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Tourism (MoM) arrivals in Seychelles grew by 9% from January to June 2019

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Figures recorded by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed a remarkable growth in the tourism arrivals in June 2019 this year.

Indeed 25,761 visitors stamped their passports at the immigration desks at the Seychelles International Airports for a vacation on our shores.


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An increase considered as exceptional for this period of the year, as it is the first time that the Seychelles islands have ever recorded over 25,000 visitors during this month.  

Figures presented by the NBS, confirmed that visitor’s arrivals from the beginning of the year to end of June 2019 are equivalents to 187,108. This represents a significant increase of 9% when compared to the same period in 2018 as the number of visitors recorded for that period amounted to 172,099 visitors.

Germany remains at the top of the best five performing markets for the month of June 2019 as 4,087 German tourists disembarked on our shores; the United Arab Emirates (UAE) follows with a number of 3,119 visitors.

While the 2,110 visitors were recorded to have landed from United Kingdom (UK). In fourth and fifth position are France and Italy with a number of 1,855 and 1,794 tourists, respectively.

As projected by the Strategic Planning and Market Intelligence department of the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB), the targets set- at 3 to 4%- by the STB for this year will be exceeded.

Speaking at a press briefing at Botanical House earlier today, Mrs. Sherin Francis STB Chief Executive mentioned her satisfaction to note that 2019 would also be a year of great performance for the industry. 

 “It is remarkable to see that Seychelles remains a prime destination and that for the past few years the destination has performed quite well throughout the year. June is always a slow month and we had anticipated that this year it might be the same despite our active work to bring more tourist in the country. The current figures from NBS comforts us in knowing we managed to hit a record for the month of June,” said Mrs. Francis.   

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Parallel to the increase in visitor’s arrivals is the growth in the yields, according to the most recent figures from the CBS (figures referred to are for Jan-May 2019), the yields recorded from tourism related activities have shown that the destination is 6% ahead of last year. The CBS estimated that the tourism earnings from January to May 2019 were approximately 3.5 Billion SCR compared to only 3.3 Billion SCR during the same period in 2018.

In terms of travel agency bookings for the coming months, an increase in the numbers of forward bookings have been estimated.

According to the forward bookings, data received from the travel agencies it is noted that for the next 6 months of the year,  for the top 5 markets a forecast 3.9% increase in regards to bookings made this time last year.

Major improvements in travel agency bookings for some key markets including France, Russia, UK, Italy and China have been noted.

Mrs. Francis maintained that the STB will keep on increasing visibility for the Seychelles and encouraged the tourism trade to keep the great marketing work in promoting their properties and services.

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

Seychelles golfers en route for the first Seychelles Tourism Board Golf Competition

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Some 40-golf enthusiast have registered to feature in the first ever golf event scheduled for Saturday July 13, 2019 at the Constance Lemuria Praslin.

The event organised by the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) in collaboration with various local and international partners sends promises of success as the finishing touches are being completed by the organising team. 

This event will be used as qualifying rounds for the PRO-AM during the MCB Tour Championship on December 4, 2019 at Constance Lemuria in Praslin, which will open 5 spots for golf enthusiasts.

The STB Golf Competition 2019, which will be an 18-hole individual Stableford, meaning the player’s aim would be to have the highest score, will be the chance of a lifetime for local players of all ages bearing handicap 18 for men and 20 for ladies to win a place, which will qualify them to rub shoulders with Professional golf players from around the world in the December event.

Amongst the various partners supporting the event features Japanese founded leader in premium golf products Honma Golf, locally based partners including Constance Lemuria Resort, Seychelles one and only golf resort, local brewery Seybrew and Shreeji Group- multi-serviced and diversified business group.

Speaking about the upcoming STB Golf Competition, STB Chief Executive Mrs. Sherin Francis mentioned that we are looking forward to hosting the first STB branded competition; she also stated her satisfaction to have received such positive feedbacks to the invitation sent to local golfers.

“As we market the destination and invite golfers around the world to come enjoy our perfect sceneries, we are also glad to be bringing the STB golf competition on our calendar of events for local participants to enjoy. The response from the golfing community and our partners have been overwhelming. We are looking forward to the Saturday events to welcome the 5 golfers to represent the STB family in the December competition,” said Mrs. Francis.

On her part Mrs. Gopi Dubasia, the Shreeji Group representative stated her excitement to be part of the event.

“The Shreeji Group is proud to Partner with STB in hosting the first national corporate Golf Competition. We are delighted to support our domestic players to be qualified for the second Indian Ocean Swing event in December with the presence of International Tee-Players. Cheers to the new beginnings and new horizons!” said Mrs. Dubasia.     

Seychelles will be welcoming the second edition of the MCB Tour Championship in December this year.

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

Successful Seychelles roadshow on South African soil to woo travelers to the destination

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The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) and its local partners took to the cities of Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town for its annual roadshow to close the month of June.

The roadshow organised by the STB office in South Africa, aims at enticing the South African and promote the different attractive holiday options to Seychelles.

 During the roadshow, the STB team alongside the travel experts from 15 exhibiting companies met on a one-to-one basis with the participants during which they made presentations about their products and services.

This year, over 300 existing and new travel agents/tour operators attended the three dedicated Seychelles workshops from June 25 to 27.

The focus marketing strategy for the roadshow was the promotion of Seychelles as a ‘must visit’ destination and knowing what is on offer.

Speaking after the workshop, the STB Director for South Africa, Lena Hoareau stated that the roadshow was a definite success for STB and the various partners.

“Seychelles remains a destination of great interest on the South African market and it is the dream of everyone to travel to those islands. The roadshow and other workshops that we organise throughout the year focus on equipping the tour operators and travel agents with information so that they can better sell the destination,” she said.

She stressed that by attending the roadshow, the participants are able to gain new knowledge on the destination as a product and its unique selling points.

Participants also had an opportunity to hear from the various exhibiting partners the different holiday packages on offer, flights details including the various airlines and connections to Seychelles, as well as accommodation options and finally the various activities both on land and at sea.

“Through the good range of exhibitors at our roadshow this year, we covered every aspect of booking a Seychelles holiday,” she added.

The STB Director for South Africa mentioned her appreciation towards the agents for turning up in high numbers and for supporting destination Seychelles.

The Seychelles Tourism Board’s team at the roadshow was led by the STB Regional Director for Africa and America, Mr. David Germain, who stated his confidence in the trade.

Mr. Germain mentioned the importance of the tourism board’s effort to provide the right platforms for the travel agents’ in order to keep them motivated and encouraged to continue selling the destination.

Besides Mr. Germain and Mrs. Hoareau, Marketing Executive Ms. Christina Cecile from the STB Headquarters also represented STB.

The other exhibitors were Air Seychelles, Creole Travel Services, 7 Degrees South, Berjaya Hotels, Constance Hotels and Resorts, Kempinski Seychelles Resort, Coral Strand and Savoy Seychelles Resort, Southern Sun Hotels, Seychelles Hospitality and Tourism Association, Holiday Factory, Seyunique, Thompsons Holidays, Cruises International and Sunsail & The Moorings.

Participants had an opportunity to win several prizes including trips to the tropical islands, at the end of the workshop in each city.

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

Seychelles Tourism expected to grow through the Air Mauritius connection networks

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Seychelles becomes more accessible to the world as Air Mauritius landed back at the Seychelles International Airport on Tuesday July 2, 2019.

Fourteen years after its last flight to Mahé, Air Mauritius (MK), returns for a twice-weekly flight between the two neighboring countries and connecting Seychelles to other parts of the world making connectivity easier for potential holidaymakers.

The Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Mr. Didier Dogley alongside the Air Mauritius Senior Manager Sales and Strategic Cooperation Mr. Ben Balasoupramanien were present at the airport to welcome this MK flight, A319-100- the Mon Choisy.

The Principal Secretary for Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Mr. Alain Renaud and the Principal Secretary of the Tourism Department, Mrs. Anne Lafortune accompanied Minister Dogley.

The welcoming ceremony also saw the participation of The Chairman of the Board of the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) Captain David Savy, the authority’s Chief Executive Officer Mr. Garry Albert and the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) Chief Executive, Mrs. Sherin Francis.

In his speech at the ceremony, Minister Dogley mentioned his pride to welcome Air Mauritius back in Seychelles; he also thanked the Mauritian company for choosing Seychelles as a destination.

“This new step in the bilateral relationship will definitely be beneficial for the two countries. At a time where Seychelles holds the presidency of the Vanilla Islands, we are one step forward in consolidating the Vanilla Island concept of connecting our islands by one flight per day,” said Minister Dogley.

For her part, the STB Chief Executive, Mrs. Sherin Francis, mentioned that the coming of Air Mauritius back on our shores would accentuate on the visibility of the destination, making it even more accessible from different points across the globe.

“We welcome more air connectivity as  it increases our profile as a destination through the easy access and more availability in terms of airline choices, Air Mauritius serves several of our markets and this is good news for tourism overall. From a marketing point of view, it also means more support on certain markets with mutual interest,” said Mrs. Francis.

The airline, which is headquartered at the Air Mauritius Centre in Port Louis, also flies to over 10 destinations around the world including France, United Kingdom, Reunion, South Africa, India, China and Australia.

More coverage on Seychelles.

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

Seychelles key collaborators on the Brazilian market receive a taste of the islands following recent visit of the head of Seychelles Tourism Board

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The Seychelles multicolored flag was held high on the South American continent as the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB), Chief Executive Mrs. Sherin Francis held an official mission visit in Brazil from June 16, 2019 to June 18, 2019.

Mrs. Francis’ visit, which was her first on the territory, was mainly purposed as a fact-finding mission and an opportune chance to meet the STB team as well as the travel trade there.

As part of her mission in Brazil, the STB Chief Executive met with key partners on the market specially in São Paulo in order to understand the Brazilian market dynamics better and to find ways to grow the business further.

On the first day of her visit, Mrs. Francis conducted a training seminar for 13 tourism professionals at Teresa Perez, one of the most important luxury travel company in the region.  The meeting was an opportune time to also answer various questions on the destination.

A similar session was conducted at Copastur Prime; the presentation was held in front of a live audience and was recorded so as it could be broadcast to all their employees. Mrs. Francis provided answers to the questions from their team regarding Seychelles and she explained some best strategies for sales.

Seychelles represented by Mrs. Francis was also featured on a live broadcast talk show for the benefit of all the sales team from Primetour- a company focused on high-end clients-, Primetour’s travel professional and its accredited agents.

On the second day of her visit, the STB Chief Executive met with representatives from four airline companies-including Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, South African Airways and Turkish Airlines- all connecting Seychelles to Brazil. During her meetings, Mrs. Francis invited the airline companies to participate in a campaign to increase sales to the archipelago and discuss other strategies to promote flights to the destination.

The pinnacle of this official mission was a special event organised by the STB team in Brazil for 11 journalists and digital influencers during which Mrs. Francis offered a cooking workshop to the media professionals.

The STB Chief Executive showed the media guests attending the event how to create a few authentic creole dishes, such as chicken curry, papaya and mango chutneys and lentils, as she engaged them in a Q&A  session during which she provided some interesting facts and information, about the Coco De Mer and the destination.

The media professional attending the session had an opportunity to experience a taste of the Seychelles Islands and shared photos and videos of their Creole lunch on social media to their huge network of fans and followers.

The event was also broadcasted live on Instagram. Global Vision Access, STBs representative on the Brazilian market, recorded several short videos, which will be used for future promotion on social media throughout the year and for training seminars.

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