UNWTO Secretary General and Vanilla Islands Ministers hold joint press conference

The UNWTO Secretary General, Mr. Taleb Rifai, joined the Vanilla Islands Ministers at a press conference attended by more than 25 international and local journalists who covered the historic meeting of the newly-formed organization grouping the seven islands of the Indian Ocean.

The meeting tabled and ratified ten resolutions, which are pertinent to the setting up of the organization including a budget that has now been voted. Maldives has been confirmed as the newest member of the Vanilla Island of the Indian Ocean.

The press conference was chaired and led by the Seychelles Minister for Tourism & Culture Alain St.Ange who is the sitting President of the Vanilla Islands. The press was made aware of the 10 resolutions adopted and the integration of the organization into the UNWTO.

The Q & A sessions focused on air connectivity between the islands, marketing strategies, budget allocation, and cruise ship strategies.

The integration of the Vanilla Islands Organization within the UNWTO is a significant milestone for the newly-formed Indian Ocean Islands grouping, providing it with a renewed impetus. The Secretary General of the UNWTO, Mr. Taleb Rifai, has used the press conference to publicly state his appreciation for the commitment displayed by the tourism ministers of the island grouping. He said they were all present to defend the region and not their own respective islands.

The Seychelles Minister, Alain St.Ange, the current President of the Vanilla Islands, on his part said that he was proud to see this launch of this new truism destination. “Our region has diversity, together we have unique selling points that will challenge the imagination of tour operators who will want to showcase us as THE LATEST ATTRACTION on the world stage,” Minister St.Ange said as he called for the press to spread the Vanilla Islands message to the world.