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs and MP for East Coast Bays, the Hon. Murray McCully, who is in Seychelles for the AIMS (Atlantic, Indian Ocean and South China Seas) sub-regional grouping meeting, made time to call on Minister Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture. The New Zealand Minister was accompanied by Ambassador James Kember, the New Zealand Ambassador just accredited to Seychelles.

The two Ministers discussed the tourism development in Seychelles and also the moves to diversify the islands’ tourism source markets. On the marketing front they discussed their Tourism Board’s presence at tourism trade fairs and the use of events to promote tourism through culture and people. Minister McCully said as he was leaving the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Offices at the national Cultural Center in Victoria that he would discuss the participation of New Zealand at the annual Carnaval International de Victoria that is staged in Seychelles the last weekend of April with his Minister responsible for Tourism.

“This annual carnival is very much a festival of color as it is an opportunity for countries, as they do in tourism trade fairs, to fly their flags to showcase their unique selling points but this time using culture and people as their key assets. This Indian Ocean Carnival remains the only carnival where the best and most known carnivals parade together followed by cultural troupes from the Community of Nations,” Minister St.Ange of the Seychelles told the New Zealand Minister.