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Newly-appointed Seychelles Tourism Minister Meets Taskforce Representatives

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The newly-appointed Seychelles Tourism Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Mr. Sylvestre Radegonde, joined his first task Tourism Task Force meeting remotely from the Beau Vallon Bay Hotel quarantine center this Friday, November 6, 2020.

The Tourism taskforce committee composed of relevant public and private sector representatives is mandated to oversee all issues relating to the re-opening of the destination during this period dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Addressing the meeting, Mr. Radegonde thanked all the participants for their immense contribution to the restart of the tourism industry and his full support to the work of the committee emphasizing the continuous need to balance public health safety considerations with that of getting our tourism industry back on track.

“I have been impressed by the work done by this committee so far. The assignment is not an easy one. It is balancing between economy and health. I very much look forward to bringing my contribution to ensure that Seychelles tourism emerges more sustainably from this pandemic. We need to bring confidence back. Let us embrace innovation and act decisively,” said the appointed minister.
During the meeting, committee members provided an update on the ongoing matters related to the decisions taken by the task force to date.

The appointed minister was briefed on the functioning of the classification of countries, PCR testing protocols, the progress on the setting up of the support assistance for the Seychelles Health Travel Authorization software locally amongst other working points. 

The Tourism Task Force was previously chaired by the former minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Mr. Didier Dogley

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MEDIA CONTACT: STB News Bureau, Tel: +248 4 671 354 / +248 4 671 313, [email protected] 

Seychelles Tourism Releases New Travel Advisory

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The Seychelles Department of Tourism reviewed its Visitor’s Travel Advisory effective Friday, October 2, 2020.

The review follows a proposal of the Tourism Taskforce to provide potential visitors with clearer information regarding the list of countries for which visitors are permitted into Seychelles.

As per the new advisory, all countries allowed to enter Seychelles will be considered permitted countries and have been divided into 2 categories. 

Category 1 includes permitted countries from low and medium risk while Category 2 will only consist of countries from the list of seven countries given special status, in the instance that any of these countries progresses to high risk.

Category 2 of permitted countries will be subject to a set of different measures amongst which are COVID PCR test prior to travel should be no more than 48 hours, stay within hotels designated for Category 2 countries and restricted movement for the first 5 days of the stay in Seychelles. 

Visitors coming from Category 2 countries will be requested to adhere to all stated procedures in the Visitor’s Travel Advisory and ensure that all requirements are met before arrival, failing which, may result in restriction of entry.

Visitors coming from category 1 countries- deemed as low or medium risks- appearing on the permitted list will not be subject to special conditions imposed for category 2 countries.

Ensuring the safety of visitors and the local population, the Department of Tourism has published a detailed visitor’s travel advisory addressing the conditions for holidaymakers visiting the destination from both category of countries.

A list of authorized accommodations for category 2 permitted countries that is subjected to regular updates by the Tourism Department has also been published for visitors’ information.

To date, 74 tourism establishments have been accredited on that list and work continues in endorsing other tourism establishments, which have expressed interest.

The information can be accessed on the Department of Tourism Website through the following link http://tourism.gov.sc/covid-19-guidelines/ .

Additional measures and procedures set by the Public Health Authority can be viewed under the advisory available on the Tourism Department and Department of Health websites, which will be kept updated.

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MEDIA CONTACT: STB News Bureau, Tel: +248 4 671 354 / +248 4 671 313, [email protected]   

Seychelles Travisory Technology Aids in Traveler Documentation

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The Republic of Seychelles is today going live with Travizory technology to facilitate the collection and analysis of traveler documentation to ensure reopening of the borders in the safest manner. This is a mere three weeks after the agreement was signed, following Cabinet of Ministers approval for the installation and deployment of the technology.

The new technology allows Seychelles health authorities to collect identity and health information directly from the traveler via easy to use web and mobile apps. The information is fed securely into a single system, providing advance information about all travelers wishing to travel to the Seychelles. The system gives authorities the capability to run rapid and efficient vetting procedures to minimize COVID-19 risks and other security risks.

Alan Renaud, Principal Secretary for Civil Aviation, Ports & Marine, said: “Streamlining the process this way makes it faster and more accurate for our authorities, and reduces paperwork. We wanted to move to a digital and paperless gathering of information, following the recommendations of ICAO, IATA, and the WTTC for touchless and paperless travel. The new system removes the guesswork for airlines at check-in and boarding. And, perhaps most importantly, it makes the passenger journey smoother and provides more peace of mind to travelers that they will not be stopped on their way.”

Dr. Jude Gedeon, Seychelles’ Public Health Commissioner, said: “Keeping our citizens safe from the pandemic is our number one responsibility. However, we need to enable international travel to let in key workers and specialists and to allow tourism to restart and for our citizens to work again. With our current email and multiple forms, doctors and airport staff were struggling to keep pace with the number of arrivals. We have now given them a tool to focus their attention where it is most needed. After the technology beds-in, we will roll out connected technologies at approved accommodations, to further enhance the passenger experience within our islands, by avoiding unnecessary forms to be filled by travelers at various touchpoints, while simultaneously boosting our contact-tracing capabilities, which benefits our visitors and our citizenry alike.”

The new Visitor Management Platform replaces the current email and form-based system, which was cumbersome for travelers and airlines, as well as labor intensive for travelers and authorities alike. Travizory’s technology allows the straightforward management of all travelers, from pre-arrival to the point of exit, enabling the authorities to keep their borders open while minimizing the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Airlines are also embracing the new system as they will know for sure that travelers have been authorized to travel. Airlines can now verify the validity of the traveler authorization prior to boarding. In addition, airlines will submit Advance Passenger Information (API data) by electronic means to the Republic of Seychelles. Alan Renaud said, “By having all the passenger information submitted ahead of time, including passengers’ own health certification, we eliminate inefficiencies.  Security clearance is streamlined, simplifying the process of entry. The end result is better performance and reduced risk, all of which comes together to improve the passenger experience, not only at airports, but in our archipelago as well.”

Travelers benefit from the new solution by providing a smoother journey and removing uncertainty. With the new technology, travelers can apply from their mobile phone via Android or iOS apps or on the web in about 5 minutes. Travelers will receive a clear response on their eligibility to travel in the form of a secure barcode, also available as a wallet pass, which they can present at check-in and boarding, offering peace of mind about both their security and health.

Renaud Irminger, CEO of Travizory said: “The Travizory technology goes beyond just providing the Seychelles with a platform to efficiently perform health screening and help with border control. It is about providing the traveler with a positive experience. By making the whole process as painless as possible, giving people the assurance that they will be allowed to travel to the country and that the flight they are on is safe, the experience of visiting the Seychelles will now be even better.”

Irminger continued: “Our platform is future proof and is ready to ingest COVID-19 vaccination certificates. Moreover, as COVID-19 is replaced by the next threat, the technology can very easily be adapted to keep the Seychelles, its inhabitants and its visitors as safe as possible, from all threats regardless of where they come from.”

Didier Dogley, Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports & Marine, and Chair of the Re-opening of Seychelles Taskforce, concluded: “The Travizory technology enables health and tourism authorities to ensure that travelers are only staying at licensed establishments and liveaboards that have been certified. The new technology will allow us to balance the need for tourism to grow and sustain our economy without compromising the health of our citizens. It will have a very positive impact on tourism and the wider economy in the Seychelles, as well as clearly demonstrating Seychelles ability to deploy digital solutions.”

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MEDIA CONTACT: STB News Bureau, Tel: +248 4 671 354 / +248 4 671 313, [email protected]  

International Expert to Strengthen Tourism COVID Resilience Plan, says Bartlett

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Jamaica Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett has announced that his Ministry hired international crisis recovery expert Jessica Shannon to the COVID-19 Tourism Recovery Task Force’s secretariat in an effort to strength the country’s resilience plan for the sector.

Speaking at a digital press briefing hosted by the Tourism Ministry earlier today, Bartlett noted that “she comes to us with a wealth of experience in crisis management. Her work with PWC internationally is going to play a big role in our being able to draw on international best practices, based on her own experiences.”

Shannon is a Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) Advisory Partner and has served as their deployed point partner throughout the Ebola crisis, focusing on the response and recovery efforts in West Africa. In this context she served as a senior advisor to private companies and government organizations in the design of strategy, policies and protocols as well as risk identification and monitoring.

“She was very essential in working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention among others to work out the protocol for the Ebola pandemic. … So, bringing her on board, particularly for her to focus on fine-tuning the protocols over the next few days, is going to be seminal, in terms of enabling us to deliver that protocol the Prime Minister wants in short order,” he added.

In addition to her current client engagements, she is part of a small task force established to refine and drive the implementation of PwC’s global near- and mid-term strategic transformation in the wake of COVID-19. 

She has been a Subject Matter Expert for the G20 think tank on economic and financial resilience and a speaker at conferences hosted by Harvard University, the World Bank and the United Nations.  Prior to PwC, she gained strategy experience as a management consultant with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and on the global leadership team at EY. She also has an MBA from Harvard Business School. 

This is the second addition to the committee from Price Waterhouse Coopers, as it also includes PWC’s Senior Partner, Wilfred Baghaloo, who chairs the COVID-19 General Tourism Working Team sub-committee.

Baghaloo was also the Co-Chairman of the Tourism Working Group for the Jamaica Tourism Linkages Committee which assessed how to ensure more local linkages to tourism industry and the development of local supply industries to the tourism sector.

The Ministry established the COVID-19 Tourism Recovery Taskforce last month, with a public-private sector collaboration consisting of key stakeholders from the tourism sector, the Ministry of Tourism, and Agencies of the Ministry. It will be supported by two Working Teams – one for general tourism and another for cruise tourism – and a Secretariat.

The Task Force has been tasked to bring about a realistic view of the sector’s baseline or starting position; develop scenarios for multiple versions of the future; establish the strategic posture for the sector as well as a broad direction of the journey back to growth; establish actions and strategic imperatives that will be reflected across various scenarios; and establish trigger points to tackle action, which includes a planned vision in a world that is learning to evolve rapidly.

“It is an honor and a pleasure to support the Jamaican tourism sector in this regard. I appreciate the opportunity… I have worked in a number of different crisis response situations to support Governments and the private sector,” said Shannon.

Jamaica Tourism Hires COVID-19 Tourism Recovery Expert
Jessica Shannon

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Media contact:  Corporate Communications, Ministry of Tourism, 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Tel: (876) 920-4926-30, Fax: (876) 906 1729

Bartlett Confirms Opposition Seat on COVID-19 Tourism Recovery Taskforce

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Jamaica Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett has announced that the Opposition Spokesperson on Tourism, Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill has accepted membership to the COVID-19 Tourism Recovery Taskforce.

“I am very pleased to announce that we have the support of Dr. McNeill, as we collectively tackle the impact of COVID-19 and find solutions that can best help the vulnerable people of our sector who were most impacted. I know that with his help and the help of other key experts, we will develop a sound recovery and growth stimulation framework for the Tourism sector. We truly need all hands on deck,” said the Minister.

The Task Force will establish a realistic view of the sector’s baseline or starting position; develop scenarios for multiple versions of the future; establish the strategic posture for the sector as well as a broad direction of the journey back to growth; establish actions and strategic imperatives that will be reflected across various scenarios; and establish trigger points to tackle action, which includes a planned vision in a world that is learning to evolve rapidly.

“The Task Force includes members covering all our tourism sectors, which will be our overall policy and strategy development team. The second layer is a working team, which is more technical in nature, and will include divisional leaders from the Ministry of Tourism,” said Minister Bartlett.

The Committee, which is chaired by Minister Bartlett with Permanent Secretary Jennifer Griffith as Deputy includes: Hoteliers Adam Stewart, Josef Forstmayr, Lee Issa and Kevin Hendrickson; JTB Chairman John Lynch; Director of Tourism, Donovan White; JHTA President, Omar Robinson; Senior Advisor/Strategist, Delano Seiveright; CEO of the Sangster International Airport, Shane Munroe; and St. Ann’s Bay Mayor and Chairman of the National Cruise Council, Michael Belnavis among several other leading tourism stakeholders. 

There are also two sub-committees – the COVID-19 General Tourism Working Team (Chaired by Price Waterhouse Coopers’ Senior Partner, Wilfred Baghaloo) and the COVID-19 Cruise Working Team (Chaired by Port Authority of Jamaica President, Professor the Hon. Gordon Shirley).

“The team will do the legwork, the hard nuts and bolts work of not just creating the framework but doing the research that is necessary to bring out the data, analyze and present data for us to make management decisions,” he said.

Members of the Taskforce will be required to serve for a period of one (1) year and may be re-appointed for another term by the Minister of Tourism. 

MEDIA CONTACT: Delano Seiveright, Tel: (876) 809-2906