Australian HC spotlights tourism growth |15 September 2004

Speaking at State House after his accreditation visit to President James Michel, His Excellency Mr McConville said that tourism represents an important area for cooperation between Australia and Seychelles, one which could be strengthened with the arrival of new airlines.

"I think with the opening up of air links in the coming months, particularly with Emirates, this will be a vehicle to bring in more Australian tourists and I would be delighted if more Australian tourists could discover these beautiful islands," he said.

The new High Commissioner described his first meeting with President Michel as an opportunity to, "underline the close people to people links," between the two countries, a large part of which, the diplomat said, is based around the 25,000 Seychellois who live in Australia.

Mr McConville also said that he had discussed trade and education links in his meetings with the President and with Vice-President Joseph Belmont.

Despite comments made by the Australian Prime Minister John Howard about the viability of certain Pacific Ocean small island states, Mr McConville described the Australian government as a good friend of small island developing states and said that it will be a "Friend of the Chair" at a UN funded small island states conference to be held in Mauritius in January.

Mr McConville is the eleventh Australian High Commissioner to be accredited to Seychelles and said that he would try to visit as often possible, from his base in Mauritius.

His present trip will see Mr McConville stay in Seychelles until Sunday, allowing him to take part in the September 17 Clean Up the World Day.

Mr McConville said that the Clean Up the World campaign, "has an Australian origin and I think that of all the countries in the world Seychelles has really taken the idea and embraced it and I'm very excited to be joining the Ministry (of Environment and Natural Resources) on Friday and being part of the activities."

The Australian High Commissioner will be joining the MENR staff, bag in hand, in their litter collecting campaign.