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Seychelles present at Access Luxury Travel Show Workshop in capital city of Czech Republic

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The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) was present at the seventh Edition of the Access Luxury Travel Show Workshop held on Monday March 11, 2019, at the Kaiserstejnsky Palac in the city of Prague.

The opportunity gave the STB team the chance to meet major partners on the Czech market, which is one of the strongest economies in Central Europe and has shown growing interest in luxury travel over the past few years.

The workshop, which was attended by about 86 participants including Tour Operators, Travel Agents and airline companies was a series of pre-scheduled one on one meetings, presentations and free flow workshop. The evening ended with a networking cocktail and a Raffle draw.

Ms. Myra Fanchette, Paris based STB Senior Marketing Executive represented the organisation at the event, during which she presented Seychelles as a multi-faceted holiday destination offering a plethora of possibilities for leisure and relaxation.

The Destination’s representative through STB, stood alongside 19 other exhibitors including the Constance Hotels & Resorts, few Destination Management Companies, hotel representative from Maldives and the Jamaica Tourism Board.

Ms. Fanchette mentioned that STB’s participation at the Access Luxury Travel Show Workshop opened doors for new business relationships between the service providers from the Czech Republic and STB.

“It was an ideal platform for STB to meet with new Travel Agencies and Tour Operators, which so far Seychelles does not appear in their portfolio and they have demonstrated great interest in new destinations. We also maximised on our presence at the event to meet with our existing partners who wanted to know about any latest developments on the destination and discussed plans and activities for the year,” said Ms. Fanchette.

The Czech Republic has seen an increase of 43% on the visitor’s arrival from January to March 2019, compared to the same period last year. This is very encouraging and our continuous efforts to enhance the growth on the Eastern European markets are ongoing with various activities planned for the year, the next STB appearance will be on a dedicated Eastern Europe Roadshow, which will be held from May 27 to 30, 2019 in four different cities.

Travel News | eTurboNews

The Travel & Adventure Show San Francisco, USA

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The Seychelles Islands marked its presence through its marketing body Seychelles Tourism Board (STB), as it exhibited at the Travel & Adventure Show 2019 edition.

The event took place in the city of San Francisco, in Northern California, on March 21-22, 2019.

The STB team was represented by the Regional Director for Africa & the Americas, David Germain, was present at the Show on the organisation’s behalf to showcase Seychelles as an extraordinary holiday destination to the 9,500 consumers, travel trade and Media who visited the exhibition at the Santa Clara Conference Center.

Mr. Germain mentions STB’s participation to the event is in line with its marketing efforts in the USA for increased arrivals from North America in 2019.

“Destination awareness and visibility is central to all we endeavor to do as Seychelles Tourism to grow our country’s market share in North America, and on the entire continent,” said Mr. Germain.

The annual participation by the STB at the Travel and Adventure shows in different cities of the United States each year, allow the STB to showcase Seychelles to a wide audience of consumers in the United States, creating awareness of the destination.

Viewed as one of North Americas largest consumer show for tourism and leisure, it is the place for holidaymakers to find information and offers about the latest travel trends, new destinations, among others.

In the prospect of raising the destination’s profile, the STB continues to increase its marketing efforts in North America during 2019, with marketing activities in different major cities in the United States during the year.

Mr. Germain further mentioned that as part of the marketing activities planned for the market for the year, media trips and agent’s familiarization visits to Seychelles would take place during the year, in collaboration with airline partners.

Mr. Germain explained that through the current available flight connectivity between North America and most major airlines, the destination has become even more accessible with easy connections to the archipelago via either Africa, Europe or the Middle East.

“Through our constant presence on the United States Market, Seychelles is today more known to the affluent North American travellers than in the last decade and the current visitor arrival figures from the Americas to the archipelago confirm that the North American market is one with great potential” said David Germain.

For the past 15 years, the Travel & Adventure Show has conducted more than 80 events in the major cities of the United States of America, connecting over 1.5 million travel enthusiasts, with over 3,700 unique travel professionals, facilitating face-to-face dialogue, which has resulted in more than 2.1 billion dollars in travel bookings worldwide.

Travel News | eTurboNews

From airport terminal to glamorous holiday destination: Designer pop-up shop

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Marie France Van Damme, the Hong Kong-based designer known for her globally influenced line of luxury resort, swim, and ready-to-wear, continues to expand her presence worldwide with the opening of a Paris pop-up shop inside Le Bon Marché on May 1, which will operate through June 1. Best known for her silk caftans and timeless collection of elegant resort wear, Marie France Van Damme’s designs have become a “must-have” for the jet set and those who appreciate a timeless luxury product.

Located on the second floor of Le Bon Marché  (24 Rue de Sevres, 75007 Paris, France) in the Savoir Faire department, the new 100 square-foot pop-up shop will offer Marie France Van Damme’s summer 2019 collection of ‘Dolce Vita’ essentials, including luxe day resort wear, elegant summer dresses and evening wear, glamorous bathing suits, and flowy silk caftans. The pop-up shop will be designed to mimic an airport, complete with a dashboard listing departure flight numbers. Inspired by the legendary Splendido hotel and Hotel du Cap, the installation will transport its clientele to a glamorous beach destination replete with silver coated palm trees, inflatable buoys, and branded metallic beach bags.

Designed by renowned lifestyle curator Marie France Van Damme, the shop is inspired by a concept she calls the MFVD holiday jet-set ‘Jet Pack,’ which represents a selection of featherweight garments designed to pack in a small travel bag that you don’t have to check in. As the designer guides you through her world with the perfect ‘Jet Pack’ this summer, the pieces available in the pop-up shop will take the Marie France Van Damme woman from city to resort and resort to city, and provide the best of both worlds: luxe day resort wear and chic evening looks.

“Packing can be stressful and most people are guilty of stuffing their suitcases full of items they’ll never wear, just in case. The answer is, of course, to think carefully about what to bring, and to buy cleverly. The challenge is getting the right mix, to buy things that slide perfectly from day to night, items that can be dressed up or pared down,” says Marie France Van Damme. “Like me, our customer travels around the world, and she needs to find things that will look beautiful during the day as well as at night; from the beach to a cocktail or dinner in the evening. We are honored to open a pop-up in time for the holiday season in one of the world’s most exclusive luxury shopping destinations.”

Marie France Van Damme’s new Summer 2019 collection is a return to the glamorous roots of resort wear and offers striking essentials, designed to have a wear-anywhere appeal from Portofino to Paris. Signature pieces from the new collection include metallic swimsuits, vaporous cover-ups, silk boubou caftans, and effortless summer dresses.

For the perfect look, the pop-up shop will also offer onsite beach makeup services for customers, and an opportunity to design their own one and only boubou caftan. Customers can choose from a selection in a book, one fabric and one trim, which Marie France Van Damme will then produce in her atelier. Customers who purchase the limited-edition caftan can enter a raffle to win a two-night stay at a One&Only Resort. To celebrate the opening, the store will host a series of special events.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Ottawa Tourism and Outaouais Tourism join forces to target UK

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Senior members from Ottawa Tourism and Outaouais Tourism will visit the UK from April 8-10 to promote both regions as a holiday destination.

The delegation, which also includes representatives from Canada’s national museums and from the wildlife experience called Omega Park, will visit Manchester and London, where they are set to meet with leading travel trade partners and top travel media.

The sales mission will conclude with an exclusive co-hosted event taking place at the Argyll Room & Terrace at London’s prestigious No. 4 Hamilton Place.

Ottawa is Canada’s capital with more than one million people. Located in Ontario at the Quebec border, it’s a place where English and French are spoken in the streets. Outaouais is located on the north shore of the Ottawa River, facing Ottawa.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Lufthansa launches seven new European destinations from Munich

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During this year´s summer flight schedule Lufthansa launches seven new destinations in Germany and Europe. There are several weekly flights to Strasbourg and Rostock for the first time, and the offer is being extended to Spain, France, Italy and Croatia. “The summer timetable offers business travellers important connections via Munich to the rest of the world. Holidaymakers can also look forward to attractive new holiday destinations, especially around the Mediterranean,” says Wilken Bormann, Lufthansa CEO Hub Munich. Lufthansa is flying from Munich to 140 destinations in 46 countries this summer. These include 113 destinations in Germany and Europe that can be reached non-stop from the southern Lufthansa hub.

On April 9, Lufthansa will be taking off from Munich to Strasbourg for the first time. As the seat of the European Parliament, the city in Alsace is an important business destination. But Strasbourg is also interesting for short-term holidaymakers: The old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Bombardier CRJ900 brings passengers to Strasbourg five times a week, offering an optimal option for business and leisure travelers.

Alicante is on the Munich flight plan for the first time on April 12. An Airbus A320 will fly to the port city on the Costa Blanca three times a week.

Until now, Tivat has been considered a little-known holiday destination. Now, a less than two-hour flight links the city in Montenegro to Munich. Steeped in history, Tivat is located near the Bay of Kotor and, with its historical settlements by the fjord-like bay, is a UNESCO World and Natural Heritage Site. From April 13, Lufthansa will be taking off in an Airbus A319 to Montenegro every Saturday.

After a long break, Rostock/Laage is back on the Lufthansa flight schedule. From May 1, the CRJ900 will be flying from Munich twice a day and on every Sunday afternoon. Transfer passengers have optimal connections to the worldwide Lufthansa network in Munich.

Also new in the timetable is Biarritz. The seaside resort on the French Atlantic coast will be served every Saturday from May 25 with a Bombardier CRJ900. The legendary holiday destination offers long sandy beaches and is an Eldorado for surfers.

For the first time, northern Croatia is just an hour’s flight away from Munich: Rijeka is the name of the new Lufthansa destination, which is considered the gateway to the Croatian islands. On Saturdays, also from May 25, a Bombardier CRJ900 will fly to the Kvarner Gulf region.

Tourists can now also reach Rimini on the Italian Adriatic coast directly from Munich with Lufthansa. A CRJ900 will touchdown at the popular holiday destination every Sunday from May 26.

Travel News | eTurboNews

The Seychelles Islands displayed at the MATKA Nordic Travel Fair 2019

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The Seychelles Tourism Board team in the Nordic Regions brought some sunshine to cold Finland as the Seychelles destination was represented at the MATKA Nordic Travel Fair 2019.

The Matka trade show, which is the largest travel fair in the Nordic Region, was held in Messukeskus Helsinki from January 17 to January 20, 2019. It’s the main travel platform in the region where everyone meets to conduct business.

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During the 4-day event, the Seychelles Island stand, which consisted of the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB), team members alongside other trade partners was located in the ‘Sun & Sea’ themed area together with other exotic destinations. The opportunity allowed the team to actively entice visitors to get to know the Seychelles Islands.

The delegation comprised of STB Marketing Director for Nordics, Ms. Karen Confait and Marketing Executive from STB headquarters, Ms. Melissa Samardzija, Mr. Ash Behari from Coco de Mer Hotel & Black Parrot Suites and Ms. Amy Michel representing Mason’s Travel.

The other participating partner on the STB stand included Finnish Tour Operators “Mr. Travel”, who was also present to assist with the promotion of the destination and offer their services to Nordic customers willing to visit Seychelles.

Several other operators also provided flyers with special offers, which were important as clients were looking for prices and packages.

The first two days of the trade show were mainly dedicated for trade professionals (B2B), whereas the remaining days saw a high attendance of the public in general. Ms. Confait mentioned that they noticed that many visitors who visited the STB stand for information, had already booked their trip to Seychelles, while others were shopping around to decide on their next holiday destination.

On the first day of the fair, STB in partnership with Emirates hosted the main Finnish trade partners to a networking dinner, a small token to thank them for their continued support on the market and to encourage them to keep Seychelles in mind while proposing holiday destinations to their clients.

Talking about Seychelles participation at Matka 2019, STB Marketing Director for Nordics, Ms. Karen Confait mentioned that the STB team took the opportunity to meet several regular collaborators including Qatar Airways, Emirates and Turkish Airlines as well as our main trade partners from both Finland and Sweden. She also commented on her satisfaction at the volume of people visiting the stand this year.

“It is very encouraging to see that the destination is thriving in the Nordics. Each year we have seen the growing interest and Matka is the ideal platform for us to meet our main partners at the beginning of the year to discuss the action plans for the year as well as to continue to build and strengthen our relationship with the travel trade” said Ms. Confait.

The Matka Trade Show 2019 recorded a total number of 64,589 visitors compared to 63,599 visitors in 2018, showing an increase of 1.56% in the number of visitors attending the show this year.

OTDYKH Leisure to mark 25 years of success

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OTDYKH Leisure

OTDYKH Leisure is back September 10-12 2019 with its 25th edition of the world-renowned travel expo. The expo will showcase an impressive 900 exhibitors from over 80 countries and Russian regions, providing a fantastic opportunity for international companies in the travel industry looking to tap-in to the flourishing and lucrative Russian travel market.

The Russian tourist industry has faced a difficult few years due a number of factors including the 2014 devaluation of the Russian ruble which increased foreign travel costs by over 20%. However, government statistics show that Russian outbound tourism has grown exponentially and has now almost reached peak pre-crisis levels, with Russian travellers making close to 40,000 trips abroad in 2017.

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Turkey has firmly regained its position as Russia’s favourite tourist destination with the number of visitors rising by 25% in 2018. In 2017 alone, Turkey received 4.72 million Russian visitors, with total statistics for 2018 expected to stand at six million.

Other top tourist destinations for Russian holiday-makers include Greece, Cyprus, Tunisia, Spain, Italy, France and the United Arab Emirates.

Domestic tourism also heavily increased last year when Russia hosted the 2018 World Cup. An estimated seven million tourists visited Russia from hundreds of countries all over the world, strengthening Russia’s international profile and breathing new life into the country’s tourism industry.

At the heart of the Russian travel industry, and a major driving-force behind the growth in the market is the annual world-renowned OTDYKH fair, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. The name OTDYKH means “leisure”, and since the expo’s inception that has been the focal point of the annual event. The OTDYKH Leisure trade fair was founded in 1994 in order to facilitate networking between businesses and representatives in the tourism industry, and to showcase the potential in the Russian market. In 2008 the OTDYKH Leisure trade fair was awarded a Quality Label by the Russian Union of Exhibitions and Fairs (RUEF), cementing its status as Russia’s leading travel and tourism event.

Last year’s expo was a resounding success with over 38,000 visitors over the three days, and 287 media attendees from 80 media partners, expertly combining the B2B areas of Leisure Travel, Medical, Spa and Health Tourism and Luxury Travel including Gourmet & Wine tourism.

The Dominican Republic – a major winter holiday destination with over 240,000 Russian tourists visiting in 2017 – were the proud partners of the 2018 OTDYKH leisure trade fair. The Ministry of Tourism for the Dominican Republic and thirteen co-exhibitors hosted a 200m² stand (twice the size of 2017) delighting visitors with a series of cultural and artistic performances, traditional music, dances and Caribbean cuisine.

This year the expo promises dozens of exciting events across multiple conference halls, hundreds of expert guest speakers and thousands of visitors from across the travel industry.

Exhibitors are invited to participate and celebrate the 2019 OTDYKH Leisure trade fair and celebrate 25 years of the expo’s continued success. Early-bird offers are available on a first-come-first serve basis to those looking to get involved in this extraordinary event, a veritable cornerstone of the Russian travel industry.

Seven hotels and resorts in Seychelles honored at Annual World Luxury Hotel Awards Gala Ceremony

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Once again, the Seychellois hospitality is fêted as seven establishments in Seychelles have been recognized for their excellence in the tourism industry at the Annual World Luxury Hotel Awards Gala Ceremony. The 12th edition of the award took place on November 10, 2018 at the Ayana Resort and Spa in Indonesia, Bali.

Amongst the hotels rewarded for their distinction were Eden Bleu Hotel, Cerf Island Resort, Constance Ephelia Seychelles, Constance Lemuria Seychelles, Denis Private Island, JA Enchanted Island Resort and Savoy Resort & Spa Seychelles; all rewarded for their World Class facilities and service excellence provided to their guests.

Seychelles Tourism Board Chief Executive, Mrs. Sherin Francis stated her great satisfaction to see many establishments rewarded for high quality standards.

“I do celebrate such good news with our hotel partners. Marketing the destination would not be an easy task if we could not count on the quality of their services. I do believe that it is because of their excellent work that we are able to sell Seychelles as a quality holiday destination,” said Mrs. Francis.

During the ceremony, Eden Bleu Hotel, located on Eden Island, walked away with the ‘Luxury Design Hotel’ award.

Upon winning the award, the General Manager, Mr. Manuel Policarpo, said that it was a great honor to be recognized as the continental winner in the Indian Ocean as the Luxury Design Hotel.

“There is a lot of other beautifully designed hotels around the continent which we needed to compete against. By winning this award we are also promoting Seychelles as a design and modern destination,” said Mr. Policarpo.

Other luxury hotels in Seychelles were also recognised and awarded on the night. Cerf Island Resort, a cluster of 24 spacious villas built to high standards and designed to blend into the surroundings, won the regional ‘Luxury Boutique Hotel’.

Constance Ephelia Seychelles received two continental awards for the ‘Luxury Eco/Green Hotel’ and ‘Luxury Family Resort’.

Another Constance branch in Seychelles, Constance Lemuria Seychelles, located on the second island, Praslin, was honored with the ‘Luxury Golf Resort’ award. The resort will this month be in the limelight as it readies to host the final of the MCB-Staysure 2018 Tour Season.

Talking about the achievement, Mr. Bruno Le Gac, Constance Lemuria General Manager mentioned the hard work and dedication the respective teams have put to achieve the standards to welcome the MCB-Staysure Tournament at the golf Resort. He dedicated the award to our entire team, and particularly to Mr. Wilson Volcere Head Greenkeeper, Mr. Gary Pouponneau Golf Director and their team members.

“Constance Lemuria is delighted to have been awarded “Luxury Golf Hotel” of the Indian Ocean at the World Luxury Hotel Awards that took place in Bali on November 10th. The timing could not be better, as we are going to host the MCB Tour Championship from December 13th to December 16th on our beautiful golf course. This is the most prestigious golf event ever to take place in Seychelles, and we feel very proud to be welcoming all the champions, VIPs and visitors for this occasion,” said Mr. Le Gac

The ‘Luxury Boutique Retreat’ and ‘Luxury Romantic Hotel’ awards were given to Denis Private Island. The resort allows their guests to unplug from the outside world, as there is no signal for mobile phones, no in-room and no cable television. It is the perfect environment to reconnect with your loved-one.

The awards provide a certain validation for the island’s ownership, Denis Private Island PR, Branding and Communications Manager Nicole St Ange said, given the leap it took in developing a unique brand of sustainable tourism on the island.

“Denis doesn’t stake its claim to being a luxury property, but we strongly believe that luxury is a concept that can be applied in many different ways,” St Ange said. “On Denis, you have an incredible freedom combined with this immersion in both nature and isolation. We believe that’s a luxury in its own right and it’s great that others agree as demonstrated by these awards.”

JA Enchanted Island Resort and Savoy Resort & Spa Seychelles were awarded the regional ‘Luxury Boutique Resort’ and regional ‘Luxury Beach Resort’ respectively.

The Group Marketing Director for the World Luxury Hotel Awards, Mr. Michael Hunter-Smith, congratulated all winners for the 2018 Award Year, who through their tireless efforts and endless passion to elevate their guests experience, have received the honor.

“True luxury is not easily attained, it takes a team of highly efficient and dedicated staff willing to go the extra mile and stop at nothing to ensure that every guest feels cared for and no challenged not solved. This is the definition of luxury, this is what makes the winners shine at the World Luxury Hotel Awards event,” said Mr. Hunter-Smith at the award ceremony.

Coming out as a winner of a World Luxury Hotel Award not only inspire the confidence of guests and retain a loyal clientele in this highly competitive market, but it will also stimulate continuous growth and development of your hotel.

The 2019 World Luxury Hotel Awards will be organized at Arctic Circle in Finland in October.

MEDIA CONTACT: info@seychelles.travel