SUMMER TIMES OF MAURITIUS ENDORSES ST. ANGE
(Posted 16th March 2017)
Philippe Hitié, broadly referred to as Popo, the MD of SummerTimes Group of Mauritius says ‘I join every sincere Indian Ocean Islander to say that I stand behind Alain St.Ange as the Seychelles Candidate for the UNWTO and say without hesitation ‘Vote Seychelles for UNWTO, Vote St.Ange‘
In his Letter of Endorsement Philippe Hitié says: ‘I believe that as a Mauritian in the Tourism Industry from the Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands it is my duty to come forward to officially say that I am supporting the Seychelles Bid for the post of Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
Every islander from our region must today be joining hands with the Seychelles and endorsing this Bid that will make not only Seychelles, but also our region as a whole inclusive of mainland Africa proud.
Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles nominated candidate has been known to me since I worked in Seychelles in the 1980s with the then Travel Services Seychelles (TSS). He was then a Tourism Officer with the Ministry of Tourism of his country and was even in these early years of his career a great Ambassador for Seychelles. Today as Managing Director of SummerTimes Group welcoming some 150,000 holiday makers to Mauritius and employing over 300 staff members, I do appreciate the leadership and professionalism required to manage our highly specialised tourism industry at large.
In the more recent times, I have seen Mr St.Ange as head of his island’s Tourism Board and then as Minister and his enthusiasm and passion for tourism has never been greater. He developed as a motivated Team Player the Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands and this is proving a good catalyst for the promotion of our islands especially in new emerging tourism source markets. He worked to attract Passenger Cruise Ships to our shores with success and today as he sits in a line-up of Candidates for the post of SG of the UNWTO, I am so proud to say I knew him, worked with him and consider him a tourism professional par excellence and truly devoted to the region.
Today I join every sincere Indian Ocean Islander to say that I stand behind Alain St.Ange as the Seychelles Candidate for the UNWTO and say without hesitation ‘Vote Seychelles for UNWTO, Vote St.Ange‘.
Alain St.Ange responded to this development and said as he was contacted by press from Mauritius that it is pleasing to see such spirit of patriotism as expressed in that letter from Mauritius. ‘Yes it is very clear that a Vote for Seychelles in the May elections with make Seychelles, the Vanilla Islands, the Region, mainland Africa proud. This is very clear, but it will be a good vote for tourism‘ said Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Candidate for Secretary General of the UNWTO
