At the just concluded African Resilience Summit in Johannesburg, organized by IIPT and the Africa Travel Association, was former Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Hon. Alain St. Ange, named as recipient of the organization’s annual ‘Change Maker Award‘. The prestigious award recognizes the contributions St. Ange has made while in office but also ever since, as he remains one of the most engaged individuals in Africa, promoting travel to and across the continent.
Said IIPT: ‘This award will be awarded to the individual or entrepreneur who has made a significant change towards tourism either from within or outside the travel sector. An individual who has gone beyond the call of duty and spear-headed a new idea or product that brings change to the tourism industry in South Africa or to the continent of Africa‘📷
Congratulations to Alain St. Ange for the award and the recognition which goes along with it. No doubt one of the most visible tourism ministers ever, not just in the Seychelles but across Africa, will it no doubt help Alain to redouble his efforts and remain the change maker and disrupter he has become, driving the tourism industry forward.
ABOUT ALAIN ST. ANGE Alain St.Ange is remembered right across the world as the successful and dynamic Tourism Minister of the Seychelles who aspired to fly the Seychelles Flag at the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) if the island’s bid for the position of Secretary General had not been abruptly withdrawn as Africa shot itself in the foot yet again.Alain St Ange has been working in the tourism business all his working life and in Government services since 2009. He was appointed as the Director of Marketing for Seychelles by President and the island's then Minister of Tourism James Michel. After one year of service, he was promoted to the position of CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board.In 2012 the Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands regional Organization was formed and St Ange was elected as the first president of the organization.
He was First President of that Regional Organisation (Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands - Seychelles, Mauritius, Reunion, Madagascar, Comoros and Mayotte) and he remains the only one who was elected to serve a second back-to-back mandate.Tourism was and remains St.Ange’s life and passion and he steered that industry with style and utmost devotion. It is in the 2012 Seychelles Cabinet of Ministers re-shuffle, that St Ange was appointed as Minister of Tourism and Culture and appointed by President Danny Faure in 2016 as Minister of Tourism. Civil Aviation, Ports & Marine which he resigned on 28 December 2016 in order to pursue a candidacy as Secretary General of the World Tourism Organisation. When his candidature or document of endorsement was withdrawn by his country just a day before the elections in Madrid, Alain St.Ange showed his greatness as a speaker when he addressed the UNWTO gathering with grace, passion, and style.
His moving speech was recorded as the one on the best marking speeches at this UN international body. African countries often remember his Uganda address for the East Africa Tourism Platform when he was a guest of honour. As former Tourism Minister, St.Ange was a regular and popular speaker and was often seen addressing forums and conferences on behalf of his country. His ability to speak ‘off the cuff’ was always seen as a rare ability. He often said he speaks from the heart. In Seychelles he is remembered for a marking address at the official opening of the island’s Carnaval International de Victoria when he reiterated the words of John Lennon famous song… ” you may say I am a dreamer, but I am not the only one. One day you will all join us and the world will be better as one”. The world press contingent gathered in Seychelles on the day ran with the words by St.Ange which made headlines everywhere. St.Ange delivered the keynote address for the “Tourism & Business Conference in Canada” as he did across Africa, Europe and Asia. Seychelles is a good example for sustainable tourism.
This is therefore not surprising to see Alain St.Ange being sought after as a speaker on the international circuit. He pushed for ‘tourism for all’ as he campaigned for the Secretary General position of the UNWTO and in his home island he pushed for the islanders to ‘claim back their industry’ as he welcomed hundreds of small establishments in the island’s Accommodation Network.In the years when Alain St.Ange was Minister of Tourism of the Seychelles, the islands were recording 10% -12% growth in visitor arrival numbers month on month, and this even without enough air carriers adequately providing for adequate inbound seats.His appointment in the role of Minister was largely due to the Seychelles private sector business trade who pushed for him to take over the island’s marketing (2008). They then continued to pressure for one of their own to be appointed as CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board (2009). It is the Seychelles private sector trade who saw the successes by St.Ange and pressured then President James Michel to put someone from the business sector in the post of Minister of Tourism to put that Ministry back on track.
The late Louis D’Offay, the President of the Seychelles Hospitality and Tourism Association (SHTA) back then went on record to confirm their Association’s success in having one of their own in the office of Minister.A speaker on tourism matters who continues to be sought after on the international circuit as one reputed to know his subject matter well. He is followed and admired because he continues to speak off the cuff with no written text and this impresses always. At the UNWTO General Assembly in Chengdu in China, a person who was being sought after for the “Speakers Circuit” for tourism and sustainable development was Alain St.Ange.Alain St.Ange is now officially back in the political arena of his Seychelles Islands with the launching of his “One Seychelles” political party. He is a Seychellois islander he says happily, and guarantees he will work to put the people of the islands first in every decision taken by the islands.
He has been a Member of the Seychelles Parliament in the second and also in the third Republic of the Seychelles. He successfully won the La Digue Constituency (1979), the electoral seat held by his late father Karl St.Ange in the years before the 1976 Independence of Seychelles from Great Britain and then won the Bel Air Constituency (2002) taking the President’s own residential district away from the ruling party against all odds.When Alain St.Ange became the Seychelles Minister of Tourism and Culture (2012) it was the era when Seychelles went beyond political party lines to appoint two of its Ministers in their field of expertise, Alain St.Ange for Tourism and World Bank man Pierre Laporte for Finance. This was followed by his appointment as the Seychelles Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports & Marine in 2016.Alain St.Ange is a Tourism Consultant heading the “Saint Ange Consultancy” and is responsible for the widely distributed weekly “Saint Ange Tourism Report”.Alain St.Ange sat on the Board of the UNWTO and is also the founding President of the Seychelles Labor Union (SLU), President of the African Tourism Board (ATB), 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), Member Advisory Board of the non-profit organisation “Helping Needy Welfare Society of India”.
Alain St.Ange represented eTN Newswire in the Indian Ocean and had his own eTN column (St. Ange Indian Ocean report) for many years until he became a Minister in the Seychelles Government. He is also the Chairman of Trustees of the Arab Tourism News Portal – Al-Masala- Official Tourism Travel Portal News At Middle EastAlain St.Ange has been interviewed by some of the biggest television channels and continues to be called by International Press as a source of reference. Anita Mendiratta of the CNN Task Group published on the 11 April 2014: Travel & Tourism leaders close-up, this time a Minister of Tourism and it was Alain St.Ange used for her example.
She wrote that Seychelles as an island nation in the Indian Ocean neighbouring Africa’s eastern coastline, while small in geographic size and remotely located, the Seychelles has become a destination (through St.Ange) with a reputation for ‘punching above its weight’. He was on ‘Quest means Business’ with Richard Quest of CNN and Alan Boulton on Sky News during his UNWTO Campaign. He is not shy with a ‘gift of the gab’ making his an easy personality for live interviews.CollageSavedCancelPublish