(Posted 11th March 2025)
Minister Patricia de Lille MP, the Minister of Tourism of South Africa alongside Dr. Alain St.Ange of the Seychelles took to the stage at an event at the ITB Tourism Trade Fair 2025 in Berlin to address the topic of AI & Sustainable Tourism.
The Minister of Tourism of South Africa presented the topic using South Africa as the example for a tourism destination set of promoting and defending the concept of sustainable tourism. Minister Patricia de Lille spoke about the ongoing efforts of her Ministry and also the People of South Africa to embrace sustainable tourism that is today regarded as more being important than ever before.
Dr. Alain St.Ange, the best known and globally respected tourism consultant coming from Seychelles reinforced the points covered by the Minister from South Africa. He said the every citizen from the Community of Nations have a duty to ensure that they leave behind a world that is better that they saw it when they arrived. Dr. Alain St.Ange, the former Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine of the Seychelles and now a candidate for the island’s Presidential elections that will be held in September took to the podium with his usual ‘off the cuff’ style that he prefers to call ‘speaking from the heart’ developed the concept of sustainable tourism tying it to AI saying that embracing this development can only bring benefits to the tourism industry.
AI should be the support but will never replace the needed human side of the industry. “Tourism is a people’s industry and this we should never forget. Tourism works based on the human touch. Let us all use AI but remembering always that it is us, the human side of the industry that remains key to our continued success“
Dr. Alain St. Ange is presently candidate for the upcoming presidential elections in September in the Seychelles and a key element of his campaign platform is the full revival and fullest government support to the entire industry, which has been suffering a multitude of challenges across the board in recent years.
