Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands cooperation: Seychelles’ tourism minister in talks with Mayotte President |21 December 2013

Mr Daniel Zaidini, President of the Island of Mayotte, and Minister St Ange

Cooperation between members of the Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands grouping was the focus of talks when the President of the island of Mayotte, Daniel Zaidini, recently met the Seychelles Minister for Tourism and Culture Alain St Ange, who is also the current president of the Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands grouping.

Minister St Ange was in transit in Mayotte on his way to Reunion island after having attended the Vanilla Islands Tourism Offices and Tourism Boards representatives meeting that was held in the Comoros.

President Zaidini and Minister St Ange had previously met at Top Resa, the tourism trade fair of France where many areas of cooperation were discussed.

At this latest meeting between President Daniel Zaidini of Mayotte and Minister Alain St Ange it has been confirmed that Mayotte will continue to play its part as a committed island of the Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands and that Mayotte will be a co-host of the 2014 Carnaval International de Victoria that is staged in the Seychelles during the last weekend of April.

Mayotte now joins Seychelles, Reunion, Madagascar and South Africa as co-hosts of this unique carnival also known as the 'carnival of carnivals' because it remains the only carnival where all the best carnivals of the world parade side by side followed by cultural troupes from the community of nations.

Minister St Ange also met Philippe Laycuras, the Sous-Préfet of Mayotte with responsibility for Economic and Regional Affairs. Together they discussed the question of air access and shipping challenges.

The question of cruise ships to the Indian Ocean Vanilla islands was also discussed.