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Flames of Romance Ablaze in Seychelles

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The flames of romance are still ablaze in the enchanting Seychelles Islands, where some 97 couples have walked down the aisle since August 1, 2020, and many others seeking the perfect occasion to tie the knot as tourism restarts in the destination.

Following the reopening of their International Airport, the destination has started to see its wedding market come back to life.

Whilst stranded in the tropical paradise, two couples, according to Registrar for Marriage from the Seychelles Department of Immigration and Civil Status, got married in June. Moreover, with the reopening of the airport, 7 weddings took place on Praslin and 90 destination weddings took place Mahé, Silhouette and Enchanted Island since August. Couples from all corners of the world still have their hearts set on Seychelles as their wedding location with many enquiries being made daily.

With romance ever-present in the air, the local authorities and trade are ensuring that no stone is left unturned when it comes to safety. Wedding service specialists and the related service providers of the islands are currently operating under new safety frameworks required under the new normal.    

The destination’s pristine beaches, with its pearly white sand and turquoise waters, have proven to be a very popular location for weddings. Keeping this in mind, procedures have been put into place to ensure lovers can still have an intimate service whilst being kept safe. Minimum contact is to be made between wedding organisers and their clients through measures such as social distancing, use of disposable biodegradable items wherever applicable, no sharing of items and constant use of disinfectant and sanitation processes. 

Additionally, the islands also have a reputation for their stunningly lavish hotels, which are also prominent wedding locations. Although ‘room weddings’ are not permitted, for the time being, the various certified hotels have various open areas, equally as exquisite as the ballrooms, available for couples to choose from. Clients will have to abide by the hotel’s health and safety regulations, which are reinforced by the Public Health Authority and the Department of Tourism. Similar to beach weddings, measures such as social distancing, sanitisation processes and proper disposal of used items have been put in place to ensure the safety of clients during their ceremony.

The encouraging numbers of weddings in the destination proves that it remains one of the most distinguished wedding destinations, still captivating the hearts of lovers across the globe.

With the world shrouded in chaos and uncertainty, the need to celebrate love and romance has deepened. What location could be ideal to start your lives together than the islands rumoured to be home to the Garden of Eden, where all life began.

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

Seychelles shines in Italy as top Italian journalists visit the destination

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The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) through its representations in Italy organized a successful press trip for seven top Italian journalists in June 2019.

The aim of the press trip was to allow the Italian press to discover the destination and increase the destination visibility on the Italian national media.

Spearheading the project, the STB Director for Italy, Turkey, Greece and the Mediterranean, Ms. Monette Rose accompanied the group which consisted of three trade journalists – Mr. Andrea Lovelock for L’Agenzia di Viaggi, Ms. Eleonora David for Turismo & Attualità, Ms. Marina Firrao for Travel Quotidiano – and four consumer journalists – Ms. Sara Ficocelli for La Repubblica, Ms. Daniela Giammusso for Ansa, Ms. Livia Fabietti for La Stampa and Ms. Veronica Mazza for Cosmopolitan.

The visit was centered on the three main islands of Mahé, Praslin and La Digue and was made possible with the support of hotel establishment partners namely La Digue Island Lodge, Paradise Sun Hotel and Constance Hotels.

During their visit to Seychelles, the Italian press group had the opportunity to experience the beauty of the islands including its pristine beaches, the natural lush setting and specially the Creole culture and people.

They were captured by the exotic life on La Digue where they learned how to cook typical Creole dishes in the traditional way with one of the Chefs of the Digue Island Lodge Resort. They also discovered the multiple trekking paths, explored secluded beaches like Anse Coco with a professional guide, and enjoyed a relaxing time in the turquoise waters of Anse Source D’Argent.

While their stay on Praslin the group was hosted with five star services and treatments by Paradise Sun Hotel. Their Seychelles second biggest Island gave them an opportunity to visit the iconic Anse Lazio and Anse Georgette and the UNESCO site of Vallée De Mai, as they left impressed by the beauty of the island’s nature.

They ended their Seychelles adventure on Mahé, where they discovered the Port Launay Marine Park as they were pampered by Constance Resort’s services, containing a Balinese massage in the U Spa and the great gastronomy offered by the different restaurants.

The seven media personalities provided Seychelles with intensive visibility on their social networks channels while in the archipelago. 

Speaking about the media trip, the STB representative for Italy, Turkey, Greece and the Mediterranean, Ms. Monette Rose mentioned the importance of remaining visible on the Italian market in order to reach consumers, travel trade, and boost visibility for the summer season onwards.

“It has been a great experience for all of them and left the archipelago impressed by its beauty and above all the people. This kind of projects are very important to market the destination – it offers journalists the chance to gain first-hand experience of a place or a particular situation or product, in order to gain great visibility”, said Monette Rose.

Following their visit, more coverage about Seychelles as a destination is expected to be released in the Italian media.

Click here for more information on Seychelles. 

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

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.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Air Mauritius confirms it will resume flights to Seychelles after 15 years

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The Mauritian press has confirmed that Air Mauritius will return to Mahé the main island of Seychelles. It was several weeks since the rumor has been circulating, and finally the news site of the MBC (Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation) confirmed the news.

“Prem Sewpaul, head of communication at Air Mauritius has, confirmed the news.”

The Seychelles News Agency (SNA) has contacted Air Mauritius to find out when the Air Mauritius planes will begin to fly but was been told that for the moment sales are not yet available.

SNA contacted Seychelles’ civil aviation, which also confirmed the arrival of Air Mauritius, which would be the two days that Air Seychelles did not link the two islands.

“Air Mauritius has informed us of their intention to resume liaison with Seychelles in July, but we did not have confirmation,” said Florence Marengo, head of the transport department at the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA).

However, on the Seychellois side the Minister of Civil Aviation, Didier Dogley said last week that he had nothing official, but recognized that a Mauritian delegation was in the country.

He said at a press conference that if it were to be confirmed that this would not be good news for Air Seychelles.

The arrival of Air Mauritius will please travelers, who hope for a drop in the price of air tickets.

The Seychellois company Air Seychelles was the only airline doing this link and may now have to review its prices which are currently 400 € for two thirty hours of flight.

Air Seychelles, recovering from losses, which the Seychelles government had to reinvest, relied heavily on this link in its economic recovery plans.

Air Mauritius, which was already linking with Seychelles, decided more than 15 years ago to stop, for economic reasons.

Travel News | eTurboNews