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Seychelles’ Best recognized at World Travel Awards in Mauritius

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Seychelles’ best performing tourism related businesses have been recognized at the 26th Edition of the World Travel Awards (WTA) in Mauritius  on June 1, 2019 in a ceremony held at the at the Sugar Beach- A Sun Resort.

During the same ceremony, the destination was crowned Indian Ocean’s Leading Sustainable Tourism Destination 2019; Mrs. Sherin Francis Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) Chief Executive collected the prize on behalf of the destination.

Minister Didier Dogley, Minister for Tourism Civil Aviation Ports and Marine and Mrs. Anne Lafortune Principal Secretary for Tourism also represented Seychelles at the ceremony; Mr. Ronny Brutus Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA) CEO accompanied them.

Speaking about the various companies rewarded WTA; Minister Dogley mentioned his satisfaction that Seychelles is appreciated for its commitment to excellence in service, he further mentioned that he is confident that the service industry in Seychelles will keep on flourishing.

In the Indian Ocean region, Air Seychelles was crowned Leading Airline – Economy Class 2019, while Port Victoria was named Indian Ocean’s Leading Cruise Port 2019 and Constance Hotels & Resorts topped as Indian Ocean’s Leading Hotel Brand 2019 in their respective categories.

Prizes on a national level were as follows; Le Château de Feuilles was rewarded as Seychelles’ Leading Boutique Hotel 2019 and Hertz made it for Seychelles’ Leading Car Rental Company 2019.

Eden Bleu Hotel, Constance Ephelia, The H Resort, Beau Vallon Beach were named Seychelles’ Leading Conference Hotel 2019,Seychelles’ Leading Family Resort 2019 and Seychelles’ Leading Green Resort 2019 respectively, while Constance Lémuria Seychelles was acknowledged as Seychelles’ Leading Hotel 2019.

The Three-Bedroom Beach Suite @ Four Seasons Resort Seychelles claimed the title for Seychelles’ Leading Hotel Suite 2019; Seychelles’ Leading Luxury Hotel Villa 2019 category was picked up by Two Bedroom Oceanfront Pool Villa @ Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort & Spa

Four Seasons Resort Seychelles at Desroches Island was capped Seychelles’ Leading Luxury Resort 2019 and finally Seychelles’ Leading Resort 2019 rewarded JA Enchanted Island Resort as best performer in its category.

“Once again Seychelles as a destination with world class hotel establishments providing excellent service to their clients has shined.  The accolades received by Seychelles through its airline, sea port and also the top hotels clearly confirms that hard work, dedication and an unwavering strive towards excellence is what is required to sustain and grow our tourism industry.  I congratulate all the awardees,” said Minister Dogley.

World Travel Award celebrates its 26th anniversary year in 2019. Its annual programme is renowned as the most prestigious and comprehensive in the global industry. In 2019, World Travel Awards Grand Tour features regional gala ceremonies in North America & the Caribbean (Jamaica), Middle East (Abu Dhabi, UAE), Africa & the Indian Ocean (Mauritius), Europe (Madeira, Portugal), Latin America (La Paz, Bolivia), and Asia & Oceania (Phu Quoc, Vietnam). Regional winners then compete head to head in in the corresponding world categories. The winners will be announced on the night of the World Travel Awards Grand Final in Muscat, Oman in November 2019.

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

Terror Attack on Shangri La, Kingsbury Hotel and three churches in Sri Lanka

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The Shangri La Hotel Colombo, the Kingsbury Hotel and three churches in Kochchikade and Negombo were targeted by terrorists today in Sri Lanka. This is another attack on the travel and tourism industry, an important sector of Sri Lanka’s economy.

At 11.10h local time, a happy Easter in Sri Lanka turned deadly. A major deadly terror attack in Sri Lanka with five explosions are reported. Two explosions in St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade and more in Negombo Katuwapitiya Church.

Another explosion in Kingsbury Hotel and 3rd floor Shangri-La in Colombo. The Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo overlooks the Indian Ocean and is located in the heart of the business district and the capital’s buzzing social scene.

The five-star Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo is located in-between Galle Face Green, the World Trade Centre, and the Dutch Hospital Precinct.

According to insiders, today’s terror attack in Sri Lanka is not local. It has roots outside. It may be a calibrated response.

50 dead and more than 280 injured. Since this is Easter, Churches are busy everywhere in the world. It’s unclear if tourists and foreigners are among the victims in Sri Lanka. T

 

 

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Russian billionaire buys world’s first private icebreaker

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One of the top 50 richest Russians, banker Oleg Tinkov, wants to present what he calls a first private icebreaker to the public next year, before the €100 million vessel sets sail to the Antarctic among other destinations.

Founder and owner of Tinkoff Bank, worth $2.2 billion, is going to show off the SeaExplorer 77, the newest addition to his pet-project, La Dacha, at the major global yacht show in Monaco as early as 2020.

After the presentation, the superyacht will head to the gems of the Indian Ocean, the Seychelles and Madagascar, Russia’s scenic Kamchatka peninsula and Alaska, before challenging its reinforced icebreaker hull in Antarctica in late 2021 and the beginning of 2022.

“It is yachting, but a completely different one,” Tinkov explained. “It’s about exploring, but not about drinking martini and showing off in Saint-Tropez.”

The ‘icebreaker’ cost the billionaire more than €100 million (US$112 million). The banker wants to enjoy it himself for around 20 weeks per year and plans to lease it for the rest for €690,000 per week.

The entrepreneur says he was the first to order such a vessel. In fact, it is an expedition yacht, which can break ice up to 40 centimeters thick and maintain autonomy at sea for up to 40 days. The 77-meter vessel, offering luxury accommodation for up to 12 guests in addition to the crew, also features two helicopter hangars, a dive center and decompression chamber, and carries a submersible, two snow scooters and waverunners.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has already showed interest in the luxury sea adventure, and wants to have a three-week long charter, while a Russian businessmen from the Forbes list, whose name Tinkov did not reveal, wants to rent the boat for six months.

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Seychelles Tourism Board Chief Executive featured at third Esquire Podcast and Seychelles x Esquire Middle East Gentleman’s Evening

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Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) Chief Executive, Mrs. Sherin Francis, came aboard to the Esquire Q&A Studio at Dubai Media City for the third Esquire podcast last April 11, 2019 to speak about the tropical destination-Seychelles.

The podcast centered about the Middle East tourism market’s relevance, destination wedding in Seychelles and Seychelles as a sustainable tourism destination. It was followed by media interviews with journalists from Esquire, Rake, CEO and Arabian Business.

The STB Office in Dubai was in collaboration with Esquire Middle East, the leading men’s magazine in the Middle East and local partner Six Senses Zil Pasyon hosted a networking event last weekend at the Palace Downtown outdoor viewing deck under the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa and with the views over the Dubai Fountain.

The event saw the presence of STB Chief Executive Mrs. Sherin Francis and Esquire Middle East Editor Matthew Baxter-Priest along with dapper Esquire readers and the leading names in travel industry.

The astonishing location at The Palace Downtown’s Viewing Deck let guests enjoy stellar views while discussing their favorite travel destinations.

During the evening, Six Senses Zil Pasyon, an all-villa hideaway on a pristine private island, gifted two nights stay at the luxury boutique Indian Ocean Beach Resort.

Mrs. Sherin Francis mentioned her satisfaction to have featured on the third Esquire Podcast to talk about the destination, she further stated that the UAE and the Middle East is an important market for Seychelles and a constant presence on the territories is important for the destination.

“As a small destination it is important that we keep in touch with our clients, we constantly need to find innovative ways to push the Seychelles product. The UAE is only four hours away from the Seychelles and present a great opportunity for quick weekend breaks given we are well connected with double daily flights and we have no visa requirements which provides a great advantage for our visitors,” said Mrs. Francis.

Present at the event, Esquire Editor Baxter-Priest admitted that while he is constantly on the go, “the Seychelles is one of my favorite places. Sun, sea, sand and a whole lot more – it is a delightful place.”

The representative of the STB office in Dubai Ahmed Fathallah, who was present at the event, mentioned, “We are truly elated on the response for Seychelles from this region. The steady growth of interest and knowledge of the people from this region for the destination will not be possible without the help of our trade and media partners. In return and in line with the vision, Seychelles Tourism Board Office in Dubai will continue to implement activities that can gain continuous support and further the awareness for the destination in the region.”

The Palace Downtown regaled the invitees to the finest canapés and drinks, while some of the city’s finest DJs entertained them.

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Islands & climate change: Storm surges & coral bleaching affecting tourism

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Since Greta Thunberg, a Swedish schoolgirl and climate activist, brought the topic of climate protection onto the political and social agenda with her strikes, the negative effects of climate change have been discussed more and more. While climate change affects all areas of life, rising sea levels combined with storms that are steadily increasing in severity pose a direct threat to islands. Recently, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has announced that the average sea level in 2018 was 3.7 millimeters above that of the year before and has reached the highest level since satellite measurements.

In recent years, rainfall, storms, floods, and coastal erosion have increased in intensity and frequency due to climate change. While not all islands are affected to the same extent by the shifting weather patterns, most are aware of significant changes – including the Green Pearls® Island Partners. Instead of sitting idly by and waiting for the land to literally be washed away from under their feet, they are actively working to protect their homelands and their fragile ecosystems from the effects of climate change.

Climate Neutral in the North Sea

The North Sea island of Juist has set itself an ambitious yet necessary goal: to be completely climate-neutral by 2030. Even today, the consequences of climate change are already being felt on Juist. The increasing number of dikes intended to protect the land from storm surges is a tangible measure, and the island is also actively avoiding greenhouse gases by switching to car-free transport. For some time now, the city has been offering projects and activities that bring the concept of climate protection closer to visitors, both young and old, such as the “Juistus Climate Saver” program and the “University for Children.”

Colorful Coral Gardens for the Maldives

Climate change has also left its mark on the Indian Ocean. According to marine biologist Smrutica Jithendranath, responsible for the underwater world around the Reethi Faru eco-resort, rising sea levels have so far had little impact on the Maldives. However, the consequences of climate change can be clearly seen in the corals. In particular, rising water temperatures and increasingly fierce storms are causing severe damage to these tiny, sensitive animals, leading to coral bleaching and even coral death.

Based on these observations, the Reethi Faru Resort has launched a coral conservation project on Filaidhoo. In specially created underwater gardens, the resort propagates corals and plants them back into the house reef after about a year. The underwater gardens and house reefs also provide protection for the beaches and prevent them from being washed away. Within another of the many atolls of the Maldives, the North Malé Atoll, guests from the eco-resort Gili Lankanfushi can plant young corals under water in the gardens themselves and actively participate in the resort’s Coral Lines Project. After the guest’s departure, they also have the opportunity to follow the development of their corals on the resort’s blog.

Koh Samui Against Climate Change

The sustainable resort The Tongsai Bay on Koh Samui focuses on strategies to avoid greenhouse gases including non-motorized water sports, bicycle rental for island tours, carpooling, and avoiding cars on the hotel grounds. The resort has also supported the Green Island Foundation since its inception ten years ago. The organization’s main objectives are to protect the island’s climate and valuable ecosystems. For example, the Green Island Foundation has already organized car-free weeks on Koh Samui with the help of partners, such as The Tongsai Bay, to raise awareness of the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

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Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uganda: Top 10 improved world travel destinations

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Three Eastern African nations have emerged among the top ten fastest-growing destinations for tourism in the world.

The 2019 annual report compiled by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) shows that Ethiopia is the fastest-growing travel destination in the world with Rwanda in sixth place and Uganda holding a twelfth position on the list.

Ethiopia’s tourism sector grew by a staggering 48.6 percent in 2018, making up 9.4 percent of the economy and creating 2.2 million jobs. Over 8 percent of Ethiopia’s total workforce now works in tourism.

Rwanda also saw growth rates of 13.8 percent and Uganda 11.3 percent, with all 3 showing the pull of East Africa both in terms of its wildlife, history, and beaches, the Nation Media Group reported from Nairobi.

Kenya also saw a big growth in 2018  at 5.6 percent  which had created 1.46 million jobs and made up 8.8 percent of the total annual economy.

Kenya stands as the leading tourist hub in Eastern Africa, taking an advantage of its rich wildlife, historical sites, and beaches on the Indian Ocean coast and improved tourist services, mostly hotels and air transport facilities.

In its annual analysis quantifying the global economic and employment impact of travel and tourism in 185 countries and 25 regions, the World Travel and Tourism Council’s research reveals that the sector accounted for 10.4 percent of global GDP and 319 million jobs, or 10 percent of total employment in 2018.

It adds that travel and tourism’s growth in 2019 is expected “to remain resilient” despite a slowing global economy.

“Our forecasts point to a 3.6 percent expansion for travel and tourism, faster than an expected global economy growth of 2.9 percent in 2019,” the report says.

It adds that one in 5 of all new jobs were created by travel and tourism over the past 5 years showing the growing importance of the sector to the global economy.

Travel and tourism GDP grew by 5.6 percent in 2018, significantly above the African economic growth rate of 3.2 percent.

This places Africa as the second fastest-growing region in 2018, behind only Asia-Pacific.

Such growth is partly explained by North Africa’s rebound from security crises as well as the development and implementation of policies that stimulate travel promotion.

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Reunion Island breaks tourist arrivals record

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Despite a difficult end to the year, 2018 was profitable and even historic for Reunion tourism as more than 574,000 outside visitors were welcomed . This is 4.1% more than in fiscal 2017, which had already had an unprecedented inflow of visitors.

In 2018, 35 ships and 39,433 cruise passengers landed on the island, which was satisfactory, although slightly lower as several companies were forced to review their routes in November and December.

Nevertheless, with revenues still increasing and amounting to more than 432 million euros, also a new record for the destination, the tourism sector confirms its preponderant place in the economy of Reunion.

Reunion’s neighbors in the Indian Ocean remain fond of the destination. Arrivals from the Indian Ocean area remains above 60,000 tourists in 2018, after a spectacular increase of 46% recorded in 2017. Within this Indian Ocean zone, Mauritius remains the main source market since it represents more than 30,000 tourists, or 5.8% of total arrivals to Reunion.

The communication and promotion actions carried out on the main European markets, other than France, have also been fruitful, as this visitor source market now accounts for 7.4% of total arrivals, compared to 6% in 2017. In total, 39,664 visitors came from the rest of Europe in 2018 which is 4.2% more than last year!

Unsurprisingly, the leisure clientele represents an overwhelming majority of arriving visitors with 90.8% of the overall volume of arrivals on the island, supplemented by 8.5% of business tourism.

The average length of stay of these foreign tourists is 17 days and remains unchanged compared to 2017, a figure particularly important for a long-haul destination such as Reunion.

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Zanzibar sets for second, Grand Tourism Show in September

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After a successful and the first international tourism show held in Zanzibar last year, now the Indian Ocean Island is organizing a second premier exhibition that is scheduled to take place in September this year.

An organizing committee that will oversee the preparations of the second Zanzibar Tourism Show, scheduled to take place between September 26 and 28 this year has been formed.

Zanzibar Tourism Minister, Mahmoud Thabit Kombo said when launching the committee that the exhibition was expected to be bigger this year than the previous one held in October last year  and which had attracted over    4 000 visitors, 150 tourism companies and 100 international buyers from 17 countries.

He said that the organizing committee he had launched would ensure that the exhibition was successful. The committee would also be involved in advertising the exhibition both locally and internationally, to motivate tourists to visit the island, now the fast growing tourist destination in East Africa.

The show is part of the Zanzibar government’s strategy to promote tourism in Zanzibar, which is famous for beach and marine tourism.

The Zanzibar Tourism Show is the leading tourism business platform that showcases current tourism offers, first-hand expert knowledge from industry players and significant networking opportunity to all participants.

Zanzibar is aiming to increase the number of international tourists annually, from the current 376,000 to 500,000 by 2020, as tourism accounts for more than 80 percent of the Island’s foreign revenue collections.

The Island strides well in tourism sector after the government embarked on economic reforms and transformation, thus shifting from mono-crop economy to more diverse economies.

“The Zanzibar Tourism Show is part of promotional strategies in tourism sector initiated by the government of Zanzibar in collaboration with the private sector  to  promote  Zanzibar destination in its sustainable positioning in global market”, Mr. Kombo said.

He said that the contribution of tourism to economic well-being of the Island is immense. Zanzibar depends on the quality of services provided to international class tourists and the scale of promotion of its tourist products and services to global holidaymakers.

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Maldives Tourism: Changes needed say local travel industry leaders

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The Corporate Maldives blog recently published an interesting analysis on how tourism leaders in the Indian Ocean Island Republic think.

The information sheds some light on what tourism professionals think, do and what issued they have in running the largest industry in the country during politically difficult times.

Tourism is the largest industry in the Maldives making the biggest contribution to the GDP of the country. In order to further understand the views of those who are not from the country on Maldives, our team conducted a research through social media. Our research showed that many people thought of Maldives as an intense and expensive destination that only the rich can afford. Due to this, we had a sit-down with Mr. Ibrahim Inad, former Director of Sales at Velaa Private Island Island to discuss ways to change the mindset of such people and to market Maldives in the most effective ways possible. Below listed are the 5 key components he believes are required to be changed in order to properly promote our destination.

1. Finding a new concept in destination marketing

Maldives resorts are mainly made to fit into the concept of one Resort in one Island. Every resort markets itself as a seclusive getaway to get away from the hustle and bustle of the busy world. Mr. Inad believes that it is more than about time that this concept changes and we get introduced to newer concepts. He acknowledged the CROSSROADS project as it is a multi-island resort development project. He requested other companies to find inspiration from the CROSSROADS project and bring about a change in the concept of Maldivian resort tourism.

CROSSROADS project which spans 9 islands and boasts 1,300 rooms and a retail space of over 11,000 sq m

2. Recognize demand level to know how to supply

With each passing year, more and more resorts are being opened, hence increasing the competition within the industry. However, how many of us actually took the time to think about whether or not we actually needed all these new resorts or not? According to Mr. Inad, with regards to the amount of tourists that visit Maldives on a yearly basis, we do not exactly need to open newer resorts every year without being able to have proper occupancy rates in the existing ones. He added that we should first let the demand grow to a point where we are unable to host anymore tourists, and that’s when newer resorts should join the market.

Angsana Velavaru

3. Know your competitors

When looking to promote the tourism industry of Maldives, we also need to consider that we have competitors who offer similar services in similar environments. Mr. Inad explained that it is wisest to keep an eye on our competitors to learn about their moves in order to come up with better strategies in marketing Maldives.

Sugar Beach, Sun Resort in Mauritius

4. Promote celebrations for special occasions

Mr. Inad shared that while working in Velaa, he found that many chose to visit Maldives for occasions such as their birthdays, Christmas, Easter, New Year and more. It is not a secret that so many resorts host exciting and marvelous celebrations for the previously mentioned occasions. This could be used as a point in our marketing strategy and in creating a position for ourselves in the market. Once we are able to develop ourselves as such a destination, we will be able to make ourselves a name in this cut-throat competition the industry puts forward.

Christmas tree at Kuredu Island Maldives Resort

5. Make use of digital marketing

While conducting the social media research, one thing we were able to gather was how people of our competing countries, used any opportunity to promote the cheap services available at their countries. They made sure to prove to convince people that their country was worth visiting. According to Mr. Inad, this sort of digital marketing is one aspect we really need to work on. If we, as individuals, promoted all sorts of tourism in the Maldives, it would reach a greater audience and hence, aid in bringing in more tourists to the country.

A phone displaying social media apps which can be used in digital marketing

So many more things need to change in order for our country to keep developing. We need to do proper marketing and show the world that we have the luxury to offer for all classes rather than just the high-end population of the world. We should make them feel like they do not need to have a luxury branded things in order to access the beauty Maldives has to offer. Once the correct message has been delivered, even more tourists will keep visiting the country and we shall keep improving more and more. Maybe one day will be able to become a destination able to compete with the biggest markets in the world.

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