The Chief Executive of the Seychelles Tourism Board, Alain St.Ange, who formed part of President James Michel’s delegation, has signed a working agreement with the Vice General Manager of the Beijing Tourism Group of China, Wang Shang Wen.

The signing ceremony took place at the Beijing Tourism Group’s offices in the Beijing Tourism Tower at Jian Guomenwai Street in Beijing.

Addressing the heads of the Beijing Tourism Group (BTG), Alain St.Ange thanked the Vice General Manager of the largest Chinese tourism organization for their welcome and for introducing BTC to the Seychelles delegation.

“Yesterday I had the honor and the pleasure to meet Mr. Gao Fei, the Vice President of the Beijing Tourism Group (BTG), at a ceremony at the Maya Island Hotel where our President, Mr. James Michel, launched the Chinese version of his autobiography, ‘Distant Horizons.’ Today Seychelles is here to showcase itself to the Beijing Tourism Group and to develop a working partnership between China’s largest travel and tour company and our paradise holiday destination.

“Mr. Vice General Manager, Seychelles is today saying that it desires working with the Beijing Tourism Group, and that we hope that by the end of the day’s meeting, we have embarked on the road to consolidate our working partnership,” said Alain St.Ange, the CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board.

Mr. Wang Shang Wen, the Vice General Manager of the BTG, was accompanied at the signing ceremony by Mr. Chang Hongan and Ms. Karen Lai, Vice General Managers of the BTG-Accor Travel; Mr. He Guoliang, the General Manager of BTG-Outbound Tours; Mr. Quighua Ma, the Center Director of BTG M.I.C.E. of BTG Outbound Tours; and Mr. Wang Hai, the Manager for BTG Electronic Commerce Dept. in BTG Outbound Tours and other senior officials.

Mr. Alain St.Ange from the Seychelles Tourism Board was accompanied by Mr. Jean-Luc Lai-Lam and Mr. Lee, Marketing Executives from the Seychelles Tourism office in China; Mr. Derek Savy from Elite Club Seychelles; Mrs. Vania Robert from 7 Degrees South Seychelles; Ms. Andrea Ma from Mason’s Travel China Office; and Philippe Yee-Chong-Tchi-Kan, a tourism professional from La Reunion who accompanied the Seychelles delegation to China .

The document signed by Alain St.Ange of the Seychelles Tourism Board and Wang Shang Wen of the Beijing Tourism Group covers commercial cooperation and communication in the promotion of Seychelles as a tourism destination for Chinese holiday makers.

BTG is the largest travel and tour group in China with some 90 agents based only in Beijing. “BTG operates right across China. The partnership will open Seychelles as the new destination for China and the Chinese Holiday makers,” said Mr. St.Ange.

It is now expected that a delegation from the Beijing Tourism Group will visit Seychelles in the near future on a fact-finding mission as they develop their own holiday programs for the Chinese population.