It has been confirmed by the World Routes Organization that Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism&Culture, will address the World Routes Abu Dhabi Forum next week on the importance of regional cooperation.

Tourism remains a volatile industry and when coupled with the economic difficulties in some key European countries that have been traditional tourist source markets for many destinations, significant strategic decisions have had to be taken to ensure that new strategies be developed and new intelligent partnerships instigated.

The Seychelles Minister was one of the personalities responsible for launching a new Regional Organization for the Indian Ocean Islands known as the Vanilla Islands. With the notion that the “whole” is greater than the sum of its parts, this collaboration will ensure that the region is strongly positioned as a tourism region with a difference.

The Seychelles Minister was also instrumental with two other tourism professionals to launch ICTP (International Council for Tourism Partners) to open the door for tourism organizations to be have a say in world tourism matters. Today the ICTP has some 400 members from the four corners of the world.

These two organizations are keeping tourism in focus on a regional and international level.

Minister Alain St.Ange, who is also the current President of the Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands Regional Organization, said that he is appreciative that World Routes has recognized the importance of regional cooperation and have invited him to address this year’s World Routes Forum. “Seychelles is committed in playing its part in the consolidation of our region. Alone we are but dots in the ocean, but together these dots become as important as full stops are in a paragraph. As Minister responsible for Tourism in one of the smallest countries at this World Routes Forum, I do appreciate being accorded to what Seychelles is doing in the consolidation of its tourism industry,” said Minister St.Ange.