Diana McIntyre-Pike, Founder and President of the Jamaica-based Countrystyle Community Tourism Network (CCTN) Villages as Businesses and President of the International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) Caribbean, has appointed Alain St. Ange as their Lead Patron.
St. Ange, a seasoned tourism consultant leading the “Saint Ange Consultancy,” brings extensive experience and expertise to his new role in supporting community-based tourism initiatives and promoting peace through tourism in the Caribbean region.
According to a press release by the network, he was appointed as the Seychelles Director of Marketing in 2009, and in 2010, promoted to CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board. Tourism was and remains St.Ange’s life and passion and he steered that industry in Seychelles with style and utmost devotion. It is in the 2012 Seychelles Cabinet of Ministers reshuffle, that the Seychelles President James Michel appointed
Alain St. Ange as Minister of Tourism and Culture, and he was re-appointed by President Danny Faure in 2016 as the island’s Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports & Marine before he resigned in order to pursue a candidacy for the position of ‘Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)’.
In 2012, he was elected as the first President of the Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands Regional Organisation (Seychelles, Mauritius, Reunion, Madagascar, Comoros & Mayotte) aimed at forming a new tourism destination brand. This was followed by Alain St. Ange being elected in 2018 the founding President of the African Tourism Board (ATB) and the co-chair of Project Hope, an African initiative in response to the COVID pandemic. In 2013 he was unanimously elected by the Commission of the Africa region (CAF) as member of the Executive Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organization.
He worked endlessly to establish the tropical island as one of the world’s most attractive and visible travel destinations. Under his leadership, tourism in the Seychelles grew.
Through empowering businesses and working to become a role model in sustainability efforts, Alain St. Ange was the tenacious and resourceful minister. As a direct result Seychelles saw a significant increase in capital investments from resorts, hotels, and destination management companies.
He has received numerous awards and honours, including the highest honour from Madagascar with the title of “Commandeur de l’Ordre National” at a private ceremony with full Guard of Honour, before being offered a Conseil Regional Medal by Didier Robert, the Regional President of La Reunion for work to develop the cooperation between the Indian Ocean Islands and was presented with a Certificate of ‘Ambassadeur Ile de la Reunion’ that was made in Berlin Germany. He was also named by the Comoros Islands a “Commandeur de ‘’Ordre de Moheli” as Grand Maitre de l’Ordre for the work in unifying the Indian Ocean Islands under the Vanilla Island Organisation and for pushing for the group’s tourism industry for a better economy for all. In 2017 the Seychelles Tourism Board recognised Alain St. Ange for his valuable contribution to Seychelles’ Tourism Industry as Seychelles Tourism Board Director of Marketing and Chief Executive Officer and as Seychelles Minister of Tourism and presented him with his Certificate of Recognition.
Mr. St. Ange has worked day and night for so many years for the better of the tourism industry and has been seen speaking at events around the globe was a directly elected Member of the Seychelles Legislative in 1979 and 2002 and was one of the three Presidential Candidates in the Seychelles 2020 Presidential Elections.
Mr. St. Ange brought not only himself, but the reputation of his country to become a leading force in international tourism.
Friends with all, enemies with none is what drives Alain St.Ange in the love of the tourism industry. He has also authored and co-authored several books about Seychelles.