Seychelles and Zambia boost ties in tourism |28 August 2013

Tourism between Seychelles and Zambia got a boost this week with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries.
The MoU was formalised by the Seychelles Minister for Tourism and Culture Alain St Ange and Zambia’s Minister for Tourism and the Arts, Sylvia Masebo, at the 20th General Assembly of the UNWTO in Zambia.

Minister St Ange broke with tradition of the UNWTO meetings when he requested during his address that Seychelles and Zambia be allowed to sign their MoU during the convention for Africa session of the UNWTO General Assembly where all delegates could witness this new cooperation agreement.

The MoU will allow Seychelles and Zambia to cooperate, exchange and share ideas and best practices as well as challenges and opportunities faced within the tourism industry by their team.

Tourism is the mainstay of the Seychelles economy while for Zambia it is the fourth pillar of its economy. The areas of cooperation will cover various points such as promotion of events; joint research and planning; joint marketing and promotion programmes; training and skills development programme; and tourism investment promotion.

Minister St Ange commented that this is a great moment for the two countries as we pave the way to show that Africa can work with Africa and that African countries can learn from success stories of each other.

The Seychelles minister and his delegation stayed at the David Livingstone Lodge and Spa during this visit. They said that they have experienced the comfort and ease of a well managed resort built sustainably right in the middle of a natural reserve.  

“This is a great example of where best practices on such an achievement can be shared between the countries under the MoU,” said Minister St Ange.

It is expected that the Zambian minister will be visiting Seychelles in the very near future. Zambia is also one African country that took part with a cultural delegation during the 2013 Carnaval International de Victoria in Seychelles earlier this year.