Franck Seguin Appointed as General Manager of Outrigger Mauritius Beach Resort

Franck Seguin Appointed as General Manager of Outrigger Mauritius Beach Resort

BEL OMBRE, MAURITIUS – Outrigger Enterprises Group has appointed Franck Seguin general manager of the Outrigger Mauritius Beach Resort, effective Sept. 1, 2017.

He will report to Outrigger president and CEO Scott Dalecio.

Seguin brings to Outrigger more than 20 years of experience in hospitality, including senior resort management roles in the Indian Ocean, the Caribbean and North Africa.

Most recently, he was general manager of the Banyan Tree Takamaka in the Seychelles. Seguin also knows Mauritius well, having been general manager of the Angsana Balaclava, a five-star suites and villas property, and the Intercontinental Balaclava, a 210-room hotel – both in Mauritius.

Apart from his native French, Seguin speaks English and conversational Spanish. He has a bachelor’s degree in hotel and tourism management from the Vatel Business School in Lyon, France.

“It’s my pleasure to welcome Franck to Outrigger,” said Dalecio. “With his in-depth Indian Ocean knowledge and international hotel experience, Franck will help us grow the already acclaimed reputation of the Outrigger Mauritius Beach Resort.”

 

ABOUT THE OUTRIGGER MAURITIUS BEACH RESORT
Opened in April 2014, the stunning deluxe property with 181 sea-facing rooms offers a breathtaking beachfront location alongside the turquoise lagoons of the Indian Ocean. Nestled in the nature reserve of Bel Ombre, 45 minutes from the airport, the Outrigger Mauritius Beach Resort blends the needs of the most sophisticated traveller with the charm and tradition of an early 18th century Mauritian sugar cane plantation. The resort features the locally renowned Plantation Club — famed for its Mauritian dining – a wide choice of relaxed dining outlets, a kids’ club, Navasana Spa (with hammam), and many watersports (including kite surfing). Visit Outrigger.com

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Seychelles diving picture makes the cover of a Russian magazine

Seychelles diving picture makes the cover of a Russian magazine

(Forimmediaterelease.net) A recent diving expedition by Imran Ahmad, the Nikon professional photographer and the Edition Fifty Fathoms photographer has opened the underwater world of the Seychelles to the worldwide diving community. Imran Ahmad, a member of the Ocean Artist Society, discovered the Seychelles at last year’s SUBIOS, the Seychelles Festival of the Sea, and his pictures taken during the festival days has already been published in many dive publications.

Imran Ahmad was so impressed by diving in Seychelles and by the clear and clean waters around the Seychelles that he was back again in the mid-ocean islands in February for the annual Carnaval International de Victoria, the islands’ “carnival of carnivals” where the best and all the most known carnivals parade side by side followed by cultural troupes from the Community of Nations. It was during the carnival days that Imran presented to the tourism trade of Seychelles a selection of his underwater photos.

“I was overtaken by the number of fish and the large variety of fish I saw and dived with in Seychelles. It is just amazing,” Imran Ahmad said as he showed a selection of slides to the Seychelles tourism trade.

Now an underwater photo taken in Seychelles by Imran Ahmad has made it to the dive magazine of Russia. This further success of the works of Imran Ahmad has been welcomed by Seychelles tourism which is also benefitting from Imran’s expertise for their 2014 Underwater Photography Competition that takes place during the island’s annual SUBIOS, the Seychelles Festival of the Sea.

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The melting pot of cultures: Seychelles Carnival

The melting pot of cultures: Seychelles Carnival

(Forimmediaterelease.net) The “carnival of carnivals” in Victoria, Seychelles, has become one of the city’s most popular and anticipated events. The carnival is held each year to celebrate the diversity of cultures within this small paradise on Earth. A uniquely Creole tradition makes the carnival very diverse, not in only culture, but ethnicity and religion as well. The “carnival of carnivals” has gotten bigger and better each year and has brought lots of attention to the Seychelles islands.

The carnival has developed into an annual fiesta which can be found in many different parts of the world. While Brazil, Rio de Janiero, Notting Hill, London, Trinidad&Tobago, and Port of Spain have been the most celebrated carnivals for centuries, surely none do so more heartily than the Seychelles islands, as they continue to make a splash in the world with a twist of their own. With a Seychelles theme in mind, Carnaval International de Victoria, with its splendid diversity of racial harmony and “melting pot of cultures,” promises a flair of the carnival of all carnivals.

The Seychelles’ Carnaval International de Victoria is held in the center of Victoria, and each year over a thousand Seychellois and tourists alike join together sharing good times to the sounds and sights of the carnival. Traditionally, the carnival is held over 3 days – Friday, Saturday, and Sunday – and has been held annually since 2011 as the biggest street carnival in Seychelles with over 50 costumed entertainers, food vendors, and various bands and artists.

There are many traditions and customs associated with the 3 days to enjoy: images of sequined and bejeweled costumes, colorful headdresses, bands, entertainers, an array of dancers, world-class floats, and the general feeling of celebration and revelry. The carnival is also famous for its masquerade attire, in particular with masked characters parading through the streets enjoying the fun and engaging the children. Three days of fun abound in various locations in Victoria attracting spectators to another world in the fast-paced atmosphere of this one-of-a-kind event.

Although the 2012 edition drew the largest floats, nothing overtook the 3rd edition of the Carnaval International de Victoria 2013. This year the carnival rivaled some of the greatest color and charisma of carnivals worldwide with international floats from some of the world’s most famous carnival countries.

This year for the first time, Brazil came out in full force, remaining true to its roots, and bringing the most intricate group of Rosas de Ouro Samba Dancers and Drummers.

While the Brazilians were showing off the hottest costumes and strutting their stuff, Notting Hill appeared down the road with true Caribbean artistic flair pulling no stops for anyone and combining with Trinidad and Tobago to produce the sounds of the steel bands calypso and soca music and the spectacle of elaborate, carnival costumes.

The Carnaval International de Victoria 2013 aimed to showcase a superb combination of colorful costumes and traditional endeavor – the general feeling of celebration and rivalry. Seychelles surely was the world’s most dazzling city for those 3 days, and there was no better way to see the carnival than to be right in downtown Victoria.

The carnival consisted of up to 20 different countries and cultures, as well as 28 local participants.

Author: Bea Broda, travelvideo.tv (USA)
MEDIA CONTACT: seychellesupdatednews@googlemail.com

Whole World. One Exhibition.

Today at Baku Expo Centre the 11th Azerbaijan International Tourism and Travel Fair, AITF 2012, opened. The largest tourist forum in both the country and the entire Caspian region once again brings together tourism professionals from national tourism organizations, travel agencies, airlines, hotels and resorts.

With the slogan “The Whole World, One Exhibition”, AITF 2012 has brought together a record number of participants. There are 201 companies and organizations from 32 countries, presenting 62 tourism destinations. Azerbaijan, Georgia, India, Cyprus, Malaysia, the UAE, Russia, Turkey and the Czech Republic are among the permanent participants in AITF. Companies from Qatar, Poland, Vietnam, Lithuania, Slovakia and Croatia are all making their debut at this year’s show. In total, this year’s exhibition includes 15 national and regional stands from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Dagestan, India, Cyprus, Crimea, Lithuania, Malaysia, Slovenia, Turkey, the Czech Republic, the Emirate of Dubai, the Stavropol region and Croatia.

The official opening ceremony was attended by the Minister of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan, Mr Abulfas Garayev; the Advisor to the Turkish Ambassador in Azerbaijan on Culture and Information, Mr Said Ahmad Arslan; the Deputy Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism of Bulgaria, Mr Ivo Marinov; a representative from the World Tourism Organization, Ms Alla Pirisolova; and the director of Iteca Caspian, Mr Farid Mamedov. Opening the exhibition, Minister Garayev thanked the organizers of AITF 2012, and noted that the exhibition is considered by international organizations to be the most influential in providing impetus to the development of the tourism industry.

The representative from the World Tourism Organization, Ms Alla Pirisolova, read a letter from the Secretary General of the WTO, Mr Taleb Rifai, who noted that AITF offers great opportunities for tourism development.

At the opening ceremony, Bulgarian Deputy Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism Mr Ivo Marinov highlighted that it was the first time that Bulgaria had taken part in AITF to promote its tourism potential.

The Advisor to the Turkish Ambassador in Azerbaijan on Culture and Information, Mr Said Ahmad Arslan, noted that AITF is an important event for increasing the awareness of the global community about the country’s development.

Director of Iteca Caspian Mr Farid Mamedov welcomed all participants on behalf of the organizers, and thanked the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan, as well as other the agencies, partners and sponsors who had provided support for the exhibition.

The unconditional prestige of the exhibition and the considerable attention paid to Azerbaijan’s booming tourism industry is underlined by the participation of the World Tourism Organization with its own stand.

This is the third consecutive year in which Turkey has been the partner country of the exhibition. For the firs time, AITF has its own guest country, namely, Bulgaria.

Over the next three days, travel industry professionals will get a unique chance to meet the major companies in the global travel industry, to experience the flavour of each and every country represented at the national stands and to expand their portfolio of tourist destinations.

The exhibition is very attractive with the offers of various recreation and travel opportunities. Medical tourism is widely represented by resorts in Bulgaria, Russia, Slovenia, Ukraine and the Czech Republic. Azerbaijani tourists are well familiar with the resort cities of Essentuki, Zheleznovodsk, Kislovodsk, Mineral Waters, Pyatigorsk and Truskavets, which are all represented at AITF 2012. They will be complemented by Crimean resorts and a number of medical and health organizations, including the National Spa Association of Lithuania and Slovenia’s regional administration, the Land of Celje, which includes six luxury thermal spa resorts.

As is tradition, the exhibition includes a stand organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan Republic, and the upcoming 2012 Eurovision Song Contest provides the main theme for the display. Presentations of new projects and developments in the field of leisure and adventure in Azerbaijan will be made by the nation’s leading travel agencies, recreation centres and health resorts, as well as by major hospitality chains operating in Baku, including Fairmont, Hilton Baku, Four Seasons and Park Inn.

Those who admire exotic destinations will be offered interesting, and sometimes bizarre suggestions for holidays in Thailand, Mauritius and the Seychelles.

The biggest stand at the exhibition will once again be claimed by Turkey, which maintains its leading position among the tourists visiting Azerbaijan. Resorts on the famous Turkish Riviera, and well-known hotels and tour companies from different regions of the country will offer visitors trips to both popular and hitherto unexplored corners of Turkey.

A large delegation has arrived at AITF from Croatia. This is certainly in part due to the abolition of visa requirements for citizens of Azerbaijan travelling to Croatia till the end of October 2012. On the Croatian stand, tours will be offered, with accommodation at the best hotels on the Adriatic coast; visitors will be introduced to the sights of the country and will be invited to attend the numerous cultural events held annually in the capital city and the provinces.

This year, there is an increase in the number of airlines announcing their special offers for the Azerbaijani market. AZAL (also acting as the official air carrier), AirAstana, AirBaltic, Qatar Airways, Fly Dubai, Czech Airlines and Turkish Airlines will present their most affordable scheduled and charter flights for the summer tourist season.

Every year, AITF attracts more tourism professionals from around the world. This year’s business programme is full of thematic presentations and seminars. One of the most interesting events on the first day of the exhibition promises to be a seminar on the “Tourism opportunities in the countries of the Visegrad Group”. This will be attended by representatives of the national tourism agencies of Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, and the managers of major host companies, hotel chains, resorts and airlines in these countries.

A presentation of the hotels and resorts covered by the scheduled flights of Qatar Airways will take place in the first two days of the exhibition; the National Tourism Authority of Thailand will be holding a presentation on its exotic resorts; Croatian companies and tourism organizations will be holding a series of workshops; and the Azerbaijani travel agency, SW Travel, will launch a new online booking system.

In parallel with AITF, the 6th International Exhibition of “Everything for Hotels, Restaurants and Supermarkets”, HOREX Azerbaijan, is taking place.During the exhibition, leading companies from Austria, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and France will demonstrate professional kitchen equipment, laundry facilities, household chemicals, textiles and exclusive dishes for motels, restaurants and hotels. In addition, information technology products for hotels, such as online booking and online payment systems, will also be on display. The exhibition includes well-known brands in the hospitality industry, such as La Cimbali, Santos, Robot Coupe, Rational, Winterhalter, Karma-Global, Rotondi, Scotsman, Modular, Bonnet, Sagi SPA, Rovabo, Danube International, Muehldorfer and Ingrid Lesage Creations.

During the exhibition, presentations and master classes with internationally renowned experts will take place on the stands of participants. Visitors will become participants in and spectators of an unforgettable spectacle and have the chance to see the latest equipment in action.

Thus, HOREX reflects the needs of the rapidly developing tourism and hotel business in Azerbaijan and will contribute to establishing new standards of quality.

Frégate Island Private

Frégate Island Private

Frégate Island Private is pleased to take part in another translocation of an endangered species on Seychelles. This time it was the Seychelles Black Mud terrapin (Pelusios subniger parietalis), with a transfer by helicopter of 12 individuals being reintroduced to Aride Island Nature Reserve on the 24 February 2012. The aim of the translocation is to re-establish a population of the species on Aride and at the same time improve its conservation status.

Two modified Myna traps baited with fish were used to catch these shy animals in the ponds of Frégate. The terrapins were kept in captivity in two unused Jacuzzis from the hotel for a period of 2-3 weeks to prevent undigested seeds of potentially invasive alien species retained in their digestive tracts being transported to Aride. Prior to the transfer, all the individuals were measured, weighed, marked and photographed for individual identification and monitoring purposes. Frégate is home to one of the largest and healthiest populations of the critically endangered Black Mud terrapin in Seychelles.

The population of our mascot, the Seychelles Magpie Robin, is reproducing really well on Frégate Island. Since the start of the year ten new chicks have been recorded. We managed to ring seven of those chicks in the nest boxes before they fledged, one was caught by hand by one of the ecology staff and there is still one more waiting to be ringed.

As part of the natural cycle of life, we also recorded one individual dead. A female was found with an injured foot, hopping around the staff canteen area and after two weeks, she was found dead. Despite this loss, the population continues to steadily increase. As an indication of the robins learning ability, they have already started mimicking the calls of the recently introduced Seychelles warblers.

Frégate Island Private is back on track with the Adopt-a-tortoise programme in order to safeguard juvenile Aldabra Giant tortoises. Guest are encouraged to participate in the programme with a contribution of 100€ which will go towards biodiversity management and conservation of not only our giant tortoises but also of a number of endangered species on Frégate Island, including our mascot, the Seychelles Magpie Robin. A guest donation is also encouraged to support the fund. All guests that participate in this programme receive a certificate in recognition of their contribution.

The tortoise pen is increasingly forming part of the attraction of the island, and has become an integral part of the Nature Experience for the guests. To date there are over 100 tortoises in the pen. These are ranging from hatchling size to 10 kg in weight. When they reach the required size, they are released to join the wild herd on the island during a special ceremony conducted over the festive season.

Frégate Island Private
Starkenburgring 12 | 63069 Offenbach | Germany
fon +49 69 86 00 429 80 | fax +49 69 86 00 429 81
reservations@fregate.com | www.fregate.com