The Seychelles Tourism Board has marked the end of the year 2011 with a long-service award ceremony to reward both its employees and staff of its Tourism Academy for their many years of dedication in the tourism industry.
The long-service award was held at the Le Meridien Barbaron hotel. A total of 51 staff of the Seychelles Tourism Board and Seychelles Tourism Academy, who have achieved 10 to 39 long years of working in the tourism industry, were awarded with certificates and prizes as a recognition token for their long-term contribution and loyalty to the industry.
In his speech, the Chief Executive of the Seychelles Tourism Board, Alain St.Ange, spoke about the emphasis put by the Tourism Board on โworkers’ empowerment,โ which he said had not only helped them to be more driven, but it had opened โdoors of opportunities” for the workers.
He made references to two marketing executives workers posted in the Seychelles Tourism Offices in London and France, namely Stephanie Medor and Karen Confait, who are presently in the Seychelles for their Christmas holidays and whom Mr. St.Ange said that they clearly illustrate the โcompanyโs drive to post more Seychellois in the overseas tourism bureau.โ
More importantly, Mr. St.Ange congratulated the 51 recipients of the long-term service award, noting that the tourism industryโs ups and downs have not altered the nature of their work, but their loyalty, mixed with certain degrees of hard work, have contributed towards the industryโs professional advancement.
The longest service staff to be awarded that evening was Flavien Joubert, Principal of Seychelles Tourism Academy, who Mr. St.Ange complimented and thanked for his 39 years of service in the tourism trade.
Mr. Joubert, who is an advocate of the motto โstriving for successโ or โthe way forward,โ started his career as a hotel employee, after which he went on to pursue his studies in the field of hospitality, where he became a qualified hotel chef. He later joined the Hotel School in Bel Ombre as a chef lecturer, and after a while he was promoted to School Director. With the phasing out of the hotel school, Mr. Joubert took up the post of Principal of the Seychelles Tourism Academy at La Misere.
On his part, the Chairman of the Seychelles Tourism Board, Barry Faure, who, after congratulating the long-service staff, noted that โ2012 is set to be a very difficult year for the tourism industry, but nevertheless we need to work hard to achieve our goals.โ
Mr. Faure ended his speech by thanking, on behalf of the State House, all the workers which he said โhave contributed towards the advancement of the tourism industry, which is as an important segment of the countryโs economy.”
After the award ceremony, the awardees were joined by their colleagues and guests for a dinner.