For Immediate Release | Official News Wire for the Travel Industry

Where press releases are breaking news

Travel Trade Professionals from city of Saint Gilles in Reunion trained to be Seychelles experts

by

The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) maintains its commitment to educate trade partners about the destination as the team conducted a two-day destination Training in the city of Saint Gilles in Réunion to train Travel Trade professionals to become certified smart agents.

The Seychelles smart Certification program is designed to help travel trade professionals to become specialists of the destination- ensuring that potential visitors receive the full Seychelles exposure from very first point of contact.  

The program requires the participants to complete a comprehensive training session about Seychelles Island, following which they have a period of one year to sell three Seychelles holiday packages.

An educational visit in Seychelles is the last step needed for them to be certified Seychelles smart agents.

This year’s Seychelles Smart certification-training program was conducted on the sidelines of the official mission of Mrs. Bernadette Willemin, the STB Regional Director for Europe in Réunion.

The STB Regional Director for Europe conducted the Seychelles Smart Certification Training involving some 33-trade partners. The Senior Marketing Executive in Reunion, Ms. Bernadette Honore, assisted her.

Following the success of the training session, Mrs. Bernadette Willemin stated on the importance of keeping the trade partners well-informed about the destination.

“It is imperative for a destination like ours whose majority of the business comes through the distribution channel to continue training the travel trade  front liners ensuring that they are comfortable and confident in selling our products and also capable of converting enquiries into sell,” said the STB Regional Director for Europe.

The duo also conducted a series of sales calls meetings with Reunion tourism trade professionals marketing Seychelles as the ultimate versatile destination in the region.

Mrs Willemin and Ms. Honore also took the opportunity to gather further intelligence on the Reunion market development.

STB partner airline in Reunion, Air Austral -offering direct connectivity to Seychelles- also collaborated to the programme, firming up its support towards this program by joining with the STB to promote the Réunion-Seychelles route.

MEDIA CONTACT: STB News Bureau, Tel: +248 4 671 354 / +248 4 671 313, stbnews@seychelles.travel  www.seychelles.travel

Seychelles highlighted in Reunion Senior Trade Fair

by

The destination was featured in Reunion’s 3rd edition of the distinguished Senior Trade Fair held in Reunion between May 31 to June 2, 2019.

The Seychelles Tourism Board’s (STB) participation in the 3-day consumer event focused on reinforcing Seychelles as a leisure destination for group travelers. The event, which regrouped over 100 exhibitors including service-providing experts in leisure, travel, and technologies under one roof, is viewed as the fundamental event in Reunion.

The Senior Trade Fair designed for group travelers – 50 and above – remains an opportunity for the STB to make its presence significant in increasing the number of tourism arrivals from the Reunion territory.

In their approach to the Reunion public, STB and Thomas Cook did not only share a co-branded stand to promote Seychelles as a holiday destination, the Reunion Travel Trade professional partner also proposed to all visitors special promotional offers for Seychelles. The features of the promotion custom-made a package specifically for this segment of travelers.

In addition, Thomas cook collaborated with its Destination Management Company in Seychelles, Mason’s Travel offering 2 nights at Indian Ocean Lodge and 2 nights at Carana Beach hotel in a draw held during the 3-day stand. Mason’s Travel also offered other prizes such as excursions and transfers.

Speaking about  the importance of STB’s participating to the Senior Trade Fair, STB Senior Marketing Executive based in Reunion, Ms. Bernadette Honore mentioned the remarkable turnout which will provide increased visibility for Seychelles as a destination that can be explored by group travelers for leisure

“Firming up our continued collaboration with Thomas Cook on this annual consumer trade fair highlighted the desire of Reunion Travel Trade professionals to grow this segment market to Seychelles. Reunion elderly population continued to be on the increase. Travelling is also one of their preferred hobbies. STB plans to continued working with this group travelers for leisure ensuring Seychelles capture part of this business,” said Ms. Bernadette Honore.

The STB representative also mentioned presence of important media such as Le Quotidien and Reunion Première at the Seychelles stand providing added visibility to the destination.

According to information gathered on an annual basis, 50 years and above are among one of the key potential travelers for leisure in Reunion, representing one quarter of Reunion population or around 62,000 people.

MEDIA CONTACT: STB News Bureau, Tel: +248 4 671 354 / +248 4 671 313, stbnews@seychelles.travel  www.seychelles.travel

Seychelles trade partners up-to-date with new European regulations

by

Mr. Julian Grupp, CEO of Seyvillas, facilitated the workshop, which aim at keeping the tourism professional abreast of the new practices on the European markets and was held on Tuesday June 11, 2019 at Eden Bleu Hotel.

The workshop-a premier on the Island- has been organised by the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) and saw the presence of the Principal Secretary for Tourism- Mrs. Anne Lafortune and Mrs. Sherin Francis, STB Chief Executive.

The event offer received a very positive response with 125 participants registering for participation from the tourism trade industry including professionals from hotel establishments and Destination Management Companies.

Other participants comprised of representatives of the Seychelles Hospitality & Tourism Association (SHTA), Ministry of Tourism and STB personnel from the Destination Development Department alongside their colleagues from the Trade and Visitors Services department. 

During this workshop, participants were guided on how to improve the Seychelles products in line with the new trends. They were also provided insights on the European law and regulations regarding bookings, cancellations and data privacy.

In her address to the participants, Sherin Francis mentioned her satisfaction to see the event taking place, she stressed on the importance of quality service for the destination.

The STB Chief Executive Mrs. Francis further stated STB’s commitment to increase the market value of the destination by encouraging all partners to keep themselves informed of new trends and regulations at all times.

“Our constant investment in our destination by facilitating such trainings to our partners is because we believe in the potential of Seychelles to keep growing. We have focused on digital marketing in the past events and we felt that the training regarding European legislations is an important part of making our trade collaborators conversant on the matter as these are the details that make us easily marketable as a destination. We are happy with the interest from the partners on Mahé and Praslin,” said Mrs. Francis.

This STB initiative aims at helping local partners to improve the quality of services they provide to all clients, specially the European travellers topping the visitor’s arrival list.

Subsequently, a session has been organised for the trade partners on Praslin and La Digue with a number of 50 confirmed registered participants. The training will take place at the Pension Fund Building on Thursday June 13, 2019.

MEDIA CONTACT: STB News Bureau, Tel: +248 4 671 354 / +248 4 671 313, stbnews@seychelles.travel  www.seychelles.travel

Seychelles efforts for a sustainable destination in the forefront

by

The destination joins the rest of the world to celebrate world environment day, a time us to reflect on sustainable tourism and how Seychelles as a destination is actively advocating for natural conservation.

As Seychelles took home the award for the Indian Ocean’s Leading Sustainable Tourism Destination 2019 at the 26th Edition of the World Travel Awards (WTA) held at the Sugar Beach- A Sun Resort in Mauritius on Saturday June 1, 2019.

Seychelles is one of those countries on the planet that is most reliant on tourism and fully realise the need to behave in such a way that its many resources are not squandered over the short term, but rather, used wisely so that they remain available for future generations of Seychellois.

At the forefront of keeping Seychelles sustainable is our very own Ministry of the Environment and its plans for waste management with the specific aim of reducing the amount of waste going into the landfill, which produces unwanted greenhouse gases, consumes scarce land and releases dangerous leachate into the environment.

The initiative towards developing a recycling system for PET and aluminium cans which started in 2008 is still ongoing and being sustained by importation and environmental levies. A glass bottle recycling system is also being implemented and has taken effect during 2018.

Additional restrictions are also being applied to the manufacture, trade and distribution of domestically produced and imported plastic bags of under 30 micrometres thickness.

 In 2017, the Ministry of Environment banned the use of manufacturing and sale of plastic, Styrofoam boxes and plastic utensils, rather promoting the use of paper boxes, reusable bags and other biodegradable substitutes. The government is working on setting up a waste-sorting centre to sort different types of waste for exportation.

Most recently, Plastic straw importation has been banned as of Friday, 1 February 2019. The sale, use, manufacturing, and processing of plastic straws ban has been reinforced as of 1 June 2019.

In order to benefit from the latest research, the Seychelles Ministry of Environment has been collaborating with different universities and also the World Bank and European Union to gather information about waste management in Seychelles and the development of a sustainable, 10-year waste management plan, which includes a waste-characterisation study and students’ exchange programme.

The ministry is also behind a composting programme where green waste will go to the landfill and also an education and awareness programme about effective waste management and waste sorting.

Meanwhile, the Seychelles Blue Bond Project which was presented at the recent Economist World Ocean Summit in Bali and which has already been awarded with the 2017 Ocean Innovation Challenge. It involves the government issuing a blue bond valued at $15 million over 10 years with guarantees from the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility to support the transition to sustainable fisheries.

The need for sustainability also underpins Seychelles’ exploration of the ocean for biotechnology as well as its research into alternative forms of energy such as that provided by, for example, wave power or solar farms, to lessen the load on imported and increasingly expensive forms of power production.

However, sustainability’s lowest common denominator remains the manner in which we each make a concerted effort to lessen our footprint on the planet and to consume its resources in ways that will make them available to future generations of Seychellois and tourists alike. It is when, as individuals, we truly begin to change our habits to take into consideration the broader, long term, needs of our environment and communities that we most favourably affect our prospects of success.

“As we commemorated World Environment Day on June 5, and looking at celebrating World Ocean Day on June 8, it is important we remember that our immaculate environment is the reason Seychelles is considered one of the best destination around the world. It is great to see that our government alongside the NGOs and the public remain focus on ecological measures. Our legacy to the younger generations has to be at the level of what our forefathers left for us,” said Mrs. Francis.

Article written with the collaboration of Glynn Burridge / TOURISM CONSULTANT / COPYWRITER, SEYCHELLES TOURISM BOARD

MEDIA CONTACT: STB News Bureau, Tel: +248 4 671 354 / +248 4 671 313, stbnews@seychelles.travel  www.seychelles.travel

Seychelles Tourism Board in Reunion tap into up market luxury brands

by

Seychelles Tourism Board (STB), geared up its presence in Réunion Island as the organisation participated in an upmarket consumer event to showcase the destination, present the accessible products and network with potential partners.  

The event dubbed ‘Rêve de Moka’ saw the presence of six luxury Brands comprising of Porche, Caviar.re, Moet & Chandon Champagne, Isautier and a properties investor Neovarim.

‘Rêve de Moka,’ hosted in ‘Domaine de Moka’ one of Reunion Islands historical and long term conservation site attracted around 200 visitors, chosen from an exclusive database. 

The event which took place in a workshop format followed by animation and a touring of the property in a Porche.  

The event was attended STB Senior Marketing Executive based in Reunion, Ms. Bernadette Honore who represented the destination.

Seychelles extended its reach to Reunion potential visitors, as a luxury destination and gained exclusivity in the event as being the only destination present at the event.

STB was supported at the event by the presence of airline partner in Reunion -Air Austral, Réunion Tour operator-Bourbon voyages who contributed by their presence.

As part of its participation to the ‘Rêve de Moka’ event, Air Austral pressed its marketing as the only direct connection between the two islands.

The airline partner also offered 2 airfare tickets to Seychelles as prize for a quizz game initiative, which was reinforced by Castello Beach Hotel as the company offered a two-night’s stay for two persons to complement the package.

Aside from having its representatives at the STB table at the event, Bourbon voyages, provided the invited visitors with additional information about the destination including activities and pricing of their services.   

Talking about the STB participation to the event, Ms. Bernadette Honore mentioned the importance for the destination to appear in upscale events and commented on her satisfaction at the interest generated by Seychelles’ presence. 

 “The upmarket luxury brand in Réunion is a segment market of potential to Seychelles. Seychelles earmarked as a high-end Island destination had the potential to capture this kind of clienteles. Our presence in such event does not only allow Seychelles Tourism Board to promote the destination, but it allows us to be presence where our segment market is for a greater visibility of Seychelles,’’ said Ms. Honore.  

MEDIA CONTACT: STB News Bureau, Tel: +248 4 671 354 / +248 4 671 313, stbnews@seychelles.travel  www.seychelles.travel

Seychelles shines again as the destination is awarded “Best Destination – Africa” in Mumbai

by

The Seychelles received laurels at the Geo Spa Global Spa India Awards by winning the Reader’s Choice Award for “Best Destination – Africa” that took place on April 24, 2019 at the St. Regis Mumbai.

The ceremony was attended by various Indian celebrities, including Indian actresses Shilpa Shetty and Rekha (amongst others).

The award was collected by Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) representative in India, Ms. Lubaina Sheerazi on behalf of Mrs. Sherin Francis STB Chief Executive.

Ms. Sheerazi mentioned that Seychelles remains a preferred destination for the Indian market and receiving this award adds to its prestige image, as a destination everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime.

“We are delighted to receive this recognition for Seychelles, as it speaks volumes about the destination’s popularity among Indians. The Seychelles is a visa free country, now has direct flight connectivity, scenic views, un-crowded beaches and tropical weather throughout the year. The destination also has a romantic ambiance, making it a great destination for Indians” said Ms. Sheerazi.

For her part, Mrs. Francis STB Chief Executive mentioned that receiving the ‘Reader’s choice award for “Best Destination – Africa” is a gesture of trust and confidence, which is largely rewarding for the team.

“It is always an honor and a pleasure to receive an award. I would like to personally thank the readers of Geo Spa Global Spa India, who have voted for the destination. It certainly makes us proud as a destination to know our islands continue to remain top of readers’ minds, in this part of the world. It not only marks the destination as best in its category but also celebrates the joint efforts from the STB team at headquarters, the STB team in India and lastly, all trade partners,” said Mrs. Francis.

MEDIA CONTACT: STB News Bureau, Tel: +248 4 671 354 / +248 4 671 313, stbnews@seychelles.travel  www.seychelles.travel

Seychelles Tourism Board records successful participation at 2019 Arabian Travel Market in Dubai

by

The Seychelles Islands was represented at the 26th edition of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), in Middle East’s most popular travel trade event held from April 28 to May 1, 2019 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The 4-day event garnered the participation of some 2,500 companies, including the participation of the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) featuring a representation from 150 countries, 65 national pavilions and more than 100 new exhibitors at the fair.

The Seychelles delegation was led by the Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Didier Dogley. The Seychelles Ambassador in the United Arab Emirates, Jean-Claude Adrienne, STB Chief Executive, Mrs. Sherin Francis.

They were escorted by a strong STB team including the Tourism Attaché at the Seychelles Abu Dhabi Embassy, Ms. Aliette Esther, the STB representative in Dubai, Ahmed Fathallah, and Ms. Stephanie Lablache STB Director for the Middle East and Ms. Vanessa Lucas, Public Relations Officer from the Headquarters.

The team was completed by few trade partners representing local Destination Management Companies and hotels including Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort & Casino, Eden Bleu Hotel, Luxury Travel, Satguru Travels and Tours Ltd, Six Senses Zil Pasyon, and Vision Voyages.

The 2019 edition of the ATM travel trade show recorded over 40,000 attendees, highlighting Middle East’s thriving tourism sector and the major opportunity for Seychelles as a destination to increase its clients in the Middle East.  

STB’s participation has generated immense interest at the ATM as numerous partners and travel professionals visited the stand, conducting meetings with exhibiting partners attending the event alongside the STB team.

With the summer season fast approaching, coupled with other upcoming Middle Eastern holidays, the annual event was the ideal platform for the STB and its local partners to personally meet travel professionals to further the awareness of the destination as well as reinforcing its presence in the Middle East market.

The destination, with Six Senses Zil Pasyon as partner, was also one of the presenters at the TTN Travel Trade Competition on the 3rd day of the fair at the Inspiration Theatre on site. The STB Chief Executive Mrs. Sherin Francis showcased the destination through a Pecha Kucha presentation— a story telling format using 20 slides for 20 seconds per slide.

The presentation was followed by a quiz which was the highlight of the event as one lucky travel agent took home a prize sponsored by Six Senses Zil Pasyon by answering the questions correctly.

During the event, Minister Didier Dogley and STB Chief Executive had the opportunity to give several media interviews to share the latest news about the destination.

Aside from providing visibility to the destination and indulging in various promotional activities at the ATM, the STB team, headed by its Chief Executive also signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the renewal of a marketing agreement between the Tourism Board and Emirates Airline. 

Mrs. Francis mentioned her satisfaction following STB’s participation at the ATM, she also thanked the partners who supported the team by their presence on the stand during the event.

“STB’s participation at the ATM was definitely a great success. There was an increased interest from our media partners and our partners in the Middle East to hear about the latest news from our destination. It was vital for the destination to be present at the event, the upcoming holidays in the Middle East opens a window of opportunity to increase visitor’s arrival on the Middle East market. With the efforts contributed by the local trade present at the fair, I am confident that we have made a huge impact on the market,” said Mrs. Francis.

 “We are hopeful and anticipating to surpass last year’s visitor arrivals to the destination by participating in different travel and trade events in the GCC that will serve as a platform to personally meet with new and existing trade partners.” said Mr. Fathallah.

The UAE along with the GCC countries currently being the fourth market feeder to the destination continues to be one of the largest source markets to the destination finishing off the year 2018 with more than 32,000 visitors from the GCC.

MEDIA CONTACT: STB News Bureau, Tel: +248 4 671 354 / +248 4 671 313, stbnews@seychelles.travel  www.seychelles.travel

Puerto Rico Tourism: Out with the old, in with the new

by

“Since our inception last July, we hit the ground running to accelerate the tourism economy,” said Brad Dean, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico. “This brand campaign follows a strong publicity effort that set up Puerto Rico as the top place to visit in 2019 and a recently revamped website, DiscoverPuertoRico.com.

“The creative highlights our two strongest assets – our culture and our people – and will help us strengthen traveler’s familiarity with what makes our Island one-of-a-kind.”  The campaign officially launches today across digital channels via digital banners, social, pre-roll and a follow-up TV spot that will launch in coming weeks in key markets. Additional marketing support is expected throughout the rest of 2019, to attract visitors to the Island during the summer travel season.”

Discover Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico’s newly-established Destination Marketing Organization (DMO), announced today the rollout of Puerto Rico’s brand campaign called “Have We Met Yet?” which draws inspiration from Puerto Rico’s cultural and natural offerings and at its essence, focuses on the hospitable and welcoming nature of its people. By posing the question “Have We Met Yet?” the creative re-introduces the Island to the world and brings to life the exotic yet familiar essence of Puerto Rico. As the U.S. mainland’s “neighbor to the south,” the new campaign showcases through Puerto Rico’s iconic doors how the Island welcomes visitors with open arms.

Following extensive research that showed that Puerto Rico’s brand identity was neutral in the minds of travelers, this new campaign is this next phase of Discover Puerto Rico’s brand repositioning process, enabling the Island to fully capitalize on its rich tourism product offerings and emerge as a leading Caribbean destination. The creative repositions the island as that neighbor that one dreams of – with the festive flair, the ocean view, the incredible art collection, the delicious food. Puerto Rico is the neighbor you’ll laugh with, celebrate with, and maybe even fall in love with.

“Puerto Rico’s people, its rich culture and unparalleled natural offerings, combined with the fact that it’s a U.S. territory and easily accessible, were key factors that led to this creative. We’re excited to debut this brand campaign as it opens the door, literally, to endless possibilities that showcase the spirit of the Puerto Rican people and everything the Island has to offer,” said Leah Chandler, CMO of Discover Puerto Rico.

Travelers exposed to the new brand campaign will be immediately drawn by the colorful vibrant doors and stunning imagery found throughout the Island. The creative highlights many aspects that make Puerto Rico a unique destination—ranging from its people, its cuisine, its festive spirit, its natural attractions, and much more.

“The campaign invites travelers to visit Puerto Rico and meet us, the neighbor that you can’t live without,” said Chandler. “Puerto Rico was named the #1 Place to Visit in 2019 by the New York Times and has topped over 20 other notable lists of places to visit this year,” she added. “We want to send a message to all travelers that this is THE year to visit Puerto Rico. The entire island is eager to welcome them.”

The creative was ideated and produced by Beautiful Destinations, with support from local production crews who traveled throughout the Island to capture the beautiful scenery, thousands of colorful doors, and welcoming faces of the Puerto Rican people.

To view the “Have We Met Yet?” creative online, visit YouTube.com/DiscoverPuertoRico and be on the lookout for additional campaign creative coming soon.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Swiss-Belhotel brings special offers to Arabian Travel Market

by

Swiss-Belhotel International has created exciting packages for wholesalers and tour operators that will be launched at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) taking place in Dubai from April 28 to May 1, 2019. Targeted at Middle East travelers, the group has put together a fabulous range of offers that will be available across its spectacular properties in New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines, and Indonesia.

Laurent A. Voivenel, Senior Vice President, Operations and Development for the Middle East, Africa and India, Swiss-Belhotel International, said: “We are delighted to announce the launch of these exclusive packages that have been designed to provide unique experiences along with greater benefits and value to our Middle East partners as well as customers. We have superb properties located in some of the most sought-after destinations that attract large number of travelers from our region. With the summer holiday season around the corner, ATM presents us the ideal opportunity to launch these. Moreover, this year we are very excited about the ATM Holiday Shopper that we believe is a great addition to the show.”

The Special Packages offer a diverse choice of experiences at unbeatable rates: These include the following:

  • Special Golf Packages in Indonesia at various destinations – Jakarta, Batam, Bandung, Bali, Tarakan, Belitung, Surabaya, Jayapura, and in Vietnam in Da Lat.
  • Discounted wholesale rates for hotels in New Zealand and for hotels in Australia.
  • Early Bird discounts in the busiest destination in Australia, the hotel in Sydney offers 15% discounts for booking within April with stays valid till August and 10% for bookings until August with stays valid all throughout the year.
  • In Philippines, book at Makati and get a free room upgrade; and when you book at Manila get to enjoy the amazing introductory offer including breakfast for two.

Visitors to ATM can find Swiss-Belhotel International on stand HC0825 located in Sheikh Saeed Arena in Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

eTN is a media partner for ATM.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Senior tourist dies at Grand Canyon after fall

by

A 70-year-old tourist fell to her death yesterday, Tuesday, April 23, 2019, at the Grand Canyon in the US state of Arizona. She is the second person to die at this popular tourist destination this year. The Grand Canyon national park sees 6 million visitors every year.

A call went out to park rangers that someone needed  help at the South Rim of the canyon, but by the time responders arrived, the person had fallen 200 feet below the rim. Her body was recovered using a helicopter. It is not known how the woman fell.

The Grand Canyon has designated trails and walkways as well as railings and fences at overlooks that will keep visitors at a safe distance from the rim’s edge. Anyone who chooses to venture beyond that is literally taking their lives into their own hands.

In 2015, 8 men were hopping from one rock to another or posing for pictures, including a 38-year-old father from Texas who was pretending to fall to scare his daughter, but then really did fall 400 feet to his death.

On March 14, 2017,  30-year-old Gom Dang, of Ankeny, Iowa, fell to his death off the rim west of Mather Point as he was posing for a photo when he lost his balance and fell backward to his death. His body was recovered approximately 280 feet below the rim.

In this day and age of the selfie, many people have lost their lives trying to get the perfect picture. A tourist from Hong Kong died falling into the canyon on the Hualapai reservation, just outside the park’s boundaries, on March 28, 2017. He was taking a photo at the time.

In that same year, 20 people fell to their death at the Grand Canyon. A 67-year-old man fell 400 feet from the South Rim and died on April 3. There were 290 search-and-rescues and 1,135 emergency medical service incidents.

Dying from heat or dehydration is more common than falling off the edge in the Grand Canyon, but it is still a major concern. On average, 2 to 3 deaths per year are from falls over the rim.

Travel News | eTurboNews