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Seychelles trade partners getting closer to the Israeli market in trade & media events

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The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) and trade partners are set to conquer the Israeli market in a two-day event in Tel-Aviv.

A marketing operation initiative has been prompted by the STB in the aim to bring the beauty and diversity of the destination and its myriads of services to Israeli clients.


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Seychelles trade partners including the national airline Air Seychelles, Destination Management Companies (DMCs), and hotel partners will be participating in the event, which will consists of press meetings and trade workshops for tour operators and travel agents.  

The trade partners consisting of DMCS including Creole Travel Service, Mason’s Travel, and 7-Degree South and hotel establishments namely Four Seasons Seychelles, Frégate Island Private, Avani Seychelles, The H Resort Beau Vallon Beach, Constance Hotels & Resorts, and Raffles will be present to market their services for the two days.

During their stay, the delegation will also be conducting sales calls and Business-to-Business meetings as part of their activities on ground. 

Speaking about the upcoming event in Israel, Mrs. Sherin Francis, STB Chief Executive, mentioned that this new opportunity would help in opening the destination to this blooming market.

“Israel is not a new venture for Seychelles; we count about 5-7 chartered flights from this specific part of the world annually. We are now consolidating our foundations in ensuring that the product is packaged in the most attractive way to increase its reach and motivate Israeli to have a unique travel experience that is the Seychelles experience,” said Mrs. Francis. 

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During her official marketing and media mission in Israel, Ms. Bernadette Willemin, Regional Director for Europe, and Ms. Monette Rose, Director for Italy, Turkey, Greece and the Mediterranean, will accompany Mrs. Francis.

The event, which follows the visit of Seychelles Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine Mr. Didier Dogley in Israel in February this year, aims at creating a platform for the tourism trade in the Mediterranean city in anticipation of the weekly flight scheduled by Air Seychelles as of November 2019.

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

No Easter Travel for Palestinian Christians in Gaza

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There are around 1,100 Palestinian Christians in Gaza, many of whom are descended from the earliest Christians in Palestine (where Christianity originated). For the first time, Israeli authorities denied all travel permits to Palestinian Christians from Gaza to celebrate Easter as they do each year, by processing from Bethlehem to Jerusalem to follow the path of Jesus in the Resurrection.

Can such a restriction be justified by security needs only?

Human right watchers say, Israel’s decision to outright deny movement between Gaza and the West Bank this Easter constitutes a further violation of Palestinians’ fundamental rights to freedom of movement, religious freedom, and family life. The increased restriction on the movement of Palestinian Christians points to further implementation of Israel’s ‘separation policy’: a policy restricting movement between Gaza and the West Bank which deepens the split between the two parts of the occupied Palestinian territory.

The number of permits issued has diminished each year, and have included blanket bans on anyone under age 55 – but this is the first year that the Israeli military allowed no  Palestinian Christians from Gaza to travel to Jerusalem for Easter.

While some practice the Latin faith and mark Easter on the 21st of April this year, many others are Eastern Orthodox and celebrate Easter on the 28th. Their traditional ceremonies involve a commemoration of Palm Sunday in Bethlehem, then a procession from the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, where Christians believe Jesus was resurrected after death.

According to the Israeli human rights organization Gisha, “The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) published the quotas set by Israel for holiday permits to be granted to for Christian Palestinians living under Israel’s control. The quota allocated by COGAT for holiday permits for Gaza residents this Easter is limited to only 200 people over the age of 55, and only for travel abroad; the quotas for West Bank residents are limited to 400 permits for travel abroad, and visits in Israel. This means that Palestinian families separated between Gaza, Israel and the West Bank will not be able to mark the Easter holiday together. It also means that all Christians in Gaza are being denied access to family and to the holy sites in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

The ban on Gaza Christians comes after Israeli military authorities announced the full closure of the West Bank and Gaza for Palestinian residents during the week of Passover, from April 19th to 27th. Israeli military authorities, which control all aspects of life for the occupied Palestinians living under their rule in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, frequently closing all Palestinian areas and preventing Palestinians from moving between Palestinian towns during periods of Jewish holidays.

In 2016 at least 850 Christian Palestinians from the Gaza City Strip traveled to celebrate Easter in Bethlehem and occupied East Jerusalem after Israeli authorities agreed to grant them permits.

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Canadian tourist falls to his death from Chiang Mai zipline after safety locks brake

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A visitor from Canada fell to his death from a zipline in the northern province of Chiang Mai on Saturday.

Thai rescue officials said the 25-year-old tourist died while riding a zipline in a forest at the popular tourist destination Mae Kam Pong. His safety locks broke, causing him to plunge more than 50 meters into a creek. He died at the scene.

Zipline operator Flight of the Gibbon said it would take full responsibility and compensate the victim’s family.

Workers at the zipline service said the safety locks broke shortly after the tourist, who reportedly weighed about 400 pounds (180 kilograms), took off from the starting point. One Hawaiian zipline operator puts its maximum weight limit at 260 pounds, or around 118 kilograms.

The operator’s website states that people weighing more than 275 pounds (125 kilograms) are not allowed to ride. It is not immediately clear why the tourist was allowed to do so.

Maj. Gen. Pichate Jiranantasin, provincial police chief, said the operator has been charged with fatal negligence for allowing such a heavy person on the ride.

Police suspect that the safety equipment could not hold his weight, adding that they found only three cables installed to hold customers, while there would normally be at least eight lines of cables to ensure safety.

Since 2016, Chiang Mai officials promised to improve safety standards of the many adventure tourism sites in the province following a string of serious or fatal accidents – including accidents at this very zipline operator.

Flight of the Gibbon was ordered a temporary shut down after three Israeli tourists were injured after colliding into one another on the zipline and falling to the ground.

The same company had also been investigated in 2017 for having some of its properties built on protected forest land.

Chiang Mai’s zipline fatalities last happened in 2015, when two Chinese tourists died after falling from two separate zipline attractions, operated by Skyline Adventure and Flying Squirrels. Another Chinese tourist was injured while riding the Flying Squirrels’ zipline in 2016.

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Tel Aviv Mayor hosts delegations from countries participating in 2019 Eurovision Contest

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Ron Huldai, the Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo hosted the Heads of Delegation of the 41 countries participating in the Eurovision Song Contest.

The Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Ron Huldai, greeted the Heads of Delegation at the dinner that took place at “The Lawrence”, and said: “It’s a great honor for us to host the Heads of Delegation of the countries participating in the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv-Yafo. During the conference, the Heads of Delegation will visit Expo Tel Aviv where the Eurovision Song Contest will be held in two months. The Symbol of Expo Tel Aviv is a Flying Camel that reminds us that everything is possible. When you see the Flying Camel, remember that in Tel Aviv-Yafo we always Dare to Dream. I promise that in two months, we will make another dream come true in our city”.

The Heads of Delegation Conference started with the participation of senior officials from the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) lead by Jon Ola Sand, The Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision, Ron Huldai, the Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Senior officials at KAN, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, Zivit Davidovitch, The Executive Producer of the Eurovision in Israel, Yuval Cohen, Editor In Chief and Lead Director for Eurovision and Tali Katz, the Head of the Israeli Delegation.

During the two-day conference, the Heads of Delegation attended a series of meetings organized by the producers and Board of Directors of the Eurovision and also attended a tour of EXPO Tel Aviv, where the event will take place.

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Jamaica’s Tourism Minister in talks with potential Israeli investors

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Bartlett in talks with potential Israeli investors

Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett says major hotel brands in Israel have expressed interest in investing in Jamaica and are expected to visit the island soon.

“I am very happy to share that our meetings in the Mediterranean have been very fruitful. We have met with a number of hoteliers including the luxury brand Brown Hotels. Their properties are a very trendy group, similar to the Hard Rock brand, and I am sure it will be a great addition to our Kingston or Montego Bay offerings,’ said the Minister.

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Brown Hotels is a rapidly-expanding global boutique hotel brand with roots in Tel Aviv. Conceived by native Israelis, Leon Avigad & Nitzan Perry with partner Nir Waizman. Their properties include four hotels in Tel Aviv, two in Jerusalem and one in Croatia.

The Minister also noted that the investors have accepted his invitation to visit Jamaica, and should be in attendance at the upcoming Jamaica Rum Festival.

The Festival, which will take place at place at Hope Gardens on March 9 and 10, is being presented by J. Wray & Nephew Limited’s Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum brand in partnership with the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) and the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF). It aims to promote brand Jamaica, boost tourism in Kingston and showcase Jamaica’s cultural excellence in rum, food and music.

“I am looking forward to continuing our discussions when the team arrives in Kingston next month. I am also excited that they will get an opportunity to attend this major food festival we will be hosting in Kingston. This is a potentially big find and they are ready for the Caribbean particularly Jamaica because of our music and rum which are so appealing to young people,” said Minister Bartlett.

The Minister is currently in Israel to participate in the Annual International Mediterranean Tourism Market event.

The International Mediterranean Tourism Market (IMTM 2019) is an annual tourism event that brings together professionals and service providers from the tourism industry and introduces new attractions and tourist destinations.

The Minister is expected to return to the island on February 18.