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Archives for April 2021

Seychelles now connected to Bucharest

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One hundred and sixty-two passengers, the majority from Romania, landed in Seychelles on a special Air Seychelles charter this Friday, April 30, 2021, at the Seychelles International Airport of Pointe Larue.

The charter, first of a series, is expected for the next 4 weeks and will connect some 500 passengers to the small island destination, which has reopened its doors for tourism since March 2021. 

The passengers disembarked from the A320Neo aircraft, Pti Merl Dezil into sunny Seychelles and were entertained by a group of local dancers dressed in traditional attires performing cultural dances and songs. 

Making their arrival in paradise memorable, visitors received a small token from the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) while waiting for their documents to be processed by the health and immigration officers.

Present at the airport for the arrival of the visitors were the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) Chief Executive, Mrs. Sherin Francis, Mrs. Anna Butler Payette, the Managing Director of 7 Degrees South and the Air Seychelles CEO, Remco Althuis.

Mrs. Sherin Francis mentioned her satisfaction to have seen this project materialized, she stated; “The STB’s efforts and resources invested in the Eastern European market are being rewarded as we see the number of visitors from not only Romania but the region increasing. The implication of our national airline has been pivotal in making those charters a reality.

She further thanked the Romanian partner Eturia Tour Operator and the local collaborator 7 Degrees south for their involvement in the project.

On her part, Mrs. Anna Butler Payette, the Managing Director of 7 Degrees South said; “Eastern Europe represents an important market were we have diversified which helps whilst our traditional markets recover. 7°South is honored to be part of this project and able to help in increasing the destination’s visibility and arrival numbers. It has been a difficult year for our businesses locally and it is promising to see that Seychelles has not lost its appeal on the international market.”

Seychelles has recorded 15,465 visitors disembarking on its shores between March 25 and April 25, 2021.

More news about Seychelles

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

Marriott International Statement on India

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Statement by Marriott International

“We join the global community in expressing our heartbreak at the devastating situation in India as the country battles an unprecedented rise in COVID cases. Our Marriott family of associates around the world stands with India. Marriott is donating to UNICEF and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to support their critical work, and we have made it possible for Marriott Bonvoy members to donate points in support of these organizations as well. Our associates are also stepping up for their colleagues in India to help those associates who have been hardest hit. We are pleased to see both the public and private sectors around the world mobilizing to help. It will take all of us working together to bring an end to this pandemic.”

Charter flights to connect Seychelles and Romania

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The Seychelles Islands is expecting a flock of visitors from the Eastern European market of Romania as Air Seychelles starts a new charter series tomorrow Friday, April 30, 2021. 

The Indian Ocean archipelago’s national airline will be operating charter flights between Romania’s capital city, Bucharest, and Mahé island, becoming the first-ever direct flight linking the two countries. 

For its first voyage, the 9-hour flight, operated by the Air Seychelles 168-seat capacity A320Neo aircraft has been sold out and expected to land at the Seychelles International Airport at 0930 hours.

Leaving Bucharest at 2300 hours on Thursday, the flight will make an in-between technical stop in Cairo, Egypt for refueling before resuming its path to Seychelles.

These weekly charters will continue until Monday, May 17, coming back for the summer season in August and subsequently for winter in December.

The initial flights spanning over April to May are expected to bring in 500 passengers, which the Seychelles Tourism Board has described as very promising for the destination.

STB’s Chief Executive, Mrs. Sherin Francis, expressed the tourism industry’s excitement, stating, “The news of the charters from Romania augurs very well with our tourism recovery efforts as more and more markets see us as being a safe destination, appreciating our core focus on safety with minimum inconvenience to our visitors.”

Remco Althuis, Chief Executive Officer at Air Seychelles commented: “At a time where travel is still restricted from certain destinations, we are happy to work with key partners to explore opportunities beyond our network, to boost inbound tourism into the Seychelles.

“As we look forward to operating the first charter flight from Romania, we will continue to work closely with the STB to increase visibility of the national airline and destination Seychelles to further develop Eastern European markets like Romania, which has enormous potential for the Seychelles tourism industry.”

He further stated that as Seychelles becomes an increasingly attractive destination, it was important that the airline seized business opportunities whenever available to recover and sustain their operations.

With Seychelles featuring amongst a host of popular locations welcoming tourists warmly, the collective initiative is expected to increase the destination’s visibility and appeal to the Eastern European market.

Several local partners collaborated actively with the Eturia Tour Operator in Romania to realise these charters, notably the Seychelles Tourism Board, 7 South and Air Seychelles. It is to be noted that Eturia has been selling Seychelles for the past 12 years.

More news about Seychelles

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

United Offers MileagePlus Premier Members Bonus Miles and New (Faster) Ways to Earn Premier Status

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CHICAGO, April 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — United Airlines today introduced three new promotions that let eligible MileagePlus Premier members “Pick Your Path” depending on their upcoming travel plans. The new promotions give members the chance to fast track their Premier status or earn bonus miles and will run from April 29 to July 27, 2021. Offers include:

  • A ‘Welcome-back Bonus’ promotion that gives members deposits of bonus Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) for their first three trips.
  • An ‘Easy PQP’ offer which provides member with a PQP deposit without needing to travel.
  • And an offer which allows members to earn double miles through the MileagePlus X app.

“While demand for travel is steadily increasing, we recognize that different customers are beginning to return to travel at different times,” said Luc Bondar United’s vice president of marketing and loyalty and President of MileagePlus. “Offering three separate promotions allows us to meet our Premier members where they are and gives our members the opportunity to select an offer that is meaningful to them whether they’re ready to travel now or if they’d rather receive miles to save for a trip later on.”

Welcome-back Bonus PQP

United is offering an option for eligible Premier members to earn up to 25% of the outright PQPs required for their current status level with the Welcome-back Bonus PQP offer. Combined with the 25% PQP deposit that United gave members at the start of this year, members who choose this option will have the opportunity to earn half of the PQP-only requirement to requalify for their status level.

Easy PQP

Premier members who aren’t planning any travel before July 27, 2021 can choose to receive a 10% deposit of the outright PQP requirement for their current status level with the Easy PQP option. Members will automatically receive between 350 and 1,500 PQPs depending on their status level.

Bonus Miles Through MileagePlus X

Eligible U.S.-based Premier members who prefer to save up for their next trip can choose to earn double miles (up to 10,000 bonus miles total) on all transactions made with MileagePlus X. With the MileagePlus X app, members can buy eGift cards from hundreds of merchants, dine at participating restaurants, or shop online and earn miles for each purchase.

Members have until May 13, 2021 to choose their promotion option or they will be automatically enrolled in the Welcome-back Bonus PQP offer. To be eligible, members must have held Premier status on April 19, 2021. Eligible Premier members can visit united.com/pickyourpath or sign into the MileagePlus X app to make their selection.

These new offerings build on announcements United introduced last year including reducing Premier qualifying thresholds, automatically giving members 25% of the PQP requirements for their status level and offering additional promotions for travel earlier this year. To learn about all of the changes United made to its Premier program in the last year visit https://mileageplusupdates.com/.

About United

United’s shared purpose is “Connecting People. Uniting the World.” For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter and Instagram or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United’s parent, United Airlines Holdings, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol “UAL”.

 

SOURCE United Airlines

For further information: United Airlines Worldwide Media Relations, +1-872-825-8640, [email protected]

Seychelles to allow entry to vaccinated visitors from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh

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In the wake of the ongoing rise of COVID-19 outbreak on the Asian Subcontinent, Seychelles has issued new travel measures for Indian visitors in a press conference held recently in the island nation.

Effective immediately, the Public Health Commissioner has announced that only vaccinated visitors from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh who have completed two weeks after their second dose are permitted to travel to and enter Seychelles with proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

This should be submitted at the time of application for Health Travel Authorization on https://seychelles.govtas.com/ and are subject to verification and approval of the Public Health Authority.

All travelers will be required to present a negative PCR test taken maximum 72 hours prior to departure. There will be no quarantine requirement, minimum stay nor restriction on movement for them upon entry into Seychelles.

It is not mandatory for children under 18 years to be vaccinated and can enter the country after presenting a negative PCR test taken maximum 72 hours prior to departure.

However, all visitors will still be required to adhere to other public health measures put in place in view of the pandemic which will include wearing of face masks, social distancing, regular sanitization and washing of hands.

Seychelles had opened its borders for tourists around the world from March 25, 2021 in light of the success registered in the aggressive vaccination campaign that the country embarked on earlier in the year.

The small island nation off the east coast of Africa whose economy is based primarily on tourism was the first country in the Indian Ocean region to launch a bold, comprehensive and effective Covid-19 immunization campaign, in January 2021. 

More details are available through the updated travel advisory on www.tourism.gov.sc.

More news about Seychelles

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