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Seychelles Tourism Board accentuates its efforts towards GCC with Emirates Airlines

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The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB), in its ongoing marketing strategy to bring the exotic destination close to the GCC region, has conducted a meeting with Emirates Airlines on November 3, 2019 in Dubai, UAE.

The STB Chief Executive Mrs. Sherin Francis alongside the STB representative in Dubai Mr. Ahmed Fathallah met with the Emirates Airlines team represented by the new Commercial Operations Regional Manager, Mr. Gaurav Pandey and Business Analysis Manager, Ms. Silvy Sebastian.

The aim of the visit was for the STB team to extend its warm welcome to the new Emirates Regional Manager, who oversees the Seychelles in addition to making sure that both teams contribute to put the right measures in order to see continued growth in the industry.

During their discussions, the two teams centered their thoughts on tourism arrivals to the Seychelles, revenues of 2019 from the GCC region as well as forecasting for 2020 and beyond.

Mrs. Sherin Francis stated that the STB as part of the tourism board’s strategy, there is constant effort aimed at reaching out to travelers from the Arab world.

The Account Manager for STB office in Dubai, Mr. Ahmed Fathallah, who mentioned that there is a constant growth from the UAE market through the direct flight connectivity provided by Emirates, reinforced the statement.
“The continuous support and collaboration with Emirates Airlines enable us to increase our reach to all our regular and potential clients by making the destination accessible throughout the world via their extensive network,” Fathallah said.

This meeting between Emirates Airlines and the representatives from Seychelles was an opportunity to strengthen the unique selling points of the destination.

It further strengthened the assurance of mutual benefits for both parties as this initiative includes deeper levels of cooperation and exchange to further boost tourism flows from the region to the destination.

With more than 32,000 visitors from the GCC last year, the GCC market remains to be one of the very important market feeders to the destination to date.

Emirates airlines has a fleet of 256 aircraft and connects Seychelles to 135 destinations and territories across six continents.

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

Another successful World Travel Market for the Seychelles

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The Seychelles islands sparkled through its strong delegation at the 40th edition of the World Travel Market (WTM), held from November 4, 2019 to November 6, 2019 at ExCel London.

Representatives from various sectors of the Seychelles tourism industry were present at the WTM, showcasing the destination in all its splendour as one of the must visit destination around the world.

Seychelles featured at this key UK event alongside the biggest countries and brands around the world

The Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Mr. Didier Dogley, who was present at the Seychelles stand for the opening of the fair, led the Seychelles delegation.

During the 3-day event, the Seychelles stand, which consisted of members of Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) team and trade partners working in unison to charm the many WTM visitors to the beauties of Seychelles.

Representatives from Maia Luxury Resort, Hilton Seychelles, Kempinski Seychelles Resort, Coco-de-Mer hotel (and Black Parrot Suites), Eden Bleu, the H Resort Beau Vallon and Savoy Resort & Spa were present on the accommodation providers side. Representing the destination management companies were 7 Degrees South, Creole Travel Services, Mason’s Travel, and Satguru Travel.

The Seychellois Company Maz Million was also represented, present at WTM promoting the Maz Luxury Seychelles Tourism Lottery.

The STB team was represented by its Chief Executive Mrs. Sherin Francis; the Regional Director for Europe, Mrs. Bernadette Willemin; the Director for UK and Ireland, Ms. Christine Vel; Senior Marketing Executive, Ms. Mavreen Pouponneau and Marketing Executive, Ms. Eloise Vidot.

While in London, Minister Dogley and Mrs. Francis conducted various meetings with travel trade professionals and interviews with high-profile media.

Commenting on the marketing mission, Mrs. Francis stated the importance of the destination’s presence at such events. 

“The destination’s participating in such fairs is not only a platform for the visibility through the media exposure throughout the events but also provides a perfect opportunity for our local partners to meet the various Tour Operators and Travel Agents in the UK to discuss their plans for 2020,” said Mrs. Francis.

STB’s Director for UK & Ireland Christine Vel expressed her satisfaction for another successful year on the market.

 ‘’The arrival figures have increased by 10% compared to the same period last year.  We expect this trend to continue and further develop our business together with the support of local Seychelles trade partners which will keep the growing confidence of the UK & Irish travel operators and agent in continuing to sell the destination and increase the sales figures,”

Since its start four decades ago, WTM London facilitates £2.8 billion in industry deals and has around 5,000 exhibitors from 182 countries and regions and more than 51,000 participants.

Last year WTM London sparked a million meetings, resulting in around £3 billion in contracts.

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

Jamaica and Panama to establish multi-destination arrangement, says Minister Bartlett

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Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has announced that Jamaica and the Republic of Panama is set to establish a multi destination arrangement, as part of efforts to strengthen tourism relations between both countries.

This announcement follows discussions with Minister of Tourism for Panama, His Excellency Ivan Alfaro, and Minister Bartlett at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London yesterday.

“Multi destination tourism is a strategy to increase the product offerings of the respective destinations but more so to enable better air connectivity between markets particularly, for long haul destinations. With this multi destination arrangement, Panama will become a hub for long haul flights and Emirates and Air China are among the two targeted carriers,” said Minister Bartlett.

The Jamaica Tourist Board and the Panamanian Tourism Authority will meet to conclude details of the arrangement by January 2020 for signing during FITUR in Spain.

“The second area of collaboration will be to explore how we can better leverage the Jamaican Diaspora that has contributed to the cultural enrichment of Panama.

The third and final area of collaboration will be resilience building in the region, which will include the establishment of a satellite Global Resilience and Crisis Management Centre at an agreed university in Panama,” added Minister Bartlett.

Jamaica has had diplomatic relations with Panama since 1966. Currently, COPA Airlines, which is the flag carrier of Panama, operates eleven (11) flights weekly into Jamaica.

The WTM is a major promotional platform for the JTB and features many Jamaican companies, creating the ideal opportunity to meet industry professionals and conduct business deals.

Minister Bartlett, who is participating in WTM as part of efforts to increase outbound travels from the UK, Northern Europe, Russia, Scandinavia and Nordic region to grow arrivals from these markets, will return to the island on November 8.

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

Frankfurt Airport: New winter schedule features 259 destinations worldwide

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On October 27, Frankfurt Airport’s new winter schedule will become effective – in tandem with the end of daylight saving time in Germany. In winter 2019/20, a total of 88 airlines will be offering passenger flights from FRA, serving 259 destinations in 99 countries worldwide. Boasting the highest number of intercontinental destinations, Frankfurt Airport thus confirms its position as Germany’s prime international aviation gateway. The winter schedule will remain effective until March 28, 2020.

New to take off from FRA in the coming winter season are Corendon Airlines (XC) and Corendon Airlines Europe (XR) with regular flights to Izmir (Turkey) and Marrakesh (Morocco), respectively. German low-cost airline Eurowings (EW) will also start flying from FRA for the winter schedule 2019/20, in cooperation with its parent Lufthansa (LH).

Eurowings will be offering three weekly services to Barbados, Mauritius and Las Vegas (U.S.) from FRA. These routes will also be served by German leisure carrier Condor (DE). Moreover, EW is launching three weekly services to Windhoek in Namibia – complementing Air Namibia’s (SW) daily flight on this route.

Lufthansa will continue its five weekly service to Austin, Texas (U.S.), launched in summer 2019. The German flag carrier will also continue offering two daily flights to Chicago (U.S.) in the coming winter season. Moreover, LH will maintain the Frankfurt-Tampa route, offering six weekly flights to this sunny destination in Florida (U.S.). For those who prefer skiing in the Rocky Mountains in the winter season, United Airlines (UA) will continue offering six weekly connections from Frankfurt to Denver in the U.S. state of Colorado. Condor (DE) is again flying to Samana and Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, thus adding two sunny Caribbean destinations to FRA’s winter schedule.

WOW Air (WW), Adria Airways (JP) and flybmi (BM) have ceased operations due to bankruptcy. These airlines previously operated on European routes to/from FRA. Azores Airlines (S4) and Ural Airlines (U6) will also no longer be flying from FRA in the upcoming winter schedule.

Fraport AG’s executive board chairman, Dr. Stefan Schulte, said: “The growth in intercontinental services further enhances the already outstanding connectivity of the Frankfurt global aviation hub. However, we are also being impacted by the worldwide economic slowdown and a number of geopolitical risks – as well as the consolidation of the European air transport market and the capacity problems at some airlines due to the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX. In this already difficult environment, the planned increase in the domestic air traffic tax will further weaken the international competitiveness of the German aviation market.”

A total of 4,130 passenger flights per week will be operating from FRA during the winter schedule 2019/20. This represents a four percent drop compared to last year. Broken down by regions, 630 of these flights will serve domestic destinations (within Germany), while 960 will be intercontinental flights, and 2,540 flights will serve other European destinations. Seat capacity will decrease by 2.5 percent year-on-year to 760,000 seats per week overall, while seat capacity in intercontinental traffic will grow by nearly 2 percent to 280,000 seats per week.

(All the above changes are in comparison to the 2018/2019 winter schedule.)

MEDIA CONTACT: Dieter-Sebastian Hulick, Corporate Communications, Press Office, 60547 Frankfurt, Germany, Telephone: +49 69 690-66249, E-mail: [email protected] , Internet: www.fraport.com , Facebook: www.facebook.com/FrankfurtAirport

Sands Resorts Macao Offers US Travelers an Unforgettable Thanksgiving Destination

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Sands Resorts Macao, a fully integrated and bustling resort city located in the heart of Macao that encompasses seven luxurious hotels, features excellent food and beverage options, top entertainment and a large range of retailers, offers US travelers an unforgettable destination for the Thanksgiving holiday. When visiting Macao, travelers will find that the properties at Sands Resorts Macao are must-visit destinations that provide every guest with an incredible experience and unparalleled excitement during their Thanksgiving stay.

In addition to enjoying time with family and friends, Macao has several events going on during the month of November. On November 14, Sands Resorts Macao will hold its Christmas Tree Lighting event so visitors can enjoy breathtaking and festive light display right in the heart of the Cotai strip. Additionally, the 19th Macao Food Festival, held November 8 through 24, attracts residents and visitors to enjoy local delicacies as well as Asian, European and Mainland Chinese cuisines. Visitors to Macao can also enjoy the 66th Macao Grand Prix, which will take place from November 14 through 17. The legendary Macao Grand Prix is known as the most internationally prominent event on the Macao calendar and pits the best motorcycle, WTCC and Formula 3 racers in the world against each other and the clock.

For more information about Sands Resorts Macao, please click here.

About Sands Resorts Macao – Sands China’s Integrated Resort City

Sands China Ltd. is the leading developer, owner and operator of integrated resorts in Macao. Sands Resorts Macao, in the glittering heart of Taipa’s Cotai Strip, is an integrated resort city and international hub providing an industry-leading array of experiences for business and leisure travelers.

Pulsating with life day and night, Sands Resorts Macao features an expansive offering of affordable luxury available nowhere else in Macao. This includes around 12,500 hotel rooms and suites, top international entertainment, duty free shopping with approximately 850 retailers and a huge range of name brands, meeting and exhibition space for Asia’s leading conferences and exhibitions, transportation offerings and over 150 dining options, with Michelin-starred restaurants, bars and lounges. Sands Resorts Macao is a must-visit destination providing every guest with an unforgettable experience and unparalleled excitement.

Comprised of The Venetian® Macao; The Parisian Macao; The Plaza™ Macao (featuring Four Seasons Hotel Macao); and Sands® Cotai Central (incorporating the world’s largest Conrad, Sheraton and Holiday Inn hotels as well as The St. Regis Macao), Sands Resorts Macao is Asia’s ultimate destination for both work and play. The Londoner® Macao, the British-themed reimagining of Sands Cotai Central, will open progressively over 2020 and 2021.

Media contacts: Hwee Peng Yeo, Sarah Rogers, Kate Bewak, and Juliona Miller at Glodow Nead Communications, (415) 394-6500 or [email protected]