Seychelles shares its ‘tourism and culture’ experience at high-level conference |07 February 2015

Seychelles has presented to a high-level tourism meeting its policy of culture being at the centre of the island's tourism development.

The UNWTO/Unesco World Conference on Tourism and Culture: Building a New Partnership took place from February 4 to 6, 2015 in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

It brought together, for the first time, ministers of tourism and ministers of culture to discuss the immense potential of working together to build inclusive economic growth, social development and cultural preservation.

This event was also a unique opportunity for policymakers, experts and practitioners to identify the opportunities and challenges of developing new partnership models that engage culture and tourism stakeholders at all levels in order to address shared responsibilities.

Seychelles was represented at the conference by the Minister for Tourism and Culture Alain St Ange and the principal secretary for culture Benjamne Rose.

The conference was  structured in two main blocks: a ministerial dialogue and four technical sessions. The ministerial dialogue addressed the policy and governance framework necessary to foster a new collaboration model between tourism and culture, while in the technical sessions, world-renowned experts and speakers tackled global issues in tourism and culture.

PS Rose said that Seychelles has been putting not only a lot of effort in the development of its culture, but it has also embarked on a plan of action to make the rich Seychellois culture more seen and more known in the community of nations. “We know that our culture has our very own DNA and we are proud of our culture. This is one of the reasons we embarked on a series of annual events to help showcase our culture and keep our performing and creative artists at the centre of the tourism development of Seychelles,” PS Rose said in a recent meeting.

The marriage of tourism and culture in Seychelles has resulted in a ministry that covers both tourism and culture and it is this experience by Seychelles that was tabled by Minister St Ange when he addressed the conference in Cambodia.

Some 46 ministers from right across the world have answered the call by the UNWTO and the Unesco to join together to develop strategies to get culture better recognised in the development of the tourism industry.