TOURISM AND CULTURE MINISTER VISITS HOTELS ON PRASLIN UNANNOUNCED
(Posted 07th July 2016)
Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture was on Praslin Island calling on hotels both large and small, and without prior notice.
The Minister who promotes the concept of ‘staying connected‘ with the trade said after this Praslin visit that it was also important to see tourism establishments during their day-to-day operation mode. ‘This is what our visitors see and this is what Seychellois experience they get from the front line of our industry. What I see during such visits when I visit them unannounced is what is seen by everyone’ said Minister St.Ange who was being accompanied by Principal Secretary Anne Lafortune who is responsible for Tourism and Sinha Levkovic, who heads the tourism department’s classification and standards section.
Amongst several properties seen during the Praslin visit were the Iles des Palmes Hotel where Minister St.Ange and his delegation were greeted by Christopher Gill and Mrs Gill as he arrived at the hotel.
He also stopped at the L’Archipel Hotel where owner Louis D’Offay, former Chairman of the Seychelles Hospitality and Tourism Association, used the opportunity of the visit by the delegation to discuss the industry in general and also sought the Ministry’s support to resolve an issue with the Planning Authority which was giving the hotel’s management grief with the visitors and which was now a real concern.
Minister St.Ange also met with Lucas D’Offay during his stop at the hotel.
Berjaya Praslin Beach Hotel was also visited just before restaurant service time and the Minister and his delegation had time during his tour of the property to meet and discuss with staff as well as visit the back of house of the establishment before seeing the meal service go underway.
‘These visits though impromptu in approach are important for us at the Ministry and we shall continue to make time for such visits’ said Principal Secretary Anne Lafortune.
