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American collaborators in key US cities enjoy a feel of the Seychelles Islands

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Seychelles’ visibility in the United States of America received an added boost during the month of June following the Seychelles North America Roadshow, organized by the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) in four major US cities in the states of Florida and California respectively.

The series of workshops started in Washington, DC, on Monday, June 10, in the cities of Fort Lauderdale, San Diego, and ending in Orange County in Los Angeles on Friday, June 14.


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During the roadshow, the STB Regional Director for Africa and the Americas, Mr. David Germain, who headed the Seychelles delegation, maximized on the opportunity to increase the knowledge of the North American trade partners on the destination.

The delegation was comprised of representatives from the Seychelles national airline, Seychelles Destination Management Companies (DMC), and hotel partners, who on their part, emphasized on the training of the new American collaborators on the various products and services available in Seychelles.

The Air Seychelles North America office was represented by Sascha Henckell, and representing the DMCs were Mr. Lorenzo Giani from 7° South and Mr. Eric Renard from Creole Travel Services.

The hotel partners participating in the roadshow through the presence of their representatives were the Four Seasons Hotel Mahé & Four Seasons Resort Seychelles at Desroches Island represented by Karen Lipka Whitaker, the Constance Hotels & Resorts Seychelles represented by Barbara Gajotto, Lylie Moolman on behalf of Giltedge Ocean Travel, and Mr. Lorenzo Giani for Tsogo Sun Hotels, the Paradise Sun & Maia.

Speaking about the initiative to have such an important outreach on the North American market, STB Regional Director for Africa and the Americas, Mr. David Germain, mentioned that the event was organized with the objective of raising the destination’s profile in the North American region.

“This was the first edition of the “Seychelles North America Roadshow,” he said.

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“Our exhibitors and participants were extremely pleased with the outcome of the workshops in the various cities, as they had face-to face-meetings with the trade partners, established working relationships, and provided them with the necessary tools and support required to better sell Seychelles in North America.”

The Seychelles North America Roadshow is expected to become a yearly event and has been included in the STB marketing activity plan for the North American Market next year, 2020, taking place in the United States again during the month of June in the following cities: Dallas, Philadelphia, a city in North Carolina, and Atlanta.

According to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics, 4,867 visitors from North America visited Seychelles from January to May this 2019 with visitors travelling from Mexico, Canada, and the United States representing an increase of 8 percent over the 2018 figures for the same period.

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

Seychelles Islands converge to Russia to meet partners in Moscow and St. Petersburg

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The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) hit Moscow and St Petersburg in full flare, as a Seychelles oasis was created by the STB team in Russia to welcome together more than 100 Russian travel trade and press.

The events, which included interaction with key players in Russia and press interviews with various media partners, culminated with an elegant dinner in each city and coincided with the STB Chief Executive’s second visit to Russia.

The STB Chief Executive, Mrs. Sherin Francis was accompanied by the organisation’s Regional Director for Europe Mrs. Bernadette Willemin, STB Director for Scandinavia, Russia & CIS Ms. Karen Confait and STB representative in Russia, Ms. Olga Demina.

The two appreciation dinners held on April 15 and April 17, 2019 took place in the cosy and stylish Modus Restaurant in Moscow and NOK Restaurant, the new gastronomic hub in St. Petersburg respectively.

The STB team present seized the opportunity to engage with the significant trade partners on the Russian market, evaluate the performance of the market and establish future collaborative plans.

The created décor provided idyllic surroundings for the guests present to get memorable pictures and network with the partners from Seychelles and their colleagues.

As part of the mesmerising elements to the events, the venues in Moscow and St. Petersburg were turned into greenhouses by the local florists and decorated with the palm leaves and exotic flowers.

The evening commenced with the welcome speech delivered by the STB representative in Russia Ms Olga Demina, who also introduced Mrs. Francis for her speech.

During her speech, Mrs. Francis, stressed on the STB’s confidence that the Russian market will continue its expansion.  “We have big hopes for the promising and growing Russian market and are very happy to see the increasing interest in the Seychelles. I would like to thank all our partners who have been supporting our destination for more than 10 years and hope that our relationships will grow even stronger in the future,” said the STB Chief Executive Mrs. Francis.

The STB Chief Executive’s address was followed by a short destination presentation from the Director of Europe Mrs. Bernadette Willemin.

The guests were welcomed to a three-course dinner during which they had the time to network in an informal and luxurious atmosphere with all partners and received a small present from the STB to end the night on a memorable note.

All together the event gathered 21 partners, among which were Constance Hotels & Resorts, Banyan Tree Seychelles, 7°South, Creole Travel Services, Four Seasons Seychelles, MAIA Luxury Resort & Spa.

Also present were representatives from Raffles Seychelles, AVANI Seychelles Barbarons Resort & Spa, Hilton Hotels, North Island, JA Enchanted Island Resort, Fregate Island Private, Six Senses Zil Pasyon, Eden Bleu Hotel, Savoy Resort & Spa Seychelles & Coral Strand Hotel.

Airline partners such as Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Etihad Airways, Ethiopian Airlines and Qatar Airways also attended the events.

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

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“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.

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Expression of interests launched for new carrying-capacity studies for La Digue, Mahe and Praslin

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The Seychelles Ministry for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine have recently launched 2 expression of interests for carrying capacity studies to be undertaken on La Digue as well as Mahe and Praslin. The aim of the studies is to determine the current status of the islands and the acceptable amount of tourism development that can occur while still remaining sustainable, and assist the government in taking informed decisions on all future tourism development projects.

The Carrying-Capacity Study for La Digue dates back to 2013 and the results have led to the policy directive of setting a moratorium on the development of tourism accommodation establishments to 5 rooms per developer. This moratorium is supposed to be valid for a period of five years and the time has come to commission a new Carrying-Capacity Study.

Moreover, in 2018 the President announced that La Digue would be a model of sustainability as part of the National Vision 2033.  An eco-tourism strategy specific to the island for the next 15 years has been developed and the Carrying-Capacity Study on La Digue will aim to align with the established vision and provide recommendations to policy makers pertaining to future development on the island in view of assuring its sustainable development.

As for Mahe and Praslin, the Carrying-Capacity Study was commissioned in 2016 and set to be reviewed in 2020.  The results of the Carrying-Capacity Study has led to a number of policy directives and a set moratorium on the number of rooms that can be developed per promoter which is 20 rooms for Northern Mahe and 24 rooms per promoter for  the rest of Mahe and Praslin.

The carrying-capacity analysis will determine the ability of the ecosystem of La Digue, Mahe and Praslin and the various segments thereof to withstand all impacts of additional tourism development activities. The studies will apply the perspectives of Physical carrying capacity, Ecological carrying capacity, Social carrying capacity and Economic carrying capacity in order to develop a balanced overall assessment.

Consultants interested to undertake the study have to submit their expression of interest to the Department of Tourism by Friday, April 26, 2019 by 1500 hours. Results of the two carrying capacity studies will determine whether or not to maintain the moratorium currently in place on La Digue, Mahe and Praslin.

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Hawaii hotels: Flat average daily rate, lower occupancy so far in 2019

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For the first three months of 2019, Hawaii hotels statewide reported flat average daily rate (ADR) and lower occupancy, which resulted in lower revenue per available room (RevPAR) compared to the first quarter of 2018.

According to the Hawaii Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA), statewide RevPAR declined to $236 (-3.3%), with ADR of $292 and occupancy of 80.8 percent (-2.7 percentage points) in the first quarter of 2019.

HTA’s Tourism Research Division issued the report’s findings utilizing data compiled by STR, Inc., which conducts the largest and most comprehensive survey of hotel properties in the Hawaiian Islands.

For the first quarter, Hawaii hotel room revenues fell by 4.7 percent to $1.13 billion compared to the $1.18 billion earned in the first quarter of 2018. There were more than 74,300 fewer available room nights (-1.5%) in the first quarter and approximately 190,500 fewer occupied room nights (-4.7%) compared to a year ago. Several hotel properties across the state were closed for renovation or had rooms out of service for renovation during the first quarter.

All classes of Hawaii hotel properties statewide reported RevPAR declines in the first quarter of 2019 except Upper Midscale Class properties ($134, +0.6%). Luxury Class properties reported RevPAR of $452 (-5.4%) with ADR of $594 (-1.2%) and occupancy of 76.1 percent (-3.3 percentage points). At the other end of the price scale, Midscale & Economy Class hotels reported RevPAR of $155 (-5.0%) with ADR of $187 (-0.5%) and occupancy of 83.1 percent (-3.9 percentage points).

Comparison to Top U.S. Markets

In comparison to top U.S. markets, the Hawaiian Islands earned the highest RevPAR at $236 in the first quarter, followed by the San Francisco/San Mateo market at $210 (+15.9%) and the Miami/Hialeah market at $208 (-3.5%). Hawaii also led the U.S. markets in ADR at $292 followed by San Francisco/San Mateo and Miami/Hialeah. The Hawaiian Islands ranked fifth for occupancy at 80.8 percent, with Miami/Hialeah topping the list at 83.0 percent (-2.1 percentage points).

Hotel Results for Hawaii’s Four Counties

Hotel properties in Hawaii’s four island counties all reported RevPAR decreases in the first quarter of 2019. Maui County hotels led the state overall in RevPAR at $337 (-2.7%), with ADR at $428 (-0.9%) and occupancy at 78.6 percent (-1.5 percentage points).

Kauai hotels earned RevPAR of $228 (-10.2%), with flat ADR at $305 (+0.2%) and lower occupancy of 74.8 percent (-8.7 percentage points).

Hotels on the island of Hawaii reported a decline in RevPAR to $225 (-9.7%), due to a combination of decreases in both ADR ($285, -2.0%) and occupancy (79.1%, -6.7 percentage points).

Oahu hotels earned slightly lower RevPAR at $196 (-0.9%), with ADR at $236 (+0.8%) and occupancy of 83.0 percent (-1.4 percentage points).

Comparison to International Markets

When compared to international “sun and sea” destinations, Hawaii’s counties were in the middle of the pack for RevPAR in the first quarter of 2019. Hotels in the Maldives ranked highest in RevPAR at $575 (+4.5%) followed by Aruba at $351 (+11.2%). Maui County ranked third, with Kauai, the island of Hawaii, and Oahu ranking sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively.

The Maldives also led in ADR at $737 (+5.2%) in the first quarter, followed by French Polynesia at $497 (-1.1%). Maui County ranked fifth, followed by Kauai and the island of Hawaii. Oahu ranked ninth .

Oahu trailed Phuket (84.5%, -6.3 percentage points) in occupancy for sun and sea destinations in the first quarter. The island of Hawaii, Maui County and Kauai ranked fourth, fifth and ninth, respectively.

March 2019 Hotel Performance

In March 2019, RevPAR for Hawaii hotels statewide declined to $227 (-4.3%), with ADR of $285 (-1.1%) and occupancy of 79.6 percent (-2.7 percentage points).

In March, Hawaii hotel room revenues fell by 5.9 percent to $373.3 million. There were more than 27,200 fewer available room nights (-1.6%) in March and approximately 66,850 fewer occupied room nights (-4.9%) compared to a year ago. Several hotel properties across the state were closed for renovation or had rooms out of service for renovation during March. However, the number of rooms out of service may be under-reported.

All classes of Hawaii hotel properties statewide reported RevPAR declines in March. Luxury Class properties reported RevPAR of $443 (-7.2%) with ADR of $583 (-3.1%) and occupancy of 75.9 percent (-3.4 percentage points). Midscale & Economy Class hotels reported RevPAR of $150 (-2.9%) with ADR of $182 (+0.8%) and occupancy of 82.0 percent (-3.1 percentage points).

Hotel properties in Hawaii’s four island counties all reported lower RevPAR for March. Maui County hotels reported the highest RevPAR in March at $336 (-1.4%) with ADR of $421 (-1.6%) and flat occupancy (79.8%, +0.2 percentage points).

Oahu hotels reported lower occupancy (80.4%, -2.3 percentage points) and flat ADR ($230, -0.2%) for March.

Hotels on the island of Hawaii continued to face challenges in March, with RevPAR dropping 11.2 percent to $216, ADR to $272 (-4.9%) and occupancy to 79.2 percent (-5.7 percentage points).

RevPAR for Kauai hotels fell to $213 (-14.6%) in March, with declines in both ADR to $286 (-4.5%) and occupancy to 74.4 percent (-8.8 percentage points).

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