Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Tourism and Travel Mart to be held in Seychelles

It has been confirmed that the Seychelles will be hosting the 2014 Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Tourism and Travel Mart which will be held from September 19-21, 2014.

The aim of the 2014 Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Tourism and Travel Mart is to bring together policy makers and stakeholders in the tourism and travel industry. This will include both the Seychelles, regional and international tourism organizations, travel agencies, hotels, tour operators, and airlines under the same roof.

The Tourism and Travel Mart is also an opportunity to bring together tourism ministers of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) member states which would be the perfect occasion to discuss the possibilities of strengthening and expanding the region’s tourism industry.

Minister Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture, has personally written to ministers of tourism from the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORC) to invite them to attend and participate actively in this important regional event.

The decision for the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) to host their Tourism and Travel Mart in Seychelles was taken when Minister Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture, met with the IORC Secretary General, Mr. K.V. Bhagirath, at his organization’s headquarters in Mauritius. The Indian Ocean Rim Association is a 19-nation group pushing for regional cooperation.

India, Bangladesh, Australia, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Seychelles, and members of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) with China, Japan, Egypt, France, and Britain have the status of dialogue partners in the group.

During the meeting in Mauritius in 2013 between Minister Alain St.Ange, the Minister of Tourism and Culture of the Seychelles, and Mr. K. V. Bhagirath, the Secretary General of the Indian Ocean Rim Organization (IORA), the strengthening cooperation between the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORC) and the Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands Regional Organization was also discussed as it now accepted that the importance of the Indian Ocean, the world’s third largest as a trade corridor and energy highway, is being seen as undeniable as it provides passage to half of the international container ships and more that 70 percent of crude and oil shipments. The potential for tourism growth and its expansion within the Indian Ocean region was also discussed, as these remain massive. The meeting in Mauritius followed the Vanilla Islands Ministerial Meeting in Madagascar on the June 1, 2013 after Minister Alain St.Ange of the Seychelles had been re-elected to a second term of office as President of the Vanilla Islands following a joint motion presented by La Reunion, Madagascar, Comoros, and Mayotte for the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture to consider leading the organization for a second year.

The appeal then by the Seychelles Minister for the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and the Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands to cooperate together prompted the Secretary General of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) to confirm that the tourism ministers of its member states would come together at the Tourism Mart in Seychelles in 2014 to discuss how to strengthen and expand the region’s tourism industry. “The tourism mart will not only open new avenues for our region, but it will further strengthen and solidify the Vanilla islands Organization in its quest to generate more visibility and growth in tourism,” Mr. K. V. Bhagirath, the Secretary General of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), said.

Minister Alain St.Ange of the Seychelles has said that he was thrilled to be welcoming member states of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) to the Travel Mart in Seychelles. “We are a good destination to be used as the example to showcase tourism. Our tourism industry remains the pillar of our economy, and yet we have managed to remain environmentally friendly and develop a sustainable style of tourism. We are not after mass tourism, but prefer the personalized approach to tourism development as we continue to protect over 50% of our total land area as national parks,” Minister St.Ange of the Seychelles said.

Seychelles is a founding member of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP) .