Nation walkers in their welfare funds lift bid

Nation walkers in their welfare funds lift bid - 24.09.2012 

Seychelles Nation staff walked from Victoria through Anse Etoile, Glacis and Beau Vallon to raise funds for their newsprint social welfare association.

The fastest group among the walkers, made up of assistant director Marie-Anne Lepathy, production technicians Marthe Joseph and Vernay Dubois, website manager Marie-Josée Edmond and sales assistant Rose-May Julienne (photo by G.T.)

The walkers came from the newspaper’s various sections and welcomed the chance to socialise saying they are normally buried so deep under work so as to meet tight deadlines that they usually have little time to interact.

“Most of us also work daily including on Sundays so we are happy for the chance to exercise,” some said, adding they had to wake up early to attend to domestic chores first to meet the 7.30am walk start time.

Nation now falls under the National Information Services Agency (Nisa) which was created in April 2010 as a corporate body with financial autonomy to publish the newspaper and offer other unique services like pre-press work and colour separation for other publishers, printers and individuals.

Nisa was established through an Act of the National Assembly to give information services in an efficient, objective, impartial and cost-effective manner to the public and state institutions.

Having been weaned from government funds as part of the country’s economic reforms, the agency runs on the income it raises and the walkers said they were borrowing a leaf from their mother organisation to be self sufficient.

For the activity, the walkers raised money from their families and donors, the top givers being Civil Construction Company Limited and telecommunication companies Airtel and Cable & Wireless, to all of whom the walkers said a special “thank you”.

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Appeal for an ozone friendly generation

Appeal for an ozone friendly generation - 24.09.2012 New trees now grace English River secondary school’s playground following a tree-planting activity held recently to mark the 25th anniversary of the Montreal Protocol and International Ozone Day.  This was preceded by a donation of an ozone-friendly refrigerator by the Ministry of Environment and Energy -- represented by principal secretary Wills Agricole – to the school. Also present for the activities was district administrators for English River and Anse Etoile, national ozone coordinator Inese Chang-Waye, representatives from the Division of Risk and Disaster Management, the school’s head teacher Marie-Claude Morel, other teachers and students. The theme for this year’s International Ozone Day, celebrated on September 16, was protecting our Atmosphere for Generations to come and Mrs Morel said the reason English River School was chosen for the tree-planting activity is that its students are constantly exposed to ultra violet rays as there is barely any shade on the school grounds. “It is also in the middle of town and therefore prone to pollutions,” she said. Keeping in line with this year’s theme, Mr Agricole explained that since “the ozone layer plays a crucial role in the protection of life on earth from harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation, it is therefore indeed the future generations that will bear the full impact of the ozone depletion and subsequent climate change if the present generation does not develop the resilience and determination that is required to tackle such threats”. The Montreal Protocol – a multilateral environmental agreement – was signed by Seychelles in 1993. This saw to it that substances harmful to the ozone layer be removed from the country and through this, Seychelles has also established its ODS (Ozone depleting substances) control policy and regulation by putting in place an ODS import/export licensing system that is enforced. Mr Agricole asked students to tell their parents to also contribute to preserving the ozone layer by doing simple things like avoiding importing gases and gas driven equipment restricted in the country such as refrigerators using R11 and R12 refrigerants and by buying ozone-friendly ones instead. “Keeping Seychelles green is each and every Seychellois’ responsibility. Planting a single tree in your garden and school establishments is a noble act as it will contribute towards the 20,000 Trees For Life national campaign,” he said. At the end of the ceremony Mrs Chang-Waye gave a short presentation highlighting the dangers of over exposure to ultraviolet rays and different ways to protect oneself from it. Among other things, too much ultraviolet rays can cause skin cancers and cataracts and destroy vegetation.

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Zenn i ralye pour selebre lape

Zenn i ralye pour selebre lape - 24.09.2012 En gran nonm zenn ti ralye lo laplenn La Promenade Sanmdi pour en lazournen spor ek animasyon koman parti bann aktivite pour konmemor Lazournen Enternasyonal pour Lape.           Madanm Van Der Westhuizen ek Msye Ah-Weng pe adres lafoul … Parmi bann envite kot sa aktivite, organize par Konsey Nasyonal pour Lazenes, ti Prezidan Larepiblik James Michel, serten minis ek lezot o zofisye gouvernman, e osi bokou zenn sorti partou atraver pei. Avan seremoni ti demare, tou dimoun ti obzerv en minit silans an siny lape. Seremoni louvertir ti deswit apre konmans avek en reflesyon fer par Robert Ah-Weng, ki ti koz lo lape ek son sinifikasyon. … lafoul Sanmdi «Mesaz prensipal se ki pour konstrir lape dan nou sosyete nou bezwen tou dabor par konstrir lape dan nou bann sitwayen Seselwa, savedir sak endividi i bezwen fer en zefor pour li kapab annan lape a lenteryer limenm,» i ti dir. «Savedir, fodre sak dimoun i annan lape dan son lespri, dan son panse, santiman anver nou menm e anver lezot, lape dan nou bann aksyon ek relasyon, lape dan lakour e dan landrwa travay, alors i enportan realize ki nou pa pou kapab konstri lape san ki nou annan e etabli lape endividyel.» Dan son diskour pour sa lokazyon, sef egzekitif Konsey Nasyonal pour Lazenes Vicky Van Der Westhuizen ti dir ki lape pa vedir en landrwa kot napa tapaz, kot napa konfli ouswa napa dispit. «Lape i al pli lwen ki sa. Kantmenm otour ou i annan tansyon ek disansyon, konman en endividi ou annan sa abilite pour reste kalm dan ou leker. Lape i osi enkli sekirite, respe pour dignite sak dimoun. Lape i vedir fraternite ki egziste dan lakominote ki fer nou viv dan larmoni konman bann vre frer ek ser,» i ti dir. «Lape i en skill ki nou aprann. I en prosesis ki ariv gradyelman, e i en prosesis ki formidab. Zis parey nou ansenny nou bann zanfan ki mannyer pour lir, ekrir, desinen e konte, nou bezwen osi edik zot lo lape. Pli boner e pli vit ki nou aprann viv lape, i pli an bonn sante pour nou tou.» Madanm Van Der Westhuizen ti osi koz lo ki mannyer nou devret promot lape, an konmansman avek nou menm. «Letan nou pa ofans nou frer ek ser, nou pe promot lape. Letan nou ed nou kanmarad ki pli feb e vilnerab avek en bon konsey, nou pe promot lape. Annou konman bann zenn aprann fer lape avek nou menm, ki sa bann siny lerozyon lape i disparet dan nou pti pei Sesel,» i ti dir. Tou dimoun ki ti la ti apre atrap lanmen e sant en sanson lo lape, e osi larg en gran kantite balon blan dan lezer. Apre sa zes pour lape, seremoni ofisyel ti terminen e lazournen ti kontinyen avek diferan animasyon, aktivite sportif ek lezot ankor.

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High-level delegation visit Montagne Posée Prison

High-level delegation visit Montagne Posée Prison - 24.09.2012 

A high-level delegation visited the Montagne Posée Prison last Wednesday where they were apprised of the detention conditions of the Somali pirates held here.

The delegation comprised Rear Admiral Duncan Potts, the EUNavfor Operation Commander for the European Union Naval Forces anti-piracy mission; the British high commissioner to Seychelles, Lindsay Skoll; the political advisor for EUNavfor, Joanne Hamer; and officers attached to the Rear Admiral’s office. They were accompanied by the Minister for Home Affairs and Transport Joel Morgan and officers from his ministry.

The prison tour was guided by the deputy Superintendent of Prison, Will Thurbin, who briefed the delegates about the facilities and prison improvement projects undertaken by the government with the assistance of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

During the tour, Rear Admiral Potts spoke with several of the Somali pirates in the main yard of the prison, now serving their sentences in Seychelles. This provided a unique opportunity for the Admiral and his staff to engage in open discussions with them. 

Admiral Potts reminded them that their detention at the Montagne Posée Prison is as a result of their illegal acts of piracy in the Indian Ocean. The Admiral expressed the hope that with the new Somali government in place, continued progress could be made that would see peace and stability returning to Somalia again.

During the meeting, the convicted Somalis took the opportunity to ask Minister Morgan about their possible repatriation back to Somalia. The minister informed them that with the agreements in place, transfer back to Somali prisons to carry out their sentences would continue to take place as the extension of prisons capacity and space are made available in Somalia.

He said that the government’s policy was to transfer them back to Somalia to serve their prison sentences there.
The delegation left Seychelles on the evening of the same day.

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Nouvobanq Praslin: Celebrating 10 years of success

Nouvobanq Praslin: Celebrating 10 years of success - 22.09.2012 

November 2nd, 2002, was a historic day for banking in Seychelles. The then Minister for Finance, President James Michel, was joined by a range of dignitaries, bank officials and members of the local community as he officially opened the new Nouvobanq branch at Baie Ste Anne, Praslin.

The new Praslin branch was Nouvobanq’s first branch away from Mahé and marked a major increase in competition in the banking sector on the island. With a commitment to customer service and a complete range of bank products and services on offer, the Praslin branch quickly attracted new customers and raised service standards across the banking sector on Praslin. Ten years later Nouvobanq Praslin is one of the driving forces of the island’s economy and the first choice bank for thousands of Praslinois.

Although the branch was officially opened on the 2nd November, it had been open for business since the 18th September 2002, providing an almost identical range of banking products and services as the head office on Mahé.

The decision had been taken ahead of the Praslin expansion that the portfolio of loans, deposits and other services offered by the bank would be as broad as those provided at the head office, as the Nouvobanq Board of Directors recognized that the non-commercial customers’ needs were the same, and that the rapid expansion of tourism on Praslin had ensured that a complete suite of commercial banking products were also required.

Today, amongst the services provided by Nouvobanq on Praslin are:
• Savings, Checking and Deposit accounts,
• Bureau de change,
• Cheque books,
• Cash withdrawals and deposits,
• Mobile banking,
• Safe deposits,
• Private and business loans,
• Overdraft facilities.
• Western Union Services (International Money Transfers)

The range of services available and a reputation for customer care enabled the Praslin branch to rapidly expand its customer base. After the first year of operation the branch had attracted 540 customers. Today the branch boasts 2,766 customers, a mix of corporate and private accounts, and is one of the key banking service providers on the island, thanks in part to the ease of service access. As a branch bank the Praslin Nouvobanq covers all aspects of daily banking transactions at a single point, unlike the larger head office in Victoria, where different aspects are handled by different departments.

As well as enabling the bank to meet, greet and assist its clients directly, the Praslin branch of Nouvobanq has also facilitated the bank’s roll-out of additional services on the island. Using the branch as a hub, Nouvobanq began expanding its provision to businesses of Visa debit card machines, which were fully operational by 2005, and which continue to grow in popularity both for local shoppers and tourist visitors to Praslin. The branch also coordinated the set-up of Nouvobanq’s first ATM on Praslin, which was installed in the Cote D’or area in 2007.

The choice of the Cote D’or for the bank’s first ATM was a strategic decision based on the requirement to meet the needs of the local community at the same time as supporting the Praslin tourist industry. The key industry on Praslin and the largest employer on the island, the tourism industry has been central to Nouvobanq’s activity on the island. Today the branch counts many of Praslin’s tourism businesses, from the largest hotels to the smallest guest houses, amongst its clients, and has adapted its services to meet the needs of all manner of tourism businesses, from restaurants and boat charters to taxis and tour guides.

Who We Are

When the doors opened in September 2002, Nouvobanq Praslin employed nine members of staff and – a testament the bank’s role in the local community – it is still staffed by five of the original members of staff. Of the five who have been at the branch since opening day are two members of staff who had worked with Nouvobanq even before it opened its Praslin branch. Assistant Manager, Agnes Quatre, started work with Nouvobanq as a cashier on Mahé in 2000, before moving to Praslin for the new branch opening and has steadily worked her way up in the company. The longest serving employee, however, is Selwyn Michaud-Payet (see Employee Profile).

The Next Ten Years

The first item on the Nouvobanq Praslin plan is to extend the bank’s ATM services. Plans are in place and negotiations underway to add the Grand Anse area to the bank’s ATM network, giving customers on the south coast of Praslin quick and easy access to their accounts around the clock.

The single most important project for the near future, however, is the development of purpose built, Nouvobanq-owned premises for the bank. Talks are underway for the construction of a dedicated Praslin office for Nouvobanq, expected to be situated in the Baie Ste Anne area.

As the branch’s portfolio of services and customer base has grown, so the need to operate in a larger, better equipped bank has arisen and the Nouvobanq Board of Directors are in the process of finalizing plans for a more comfortable, efficient building, better able to meet their customers’ needs.

Even while work is underway on the upgrade of the Nouvobanq facilities on Praslin, the bank is committed to maintaining the key attribute that ensured the last ten years of success: customer service.

Staff in the spotlight: Selwyn Michaud-Payet

The small Nouvobanq team that staff the Nouvobanq Praslin branch are led by veteran Nouvobanq employee, Selwyn Michaud-Payet, whose service with the bank started even before Nouvobanq had come into existence.

Mr Michaud-Payet began his banking career in 1980 with Standard Chartered bank in Victoria, which was later to become Nouvobanq. While the bank was still Standard Chartered he was posted on overseas attachments to Ghana and Zimbabwe, which gave him invaluable banking experience ahead of the transformation of Standard Chartered in Seychelles into Nouvobanq, in 1991.

“I held various positions from Customer Service Clerk and Cashier and worked in the Trade Department, Foreign Exchange and Audit. When we changed into Nouvobanq I was promoted to Supervisor and held a position in the Credit and Loan Department,” explained Mr Michaud-Payet.

With experience across the bank’s range of services, and the training and ability to lead, Mr Michaud-Payet was the natural choice to take the responsibility of managing the new branch when plans for the Praslin expansion were under discussion.

“The decision to establish the branch on Praslin was taken based on demand from the island but also it was part of the company’s vision for expansion,” he said.

After ten years in charge of Nouvobanq on Praslin, Mr Michaud-Payet is proud of the bank’s achievements, as a business and as a member of the community.

“We have never refused to donate to just causes and we have recently agreed on a scholarship,” he said of the bank’s corporate social responsibility policy.

Of even greater importance than the bank’s direct charitable donations is its impact as an engine of growth on the island.

“We have always supported businesses in the tourism industry. On Praslin the tourism industry is by far the biggest employer and we know that every time we support a business with any of our products we are helping to increase investment, increase the number of visitors and create new jobs on Praslin.”

Married for 25 years, Mr Michaud-Payet is the proud father of three children and has four grandchildren, and, despite coming from Glacis on Mahé, he has made Praslin his home.

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Message from the Chairman

“It’s all about the customer”

The success of Nouvobanq – in any way that such a term can be measured, be it inreturning a profit to the bank’s shareholders or in increasing the number of account holders – has been based on a constant commitment to putting the customer first. Our banking ethos has been to provide our customers with the services that work for them, confident that happy customers are loyal customers and that loyal customers drive the bank to prosper and grow.

This commitment to customer satisfaction is evident today, in everything from the growth of our ATM network to our diverse portfolio of customer services, but one of the clearest indications of Nouvobanq’s unwavering customer-first policy came ten years ago with the opening of our Praslin branch office.

We understood that the people of Praslin, their families and their businesses, needed the same wide range of banking services, the same easy account access and the same friendly, professional staff, as their counterparts on Mahé.

We recognized the increasing size and professionalism of Praslin’s tourist industry and understood that this industry, and the many businesses which support it, would demand the same international-quality products and services that Nouvobanq was proudly providing on Mahé.

We acted on this understanding in 2002 when we opened our branch office at Baie Ste Anne, Praslin, and I am proud to say that the last ten years have brought success for our bank and our customers.

Today the staff in our branch on Praslin, and in all the Nouvobanq offices, continue to put our customers first and thanks to their determination and hard work I know that I can look forward with confidence to the next ten years of prosperity for Nouvobanq and its customers.

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Message from the Managing Director

Banking on growth

A good bank can provide the capital that allows a new business to flourish, that helps a family buy their home, that makes a savings account grow, and it was to make this happen that 10 years ago the Nouvobanq Board of Directors, in consultation with the Government of Seychelles and its financial authorities, opened its doors on Praslin.

From our first day of operation on Praslin we have worked hard to be an engine of growth for the Praslin economy. Each new business that has started with a Nouvobanq loan has been a new employer. Each hotel expansion that has been funded by Nouvobanq has welcomed more tourists who have contributed more to the local economy. Each boutique that has been set up with Nouvobanq financing has earned foreign exchange which has been injected directly into the local economy.

Supporting local growth and job creation has been central to our work on Praslin and I am delighted by the success stories which we have been able to play a part in.

And I can express my unreserved pride in the work that the small but dedicated team of Nouvobanq staff on Praslin have achieved in only 10 years.  They have established Nouvobanq as the first choice for banking on Praslin, for businesses and individuals.

They have worked hard to ensure that targets are met and goals achieved. Most importantly, they have cemented the bank’s reputation for customer service, in part by adhering to our customer focused operating policies and, in equal measure, through their warmth, friendliness and simply as members of the community they serve.

The thanks of the entire Nouvobanq family are extended to them for their dedication, commitment and hard work which has made Nouvobanq an integral part of the Praslin economy and, I hope, society.

And I also thank the people of Praslin for choosing Nouvobanq, in ever increasing numbers, and placing their confidence in the bank to keep its promise of always putting them first.

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Human resources

Human resources - 12.09.2012 Managers learn to better deal with in-house issues Conflicts or issues in workplaces should at first be attempted to be resolved in-house, and only after that should they be brought forward to the next level. This was one of the points made at the launch of a one-day forum for human resources yesterday morning at the Seychelles Trading Company’s conference room. The event aimed to seek the concerns of human resources managers and administrators in the private sector – which employs 72% of the workforce – compile suggestions and empower them to better deal with in-house issues. It was suggested that only after failing to solve the issues in-house, should third parties like the department of employment be brought in. Launching the event, the Minister for Labour and Human Resource Development Idith Alexander noted that the country’s economy modernises and rapidly grows and that the importance of workplace stability for continued social progress becomes all the more vital. “In the light of these changes, it is more important than ever before for the government to be more innovative and active in its role of facilitating decent work for all workers in Seychelles,” she said. “The forum will be inspirational because strategies to continuously improve employment conditions and industrial relations will be addressed. This forum will also be an opportunity because the views of organisations will be heard as feasible and sustainable solutions will be encouraged for us to address employment challenges together.” One of the pertinent facts that came to light is that 515 grievances cases have been registered with the ministry and 2070 have sought labour and employment advice from the ministry. Minister Alexander said they recognise that managing people is not an easy task. “Within an organisation, there are people with different backgrounds, upbringing and expectations. We will all nonetheless agree that great employer-employee relations are vital for the success of an organisation and we must do our utmost to ensure that we strike the right balance so that organisations continue to be successful, while employees are kept motivated and are provided with the best possible conditions at work,” she said. A testimony was also given during the launch by the human resources manager at the Seychelles Breweries company, Japha Ally, who said Seychelles has changed and with it the people, and that HR managers needed to change with the times. “Being on the HR team has helped me realise that I need to value to add value to the organisation, and that the values plus the right culture needs to be created in the workplace,” he said. Speaking to the press, the principal secretary for labour and human resources Veronique Bresson said they have invited workplaces in the private sector to join with her department to hold regular discussions. “This platform will therefore be used to guide and help the human resource managers so that they can better serve their mandate and bring more harmony to their workplace,” she said. “We are also appealing to other private sector organisations who have not yet responded to our invitations to join our platform, to do so,” she added.

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SEYCHELLES TOURISM PRIVATE SECTOR RAISES SAME CONCERNS, VALIDATES ISSUES

SEYCHELLES TOURISM PRIVATE SECTOR RAISES SAME CONCERNS, VALIDATES ISSUES

(Seychelles Minister for Tourism and Culture Alain St. Ange and Louis DOffay, Chairman of SHTA)
Following a recent article in which the concerns of the Seychelles private sector were expressed, and questions asked about a number of pressing and increasingly controversial issues vis a vis Air Seychelles and in particular Etihad, did the alarm bells shriek in some quarters of the Seychelles establishment. Yet, as became apparent yesterday in a meeting between the SHTA and the Minister for Tourism, these issues are indeed as important to the private sector as individuals, leading members of the tourism trade by the way, had expressed to this correspondent while on the islands last week. They asked questions, not all of which were in fact reflected in the said article, as it was clear they would strike a nerve within certain quarters and prompt a sharpish reaction.
Those questions were raised in the spirit of constructive engagement, and those who regularly read articles about the Seychelles here, know that there is overwhelming sympathy and support for the archipelagos tourism industry right across the board. A media release just received, about the meeting and what was said by the Chairman of the Seychelles Hospitality and Tourism Association Mr. Louis DOffay, once again spell out the issues raised in the article of last Wednesday and this correspondent affirms each and every aspect to be correct and valid, no matter how much it hits the raw nerves of those now under scrutiny and increasing pressure, to accept the private sectors recommendations and demands. Read what Mr. DOffay had to say and in what spirit this was said, not to seek confrontation but to constructively engage government and avoid that the goose which lays the golden eggs is slaughtered on the slab of expediency and misguided protection of a course going into the wrong direction.

SEYCHELLES TOURISM INDUSTRY’S PRIVATE SECTOR STANDS WITH THE ISLAND’S MINISTER OF TOURISM

The Seychelles has been taking note of addresses, remarks and questions coming from a series of public meetings for the islands tourism industry across the main islands of Mahe, Praslin and La Digue. It was the Louis DOffay, the Chairman of the Seychelles Hospitality & Tourism Association (SHTA) himself who addressed the private sector players at the Praslin and La Digue meetings, and he was accompanied by Daniella Payet-Alis, the associations Vice Chairperson.

Louis DOffay took the floor after Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture had delivered his own address. The series of public meetings had been called by the Minister as a means to hear the trade and to openly offer an opportunity for a public dialogue between the Tourism Minister and the islands tourism private sector.

Mr Louis DOffay, the Chairman of the Seychelles Hospitality & Tourism Association (SHTA) started his address saying: Today we are happy to be standing with the Minister of Tourism on Praslin for their third meeting with the Tourism trade. The initiative to hold these public meetings speaks volumes on the determination of the Ministry, and of its Minister to remain connected with the industrys front line team, us the trade. As chairman of the SHTA I thank the Minister for his personal effort in leading his Ministry with us in his mind. Listening to us, hearing us and understanding us is easier said than done, but with the Tourism Minister I can say this is so.

Is all well? No, and I would be lying if I said all was well.. This is why I am personally happy Minister that you have undertaken this series of public meetings with the Tourism trade. The importance for us, the tourism trade, to be working with the Ministry of Tourism and the Tourism Board is Priority Nº1 on our list. Today publicly I say thank you to Minister Alain St.Ange for his offer to meet with me as Chairman of the SHTA on a monthly. This offer is commendable. It shows the importance given to our private sector association. This is a new practice for a member of the Seychelles Government, but Minister Alain St.Ange was one of us, and he comes from our ranks. As Alain St.Ange, he worked alongside us most of his life. Because we all know him also points to us the void that was created when he moved from being the one in charge of our countrys Marketing. With our support he changed the way the marketing of Seychelles was done, and he succeeded, that is clear, but now that he has assumed the position of Minister, we have seen the hole he left behind.

This void has prompted us, the tourism industry, to seek the acceptance of a new private sector led Marketing Committee to be advisory body for the Tourism Board. This has been accepted, and we are thankful, as this will help us through this difficult time. Tourism is going through the most difficult period with our main traditional markets suffering from their own economic difficulties. This is why we asked for continued togetherness in how we move forward from now on.

We know that we need visibility as a small country. This was a means never handled before Alain St.Ange took over the responsibility of marketing of Seychelles. But visibility then became a necessity. Those of us who travel to trade fairs, and who conduct sales calls will appreciate how more talked about we are today, and how the tourism trade in all our key markets are today more updated on the Unique Selling Points of our Seychelles.

I am unsure if it is the Minister himself or the News Bureau of the Tourism Board who undertook this mammoth task, but their effort is paying off and their effort is working. This is where we now need to get more positive news to the Ministry and ensure that positives from our end also makes the news, and in so doing keeping the word Seychelles in the forefront. We all have to be realistic, positive news is not news. Expecting press to report on our beaches and on our natural beauty is not going to happen anymore because this same press has written over and over again of these key assets of ours. We have to be innovative and we have to be intelligent now to move forward to continue to have the word Seychelles on the world news wire.

Here on behalf of the SHTA, we appeal to everyone sitting here, and to everyone in Seychelles to work with the Ministry of Tourism to keep Seychelles in the limelight and visible on the newswire and on the press at large.

Marketing of Seychelles is also today an area where we all need to pull together. I was one who screamed about direct flights to Paris and Europe. This I still sincerely believe that it is a needed service for our islands tourism industry. Our country is disconnected unfortunately with what we have as policy guiding the Minister of Transport, and what we have guiding the Minister of Tourism. But as Ministers look at Seychelles and not just at Air Seychelles we have us, the trade to look beyond where we previously looked for tourists. This same point was made at the Mahe meetings, and today I am reiterating the point because it is important. Never forget that in the three points given by Blue Panorama for discontinuing their Seychelles flights one is the handling charges at the Seychelles Airport which is four times more that our competitors. It is Transport who can bring our charges into line, or it is also them who can open up and allow competition.

This is why we today need to rally to work with the Tourism Board to diversify our tourist markets. China and India, yes we need to follow as an industry, but let us look at South Africa now that Air Seychelles has confirmed that they will have four flights to Joburg from December. We all know that Air Seychelles cannot grow that market to double their passenger numbers to make four flights viable. This is where the twin centre approach with Brazil, South and North America is so important. South Africa has developed that Brazil market, and today it is working for them. Seychelles needs to be intelligent and piggyback on South Africa. We are happy to see that all our DMCs are now moving to Brazil to continue the works the Tourism Minister has personally started.This does not mean we must not continue to fight to get, a not only direct, but a nonstop flight to Paris. It is a needed boost we need for our industry. We must also put a greater effort on the Russian Market.

But these negatives have still not stopped us on our road to advance our industry forward. The much awaited Tourism Masterplan, we all took part in its planning and participating in its deliberations is now with us, we are looking at a revised VAT from January that will reduce our operational costs, we are moving Louis DOffay said.

The Seychelles Minister, Mr Alain St.Ange welcomed the support received by the tourism industrys private sector. As he thanked Mr Louis DOffay at the Praslin and La Digue meetings he said that his Ministry remains willing to continue to work with the industrys association for the continued consolidation of the Seychelles Tourism Industry.

At the La Digue Island public meeting Minister St.Ange was also joined by Ambassador Barry Faure, the Secretary of State in the Presidents Office and Chairman of the Tourism Board and the La Digue Development Board.
With all this said, and correctly reflected in a communiqué from the Ministry of Tourism and Culture in Victoria, I rest my case.

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Kigali’s International airport set for a further 15 Mio USD upgrade

MORE WORK TO BE DONE AT KIGALIS KAMEMBE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
It was learned overnight that additional work worth some 15 million US Dollars will commence in October this year at Kamembe International Airport in Kigali. Growing passenger numbers, as a result of the network and fleet expansion by RwandAir and the operation of additional flights by a number of other airlines, resulted in full utilization of existing check in counters and other facilities, and with the new Bugesera International Airport still a few years away, extra investments were needed to upgrade and within the physical limits expand the present airport. The Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority has also reportedly dedicated some of the funds towards the introduction of the latest scanner technology for baggage and passengers which will replace older models. Here it is hoped that BOTH entrance check facilities will in the future be used, at all times across the day, to reduce the queues of passengers, often reaching into the outside parking area and not out of misguided rationalization as it has been put to this correspondent during past visits to the airport, only using one of the available scanners.
Some funds perhaps would also be wisely spent to once again upgrade the attitude of those manning the check points as complaints about less than expected levels of professional conduct and in particular customer friendly behaviour seem to still persist to this day inspite of a spirited narrative of outright bad behaviour by some officials a while ago. In fairness, only one in three recent experiences was on the downside, showing that someone had picked up on the complaints but one in three negative hits is still an unacceptable situation when this is the last experience of Rwanda a traveler is taking home, often then souring an otherwise overwhelmingly positive impression from the many encounters with Rwandans across the country.
Targeted in three phases the workscope is expected to include the congested departure lounge, the baggage claim and arrival areas. Traffic through the airport has in recent years grown by at least 15 percent annually, spurred by growing arrival numbers of tourists coming to see the countrys national parks and natural beauty and a constant stream of business and trade visitors from the region and beyond, wanting to exploit the stable political environment by opening up new markets. For more tourism information about Rwanda visit www.rwandatourism.com or check outwww.rwandair.com. Welcome to the Land of a Thousand Hills.

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BRUSSELS AIRLINES OFFERS 50 PERCENT REBATE ON 50TH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY

BRUSSELS AIRLINES OFFERS 50 PERCENT REBATE ON 50TH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY

Brussels Airlines, the airline with the longest uninterupted service record to Uganda, the Pearl of Africa, has announced that for those wishing to join Independence Day on the 09th of October this year, their flight on the 06th of October from Brussels to Entebbe, and from other SN destinations going there via Brussels, for instance from New York, will be getting a 50 percent rebate for tickets when using this special Golden Jubilee celebration flight.
This special promotion was launched yesterday by Ugandas Brussels Airlines Country Manager Benjamin Puissant and his sales team, led by Belinda Sebunya was quick to spread the news overnight, allowing for a timely reproduction of this extraordinary offer here.
The following terms and conditions do apply however to take advantage of this offer, nothing out of the ordinary though as a quick read will confirm:

The following conditions apply:

- 50% discount on the air fare (not the taxes) for guests from any Brussels Airlines destination in Europe or coming from New York.
Flight to Uganda on the 6th of October, return flight between 10th and 20th of October.
Bookings need to be made through our Kampala office: infoug@brusselsairlines.com or
+256 41 42 34 201 with the mention of Brussels Airlines Golden Jubilee Offer.
As Uganda is now in the final countdown towards our 50th Golden Jubilee of Independencefor which a host of African heads of state are expected to gather in Kampala to witness the occasion, those friends of the Pearl of Africa living in the United States or in Europe will be able to plan for their presence at a hugely reduced cost, so a big thank you is in order to Brussels Airlines for making this possible. Savoir Vivre in the air come visit us.

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Kenya Airways plans for low cost carrier come under public scrutiny

Kenya Airways plans for low cost carrier come under public scrutiny

Posted September 10, 2012 by Aviation, tourism, travel and conservation news - DAILY from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands in Uncategorized. Leave a Comment

JAMBO JET FATE IN BALANCE AS OBJECTIONS ARE DUE TO BE HEARD
Kenya Airways plans for the launch of their own low cost airline, Jambo Jet, will reportedly be subjected to public scrutiny, as the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority has invited the public and competitors in the airline industry to submit their comments, observations and objections at a hearing set for later this week. A decision by KCAA is then expected to be taken late this month, which is keenly expected by local and regional aviation observers.
Intended to operate both domestic as well as regional routes, Jambo Jet would compete head on with privately owned local airlines such as Jetlink, which equally flies domestic as well as selected regional routes. While it is presently unclear, if the Embraer aircraft Jambo Jet is expected to use will be branded separately or else carry the Kenya Airways livery, the crews are definitely expected to be recruited from outside the present pool of pilots and flight attendants, in order to lower the cost base for the planned carrier. Said a regular contributor to aviation topics from Nairobi over the weekend: Low cost is really the wrong word to be used here, lowering cost is probably describing the whole issue better. In Europe the low cost airlines like Easy Jet and Ryan Air use selected airports for point to point flights, not the main hubs other airlines go to but maybe some distance away. Passengers take the bus or train to get there and the cost of operations in such places is much lower than at the main hubs. Those airports are keen for traffic and offer attractively priced service packages. Here in East Africa, there are no options for airlines. They all have to use JKIA, Kilimanjaro or Entebbe and the cost of handling for a so called low cost carrier is the same as for KQ or BA. So there are no savings to be found. The only savings are via lower labour cost but even that is a big problem now because to start with there are not enough qualified and experienced cockpit crew available. KQ has to hire expatriate pilots because they cannot get enough qualified Kenyans or East Africans. It is maybe only over the cabin crew recruitment they can find some savings, and by smart deployment which has crews home in the evening and not needing hotel accommodation outside their base.
In any case, while for instance Jetlink will have to charge such fares as to meet their expenses, Kenya Airways has the option, because of larger capacity, to set aside some seats on each flight to be offered at special fares, like last year they offered stand by fares, no prebooking, you arrive, there is space, you buy your ticket and go. Those they could sell at even lower cost than other private airlines. It will be interesting to hear what objections are coming and then how KCAA will decide.
There is some speculation that the airline may use Embraer 170 aircraft to launch Jambo Jetflights as and when the regulators have given their green light and possibly transfer the bulk of their domestic operations to the new outfit. This in the opinion of a regular source could leave the airline with only selected flights for instance to Mombasa operated by KQ outright and linked to their main hub and spoke operation periods while all other departures would be under the banner of the new outfit. Decision time it is this month, so be sure to watch this space for breaking news, as and when available.

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Brazil acts on Seychelles' call regarding Somalia

Brazil acts on Seychelles' call regarding Somalia - 11.09.2012 Brazil Monday became the latest major global power to act on Seychelles’ call to find both short-term and lasting solutions to the Somalia crises and the piracy problem. The country sent its ambassador Francisco Carlos Luz – who is based in Tanzania – and naval Captain and military attaché Paulo Demby Corrêa – who is based in South Africa, to discuss with Seychelles how Brazil can be involved in trying to solve Somalia’s internal crises in the long run, and to help Seychelles in the fight against piracy. Ambassador Carlos Luz – who is that country’s representative for Tanzania, Comoros and Seychelles – together with Capt Corrêa met and held talks with Vice-President Danny Faure at State House on the issues Monday. Their massive South American nation is the world’s fifth largest country in terms of size and population.  It has 194 million people, ranking it only after China, India, the US and Indonesia. Mr Luz said piracy is a global problem which does not affect only the countries of this region. “We are here on a fact-finding mission.  Brazil is acting on a letter that President James Michel sent last November to our President Dilma Rousseff who has decided to send me and our military attaché in South Africa to verify the possibilities of cooperation,” said Mr Luz. He said Mr Michel asked for support for Seychelles in the anti-piracy effort and to fight for a durable solution to the Somalia crises within the United Nations’ systems and with all the stakeholders involved in finding a solution for this crisis. He said his country is already greatly involved with Somalia’s humanitarian efforts. “Last year we donated 60,000 tonnes of food to the Somali Transitional Government to help mitigate the food crises in that country and we are also involved in all the main conferences trying to solve the crisis there. “We are here to see what is now needed and in which ways Brazil can help,” he said. Captain Corrêa said anti-piracy efforts are important to Brazil and all the countries, “not only in the Indian Ocean.  Our country is quite concerned about this problem because piracy affects everybody.” He hinted that measures may include training and seeking opportunities like boosting command and control systems and intelligence gathering. “The Brazilian navy in particular and the Brazilian army as a whole can work with the Seychelles People’s Defence Forces,” he said. “While here I will also have meetings with Seychelles military authorities starting tomorrow (today),” he said. Mr Luz recalled that Mr Faure was in Brazil for the Rio+20 conference in July last year and Tourism and Culture Minister Alain St Ange  just returned from Brazil where possibilities of tapping from the five million tourists who travel from there every year.

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