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Archives for October 2020

Richard Quest still on his Seychelles Quest!

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After a successful visit on the island destination in February of this year, CNN’s renowned anchor and international business correspondent Richard Quest is back in Seychelles for about ten days.

This visit aims at reshooting sequences for his show “Quest’s World of Wonder” reflecting the current situation.

During his last visit, the British journalists touched by the warm welcome received and impressed by the beautiful creole culture of Seychelles commented about his experience of exotic islands saying, “Seychelles is an extraordinary place with a melting pot of people and incredible nature.”
The CNN press trip has been facilitated by the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) in the aim of generating visibility for the destination.

Anticipated to be placing the archipelago in the international spotlight once again, Mr Quest and his team members landed in Seychelles from Dubai on the Emirates Airlines flight early this Thursday, October 29, 2020.

Similarly, to visitors coming from a country placed on the Category 2 list of permitted countries to enter Seychelles, the trio is expected to follow protocols applied to this group including being in isolation at their hotel for the next five days and start his working mission as of November 4, 2020.
The CNN team will be exploring the treasures of Seychelles and will be visiting the Islands of Mahé and Praslin.

Speaking about the second visit of Mr Quest this year, Mrs Sherin Francis STB Chief Executive stated it is crucial that the country remains visible at all times so as to stay top of visitors minds and more so during these challenging times for the industry. 

“We are delighted to receive Mr Quest in Seychelles again. This visit comes at an opportune time where publicity is of the utmost importance and is a definite advantage for our destination proving to the world that Seychelles is indeed the safe destination our STB team is promoting and we are looking forward to seeing Seychelles on the CNN network,” says Mrs Francis.

As part of reviving the local tourism industry to its full glory, the Seychelles stakeholders have designed and continuously are implementing intensive safety measures to ensure the welfare of visitors and the safety of the local population.

The appearance of Seychelles in the CNN TV program will be the pinnacle of visibility for the destination across all continents on the CNN network and social media. 

The program is the first of a series of exposure Seychelles is expected to receive on the network leading to 2021.

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

The Islands Of The Bahamas announces updated travel and entry protocols

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The Islands of The Bahamas today announced streamlined entry protocols that will enable visitors to better and more seamlessly enjoy The Bahamas vacation experience.

Effective 1 November 2020, The Bahamas will require all travelers to:

1.     Obtain a COVID-19 RT PCR test five (5) days prior to arrival.

2.     Apply for a Bahamas Health Travel Visa at travel.gov.bs

3.     For the duration of the visit, complete a daily online health questionnaire for symptom tracking purposes.

4.     Take a COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test on Day 5 of the visit (unless departing on day 5).

5.     Always wear a mask and always social distance in public places.

In addition, beginning 14 November 2020, all visitors will be required to opt-in to mandatory COVID-19 health insurance when applying for their Health Travel Visa. The insurance will cover travellers for the duration of their stay in The Bahamas.

Specifics of the new protocols are as follows:

Prior to Travel:

1.     COVID-19 RT-PCR Test

  • All persons travelling to The Bahamas must obtain a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR (swab) test taken no more than five (5) days prior to the date of arrival. 
    • The name and address of the lab, where the test was performed, must be clearly displayed on the test result.
  • Exemptions:
    • Children age ten (10) and under.
    • Pilots and crew of commercial airlines who remain overnight in The Bahamas.

2.     Bahamas Health Travel Visa

  • Once in possession of a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test result, apply for a Bahamas Health Travel Visa at TRAVEL.GOV.BS
  • Click on the International Tab and upload test results and other required documents.
  • Fees for the Bahamas Health Travel Visa, inclusive of Day 5 Rapid Antigen Test and mandatory health insurance, are as follows:
    • $40 – Visitors staying up to four nights and five days.
    • $40 – Citizens and returning residents.
    • $60 – Visitors staying more than four nights.
    • Free – Children 10 years and under

Upon Arrival

1.     Comply with Monitoring Protocols:

  • Any visitor who exhibits COVID symptoms at any time during their stay will be required to take a Rapid Antigen Test and receive a negative result before being permitted to continue with their vacation.
  • If a person tests positive they will be required to follow up with a COVID-19 RT-PCR swab test.

2.     Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Testing (if applicable):

  • All persons who are staying in The Bahamas longer than four nights/five days will be required to take a rapid COVID-19 antigen test.
  • All visitors departing on or before five days will not be required to obtain this test.
  • The rapid tests are easy, quick and will yield results in 60 minutes or less with results being provided electronically via SMS text message and email.
  • Hotel properties will provide relevant information on testing arrangements, while others will facilitate the required rapid test for their guests.
  • All persons on yachts and other pleasure craft will be able to make arrangements for their required rapid tests at the port of entry or via the relevant website.
  • All other visitors, returning residents and citizens will be able to make arrangements for their required rapid tests at the port of entry or via the relevant website.

Notwithstanding any health restrictions that may be implemented from time to time, all travelers abiding by these new protocols will be permitted to move about and explore the beauty and vibrant culture of The Bahamas beyond the confines of their hotel or other accommodations.

The Bahamas is an archipelago with more than 700 islands and cays, spread over 100,000 square miles, which means conditions and instances of the virus can be different on each of the 16 islands available to welcome visitors. Travelers should check the status of their island destination before travelling by visiting Bahamas.com/travelupdates, where they can also review entry requirements applicable to each member of their party before booking a trip.

The Bahamas has remained diligent in its efforts to minimize the spread of COVID-19 throughout the islands, and these measures are imperative to ensure that remains the case. The health and wellbeing of both residents and visitors remain the number one priority of public health officials.  It is important to note, however, that due to fluidity of the COVID-19 situation, both in The Bahamas and worldwide, protocols are subject to change.

MEDIA CONTACTS: 

Anita Johnson-Patty

General Manager, Global Communications

Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation

[email protected]

Weber Shandwick

Public Relations

[email protected]

“Experience Seychelles: Our Home, your Sanctuary” Campaign goes live in Paris

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Keeping the beautiful island destination visible in Metropolitan France, the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) has launched an above the line advertising campaign in the French capital, Paris, as part of its communication plan for the autumn-winter promotional season.

The campaign launched in mid-October will roll for four weeks and involves the deployment of striking pictures of the destination as a means to entice the French market to visit the islands.

Initially scheduled for April, the campaign was postponed to October and is targeting visitors on a long-term period extending to 2021.

The STB office in Paris has opted for a dynamic and earthly medium of communication, as it will allow us to reach out to a significant percentage of active workers in selective business firms with high-income brackets employees, areas in Paris and La Défense.

Some hundred taxis, branded on both sides will be circulating in the capital city Paris and suburban areas. During the last two weeks of October and first two weeks of November, the taxis will be transporting the branded visuals of the destination with the tag line: “Seychelles, Our home your sanctuary.”

Equally part of the campaign, the STB team in Paris has extended the marketing stunt to corporations in the French capital, as it remains a strategic place used by regular holidaymakers. Allowing passers-by to dream, destination Seychelles will be featured in 275 ten seconds inspirational spots at 166 sites for 2 weeks to push the potential clientele to choose our destination for their forthcoming holiday.         

Speaking about the campaign, Mrs. Bernadette Willemin, STB Regional Director for Europe, stated that despite the current situation in several European cities, the efforts put into the campaign are essential for the survival of the destination.

She stressed that even though not all the prerequisites for travel are in place at the moment, it is important that Seychelles must remain visible

She further stated that it was a strategic decision to have an important part of the campaign stretched over the area of La Défense for it is Europe’s largest purpose-built business district.

The business zone is composed of 560 hectares (1,400 acres) in area, 72 glass and steel buildings (of which 19 are completed skyscrapers), 180,000 daily workers, and 3,500,000 square meters (38,000,000 sq. ft.) of office space.

“This is a period whereby European cities tends to be grey and foggy; hence the contrasting impact of our visual depicting sunshine, warm and vivid colors which could not go unnoticed even during the peak and rush hours,” said Bernadette Willemin.

Additionally, she added that the objective of this campaign is to remind the public that Seychelles is ready to accommodate the visitors and that our islands are considered one of the safest destinations to travel to now.

This campaign complements other promotional activities B2B or B2C currently being undertaken in France and also other markets across Europe ensuring that we keep the momentum going and keeping the Seychelles top in the mind of the people so that when travel resumes in earnest they will aspire to choose our destination.

#rebuildingtravel

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

Jamaica’s Tourism Recovery on the Horizon says Bartlett

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Buoyed by the success of the resilient corridor in safeguarding Jamaica’s tourism against the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), discussions have begun regarding the return of cruise ships to the port of Falmouth.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett disclosed that as recent as Wednesday, he was in was discussion “with Disney Cruise about their plans for coming back to Falmouth shortly. They made reference to our resilient corridor as the signature statement of how destinations can make their areas safer for travel and tourism in the future.”

Speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new development at The Shoppes at Rose Hall, St. James, on Thursday (Oct 29), Minister Bartlett said, “Although concerns continue in our major markets, we are already seeing positive signs of buoyancy which offer encouragement as we rebuild the tourism economy and continue to contribute meaningfully to the rebuilding of the national economy.”

He said preliminary figures from the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) indicated that since reopening on June 15, Jamaica has recorded a little over 200,000 passengers to the country with June to September earnings amounting to just over US$250 million.

Meanwhile, he noted that with the reopening of global economies, air travel was being restored “and we are cautiously optimistic that we will see a 40 percent increase in arrival over the winter season when compared to the preceding period before the massive downturn.”  Also, “airlift continues to increase and this is a good indicator that there is demand by travelers, waiting or indeed making bookings to travel.”

Mr. Bartlett said the JTB,  the Ministry of Tourism’s marketing arm, was maintaining strong engagements with operators and airline companies to drive bookings for the winter “and already seat support out of key markets include the US 567,427, Canada 166,032, the United Kingdom 1,801 and continental Europe overall, 45,311 seats.”

The Tourism Minister publicly thanked Jamaicans both at home and in the diaspora for their contribution to the occupancy levels hotels have been enjoying. To date, there has been no known case of the COVID-19 virus among hotel guests or staff and about 30 percent of tourism workers were back on their jobs.

Strides are being made in laying the groundwork for the full reopening of the tourism sector in Jamaica, in a safe and responsible manner, he said.

“We understand the eagerness of all our tourism workers to get back on the job to support their families and the industry, and assure them that every possible effort is being made to expedite the recovery of the industry. In the meantime, however, they can play their part by encouraging those with whom they come in contact to practice the protocols laid down by the Ministry of Health that will facilitate an early  recovery from COVID-19,” said Minister Bartlett.

He noted that while Jamaica’s health and safety protocols were working and stand out as testament to the high level of compliance by tourism stakeholders, so much so that other tourism destinations were seeking to follow suit, there is no room for complacency.  “But there is a measure of comfort in the fact that the united effort taken in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders, is paying off handsomely as we take bold and decisive steps to safeguard everyone,” he said.

Earlier this week, another layer was added to existing health and safety measures to reassure visitors of Jamaica’s resilience against the coronavirus with the launch of an end-to-end health insurance, repatriation, and logistics program branded as “Jamaica Cares.”

#rebuildingtravel

MEDIA CONTACT: Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, Corporate Communications, 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Tel: 920-4926-30, Fax: 920-4944