Alain St.Ange, CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board, and Robert Desvaux, the Chairman of the Mauritius Tourism Promotional Authority, took time from airline meetings at the Dubai Air Show to meet and continue discussions started at World Travel Market (WTM) in London last week about regional cooperation.

The two heads of their country’s tourism industry agreed that they needed to work closer together in order to strengthen the region’s tourism appeal and also to increase its visibility.

It has been agreed that Mr. Desvaux and the Mauritius Minister responsible for Tourism will be visiting the Seychelles in the near future to continue the discussions and to nail down events where a concrete working partnership can begin.

Alain St.Ange said that he is encouraged by the positive step being undertaken between Seychelles and Mauritius and looks forward to the follow-up meeting that will take place in Seychelles.

In the meantime, it is now confirmed that Mr. Didier Robert, President de la region, La Reunion, will personally head a delegation from his tourism department to participate in a joint marketing meeting with the marketing team of the Seychelles Tourism Board. Mr. Didier Robert will be accompanied by Pascal Viroleau, the Head of La Reunion Tourism, and the island’s senior marketing team from across Europe will be arriving in Seychelles on November 19.

“Seychelles is committed to developing a stronger working partnership with the islands of our region, and with La Reunion we already have a framework mapped out. We shall work with our island colleagues to strengthen the areas of cooperation and we shall now move to discuss specific joint action plans,” Alain St.Ange said.