L’union Estate was bustling with activity last weekend, hosting the launch of the 5th Edition of the Tourism Festival
The opening ceremony was appropriately held on La Digue Island as it is considered to be one of the pillars of cultural tourism and a significant contributor to promoting Seychelles as a travel destination.
Kicking off Le Rendezvous Diguois, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Sylvestre Radegonde, expressed his appreciation for all partners that made the event possible. In his opening address, he emphasised the importance of preserving La Digue’s beauty through regulating development on the island.
Also present at the ceremony was the Minister for Investment, Entrepreneurship and Industry, Mrs Devika Vidot, the Minister for Internal Affairs, Mr Errol Fonseka, the Member of the National Assembly for the Inner Islands, Honorable Rocky Uranie, the Principal Secretary for Tourism, Mrs Sherin Francis, and the CEO of L’Union Estate, Mr Derick Ally.
The attendees were treated to a series of song performances by the Tourism Club of La Digue and Kanmtole and sega dances.
The festival witnessed the participation of Seychellois and tourists, gathering to experience what La Digue has to offer. On the morning of the launch, visitors were welcomed with a complementary local drink and gato kreol. Set up in stalls at L’Union Estate, local businesses had come down to sell their products and crafts.
Among other activities, visitors were given the chance to learn and participate in the preparation of creole cuisine uniquely associated with La Digue, such as Ladob Bannann, Nougat Koko and Kari Koko Ton.
Through organising Le Rendezvous Diguois, the Principal Secretary of Tourism, Sherin Francis, hopes to encourage and revitalise culture on La Digue for visitors to experience upon their visit.
“We decided to launch the Tourism Festival on La Digue to coincide with this year’s World Tourism day’s theme, ‘Rethinking Tourism’. We have added our own part to it, which is “Rethinking tourism, Experience our Culture”. We thought the best way to celebrate our culture was by launching the festival on La Digue, as La Digue is still considered a cultural island. Many visitors come to La Digue to visit Anse Source D’argent; however, if we were to revive culture on La Digue, we would see visitors coming to the island for the cultural experience instead,” said PS Francis.
As part of the festival’s activities, the annual Meet and Greet on World Tourism day will be held away from the traditional location, which used to be the Mahè International Airport. With an exciting twist, the events will be done on the three main islands.
