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Seychelles’ tropical ambience spreads in Durban’s shopping mall

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The Seychelles Tourism Board South African office brought the lush Seychelles atmosphere to Durban shoppers, through a week-long exhibition in the Getaway Mall starting from Tuesday September 24th to Monday September 30th.

Getaway is the most prominent shopping mall in Durban, and with the exhibition launch being on Heritage Day, a public holiday, there was an immense traffic to the stand.

The Seychelles stand, situated on the ground floor next to the main entrance, depicted a tropical beach scene with sun loungers where many visitors engaged with the setting, snapping photos to capture the moment.

With the STB team present, customers had the opportunity to enquire about the destination and packages on offer.

The STB office partnered with the Seychelles national carrier, Air Seychelles and One Stop tour operator for this exhibition.

In partnership with Air Seychelles, STB offered a 5-night holiday in the Seychelles to customers who participated in a small quiz, where the winner was picked after elimination.

The Seychelles Tourism Board Director for South Africa, Mrs. Lena Hoareau, when commenting on the success of the event, said “Our biggest group were the shoppers but also the revelers who had come for the entertainment. We also had people who were on holiday from other countries and this was an opportunity to update themselves on the destination and what it offers.”

Mrs. Hoareau expressed how Durban is an important catchment as they not only targeting direct travelers but also the onward traffic bound for Mumbai.

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One Stop Tour operator, another of STB’s partners who helped promote the Island Destination during the exhibition, is one of Air Seychelles’ top seller for the Mumbai route. They provide hands-on information to travelers interested in including the Seychelles to their travel itinerary.

Mrs. Hoareau stressed the importance of further encouraging passengers connecting with the Air Seychelles flight to Mumbai to stop over in the Seychelles for a few days, as many only pass through for transit.

South Africa remains a very important market for the Seychelles. With the increased capacity of Air Seychelles’ A320neo, there is an expected growth in the number of visitors on the route between Johannesburg and Mahe.

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

Seychelles shines again as the destination is awarded “Best Destination – Africa” in Mumbai

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The Seychelles received laurels at the Geo Spa Global Spa India Awards by winning the Reader’s Choice Award for “Best Destination – Africa” that took place on April 24, 2019 at the St. Regis Mumbai.

The ceremony was attended by various Indian celebrities, including Indian actresses Shilpa Shetty and Rekha (amongst others).

The award was collected by Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) representative in India, Ms. Lubaina Sheerazi on behalf of Mrs. Sherin Francis STB Chief Executive.

Ms. Sheerazi mentioned that Seychelles remains a preferred destination for the Indian market and receiving this award adds to its prestige image, as a destination everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime.

“We are delighted to receive this recognition for Seychelles, as it speaks volumes about the destination’s popularity among Indians. The Seychelles is a visa free country, now has direct flight connectivity, scenic views, un-crowded beaches and tropical weather throughout the year. The destination also has a romantic ambiance, making it a great destination for Indians” said Ms. Sheerazi.

For her part, Mrs. Francis STB Chief Executive mentioned that receiving the ‘Reader’s choice award for “Best Destination – Africa” is a gesture of trust and confidence, which is largely rewarding for the team.

“It is always an honor and a pleasure to receive an award. I would like to personally thank the readers of Geo Spa Global Spa India, who have voted for the destination. It certainly makes us proud as a destination to know our islands continue to remain top of readers’ minds, in this part of the world. It not only marks the destination as best in its category but also celebrates the joint efforts from the STB team at headquarters, the STB team in India and lastly, all trade partners,” said Mrs. Francis.

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

No surprises: New York, London and Tokyo top the list of world’s 15 richest cities

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Boston, Calgary, Perth and Macau – all associated with material wealth – have failed to make this list of the 15 richest cities in the world, compiled by market research firm New World Wealth.

The data gathered by the researchers reflects the total amount of private wealth held by all the individuals living in each of the cities on the list. Unlike traditional ratings, this top 15 is not based on Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but reflects analysis that covers all assets, such as property, cash, equities and business interests, excluding liabilities. Government funds are included.

1. New York City – $3 trillion

2. London – $2.7 trillion

3. Tokyo – $2.5 trillion

4. San Francisco Bay Area – 2.3 trillion

5. Beijing – $2.2 trillion

6. Shanghai – $2 trillion

7. Los Angeles – $1.4 trillion

8. Hong Kong – $1.3 trillion

9. Sydney – $1 trillion

10. Singapore – $1 trillion

11. Chicago – $988 billion

12. Mumbai – $950 billion

13. Toronto – $944 billion

14 Frankfurt – $912 billion

15. Paris – $860 billion

According to New World Wealth, wealth is a measure that differs from a GDP indicator, which is another common metric used to gauge economic power. The research firm revealed that Houston, Geneva, Osaka, Seoul, Shenzhen, Melbourne, Zurich and Dallas had just missed out on the top 15.

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India: Jet Airways’ demise leads to spike in airfares, massive hotel cancellations

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The abrupt shutdown of Jet Airways operations has left Indian tourism industry a worried lot as it has led to an average 25 percent spike in airfares across the sectors leading to massive hotel cancellations, says industry experts.

Some key sectors like Mumbai-Hyderabad, Mumbai-Delhi and Delhi-Mumbai have seen the fares flying by 62 percent, 52 percent and 49 percent, while the Bengaluru-Delhi sector has had the lowest impact with a 10 percent surge shortly before and soon after the grounding of Jet.

Financially struggling for months, Jet Airways decided to call it quits from Wednesday night, leaving 22,000 jobs at stake and inconveniencing lakhs of passengers both domestic as well as international as Jet was the single largest airline out of and into the country.

“The impact of grounding of Jet Airways is not only restricted to the airlines sector as tourism has taken a severe beating due to the massive surge in airfares during the peak demand season. The impact is unlikely to fade away anytime soon and may continue into the rest of the year,” Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) president Sunil Kumar said Friday.

He said, both the domestic as well as international travel and related sectors are affected as travelers are cancelling their hotel bookings as airfares have surged by over 25 percent on average.

Leading tour operator Cox & Kings’ Karan Anand said the shuttering of Jet has upset the travel plans of many who have booked on Jet.

“This is the peak travel season and the airfares for the next 10-12 days are up by at least 25 percent as the capacity has fallen massively dissuading last minute travelers,” he added.

However, online travel aggregator Easemyyrip.com co- founder Nishant Pitti tried to downplay the impact saying airfares normally fluctuate as the aviation industry is always unpredictable.

“It is true that passengers are in panic now but going forward there will not be much impact as other airlines like Spicejet and Indigo are adding more planes into their fleet which will help balance demand-supply gap,” he said.

Train booking and discovery platform Confirmtkt cofounder Sripad Vaidya said due to the flight charges going up, there is a huge surge in people opting for trains and buses.

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Indian Hotels Company launches new hotel brand

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The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), South Asia’s largest hospitality company, today, announced the launch of a new hotel brand – “SeleQtions”, which is a collection of named and distinctive properties.

SeleQtions was launched with 12 hotels across the country. The vision for the brand is to celebrate individuality, by offering unique experiences through landmark hotels that have their own legacy and charm.

Speaking on the occasion, Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, IHCL said, “SeleQtions will allow IHCL to cater to a broader audience of travelers who prefer staying in hotels with a distinctive character. SeleQtions also includes hotels that have a slice of history, defining location or a differentiated theme. We believe the brand has immense potential to grow.”

The 12 hotels in the first phase include properties present in seven key lodging markets of India: President, Mumbai; Ambassador, New Delhi; The Connaught, New Delhi; Blue Diamond, Pune; Cidade de Goa; Tajview, Agra and Devi Ratn, Jaipur. The other hotels are Pratap Mahal Ajmer; Savoy, Ooty; Gateway Coonoor; Gateway Chikmagalur and Gateway Varkala.

For those hotels which are independent – IHCL offers its robust infrastructure including global reservation systems, Taj InnerCircle loyalty program and sales and marketing support.

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