Seychelles delegation on working visit to India

The twenty-plus delegation from the Seychelles tourism and business community are in Delhi and were met at the Airport by HE Waven William, the Seychelles High Commissioner accredited to India.

The delegation to India is being led by Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture, and includes Sherin Naiken, the CEO of the Tourism Board; Benjamine Rose, the PS for Culture; Gilbert Faure, the CEO of the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority; V.J. Patel, the Chairman of the Indian Association of Seychelles and head of VIJAY Constructions; Marco Francis, the Chairman of the Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industries; Ramakrishnan Pillay, the CEO and Chairman of the Pillay R. Group; Shanmouga Pillay of Kannus; Narendra Raghvani of Sahajanand Builders; Narasimhan Ramani, a Chartered Accountant&Company Secretary; Pravin Darad, the Managing Director of Allied Builders; Rose-Marie Hoareau, the Director of Marketing at the Seychelles Tourism Board; Manish Jha of the Avani Resort; Savio Perera of 7 Degrees South; Tekla Maira of Raffles Praslin Seychelles; Amian Roy of Coral Strand Smart Choice Hotel; Gaurai Rai and Prahlad Singh Chauhan of Le Relax Management Limited; Komal Seth and Aletiya Sing of Beachcomber Group of Hotels; Manas Sinha of Banyan Tree Seychelles; and Pascal Viroleau, the CEO of the Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands Regional Organization.

On Saturday, Minister St.Ange is expected to join Minister Shripad Naik, the Indian Minister of State for Tourism with responsibility for Culture, and Sagar Ahluwalla, the Secretary General of PATWA, and other ministers of tourism from different Indian states to address the PATWA Seminar on Tourism. Madan Prasad Bezbaruah, the Asia Representative of the UNWTO [UN World Tourism Organization] and Sujit Banerjee, the Secretary General of the WTTC [World Travel and Tourism Council] will also be joining the meeting.

The three-day program in Delhi for the Seychelles delegation is intense, as a Seychelles Roadshow is also planned where tourism trade partners of India will meet Seychelles tourism operators who are traveling to India to get themselves and Seychelles more known. A series of B2B Networking Sessions is also on the program for the Seychelles delegation.

It is also in Delhi that Minister St.Ange and Gilbert Faure of the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority will be received by the Indian Minister responsible for Civil Aviation at his offices at Safdarjung Airport. The Minister, accompanied by Sherin Naiken, the CEO of the Tourism Board, and Benjamine Rose, the PS for Culture, will be received by Minister Shripad Naik, the Indian Minister of State for Tourism with responsibility for Culture in his offices at Parliament Street in New Delhi and by Mr. Kalraj Mishra, the Indian Minister responsible for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise at his Offices at Rafi Marg in New Delhi.

A meeting with the Chamber of Commerce of India as well as a private meeting with Darlong Thanglura, the former Indian High Commissioner in Seychelles, also appear on the program for the Seychelles delegation as they are in India.

A five-person group from the National Cultural Troupe under the leadership of Marietta Matombe are also in India to provide entertainment during the various tourism events and functions. Members of the Indian Association of Seychelles have come forward to sponsor the traveling costs for the dancers of the National Cultural Troupe.

When he was leaving Seychelles, Minister St.Ange said: “We are thankful to the support by members of the Indian Association of Seychelles who are working closely with us in the organization of this working visit to India. The Seychelles High Commissioner, Mr. Waven William, has personally been coordinating the different planned meetings, and we are today sure that this trip will bear fruits for Seychelles and for those who are traveling with us to India.”