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Seychelles trade partners up-to-date with new European regulations

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Mr. Julian Grupp, CEO of Seyvillas, facilitated the workshop, which aim at keeping the tourism professional abreast of the new practices on the European markets and was held on Tuesday June 11, 2019 at Eden Bleu Hotel.

The workshop-a premier on the Island- has been organised by the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) and saw the presence of the Principal Secretary for Tourism- Mrs. Anne Lafortune and Mrs. Sherin Francis, STB Chief Executive.

The event offer received a very positive response with 125 participants registering for participation from the tourism trade industry including professionals from hotel establishments and Destination Management Companies.

Other participants comprised of representatives of the Seychelles Hospitality & Tourism Association (SHTA), Ministry of Tourism and STB personnel from the Destination Development Department alongside their colleagues from the Trade and Visitors Services department. 

During this workshop, participants were guided on how to improve the Seychelles products in line with the new trends. They were also provided insights on the European law and regulations regarding bookings, cancellations and data privacy.

In her address to the participants, Sherin Francis mentioned her satisfaction to see the event taking place, she stressed on the importance of quality service for the destination.

The STB Chief Executive Mrs. Francis further stated STB’s commitment to increase the market value of the destination by encouraging all partners to keep themselves informed of new trends and regulations at all times.

“Our constant investment in our destination by facilitating such trainings to our partners is because we believe in the potential of Seychelles to keep growing. We have focused on digital marketing in the past events and we felt that the training regarding European legislations is an important part of making our trade collaborators conversant on the matter as these are the details that make us easily marketable as a destination. We are happy with the interest from the partners on Mahé and Praslin,” said Mrs. Francis.

This STB initiative aims at helping local partners to improve the quality of services they provide to all clients, specially the European travellers topping the visitor’s arrival list.

Subsequently, a session has been organised for the trade partners on Praslin and La Digue with a number of 50 confirmed registered participants. The training will take place at the Pension Fund Building on Thursday June 13, 2019.

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

The 5th Edition of the International Day of Yoga

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The 5th Edition of the International Day of Yoga will be celebrated all around the globe on 21st June 2019.

As in the past, this year also Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India (MOT) will be hosting a Fam Trip for 5 days

(20 to 25 June 2019), to showcase Yoga, Wellness and Spirituality in India for which 2  Tour Operators / Journalists /

Bloggeurs & Opinion Makers are invited to participate from all over the globe.

The International & Domestic Flight tickets along with full accommodation & airport transfers are fully taken care of by Ministry of Tourism for all these five days of the FAM Tour.

Interested participants may send a mail directly to India Tourism Moscow at [email protected] for further details for participation. The deadline to reach us with your interest is 22 May 2019.

As there are only limited seats  for this FAM Tour, the participants will be selected on “First come – First Serve” basis.

Awaiting to hear from you at the earliest.

Seychelles Tourism Board records successful participation at 2019 Arabian Travel Market in Dubai

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The Seychelles Islands was represented at the 26th edition of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), in Middle East’s most popular travel trade event held from April 28 to May 1, 2019 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The 4-day event garnered the participation of some 2,500 companies, including the participation of the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) featuring a representation from 150 countries, 65 national pavilions and more than 100 new exhibitors at the fair.

The Seychelles delegation was led by the Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Didier Dogley. The Seychelles Ambassador in the United Arab Emirates, Jean-Claude Adrienne, STB Chief Executive, Mrs. Sherin Francis.

They were escorted by a strong STB team including the Tourism Attaché at the Seychelles Abu Dhabi Embassy, Ms. Aliette Esther, the STB representative in Dubai, Ahmed Fathallah, and Ms. Stephanie Lablache STB Director for the Middle East and Ms. Vanessa Lucas, Public Relations Officer from the Headquarters.

The team was completed by few trade partners representing local Destination Management Companies and hotels including Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort & Casino, Eden Bleu Hotel, Luxury Travel, Satguru Travels and Tours Ltd, Six Senses Zil Pasyon, and Vision Voyages.

The 2019 edition of the ATM travel trade show recorded over 40,000 attendees, highlighting Middle East’s thriving tourism sector and the major opportunity for Seychelles as a destination to increase its clients in the Middle East.  

STB’s participation has generated immense interest at the ATM as numerous partners and travel professionals visited the stand, conducting meetings with exhibiting partners attending the event alongside the STB team.

With the summer season fast approaching, coupled with other upcoming Middle Eastern holidays, the annual event was the ideal platform for the STB and its local partners to personally meet travel professionals to further the awareness of the destination as well as reinforcing its presence in the Middle East market.

The destination, with Six Senses Zil Pasyon as partner, was also one of the presenters at the TTN Travel Trade Competition on the 3rd day of the fair at the Inspiration Theatre on site. The STB Chief Executive Mrs. Sherin Francis showcased the destination through a Pecha Kucha presentation— a story telling format using 20 slides for 20 seconds per slide.

The presentation was followed by a quiz which was the highlight of the event as one lucky travel agent took home a prize sponsored by Six Senses Zil Pasyon by answering the questions correctly.

During the event, Minister Didier Dogley and STB Chief Executive had the opportunity to give several media interviews to share the latest news about the destination.

Aside from providing visibility to the destination and indulging in various promotional activities at the ATM, the STB team, headed by its Chief Executive also signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the renewal of a marketing agreement between the Tourism Board and Emirates Airline. 

Mrs. Francis mentioned her satisfaction following STB’s participation at the ATM, she also thanked the partners who supported the team by their presence on the stand during the event.

“STB’s participation at the ATM was definitely a great success. There was an increased interest from our media partners and our partners in the Middle East to hear about the latest news from our destination. It was vital for the destination to be present at the event, the upcoming holidays in the Middle East opens a window of opportunity to increase visitor’s arrival on the Middle East market. With the efforts contributed by the local trade present at the fair, I am confident that we have made a huge impact on the market,” said Mrs. Francis.

 “We are hopeful and anticipating to surpass last year’s visitor arrivals to the destination by participating in different travel and trade events in the GCC that will serve as a platform to personally meet with new and existing trade partners.” said Mr. Fathallah.

The UAE along with the GCC countries currently being the fourth market feeder to the destination continues to be one of the largest source markets to the destination finishing off the year 2018 with more than 32,000 visitors from the GCC.

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

eTN becomes a SUNx SDG 17 Partner calling for Climate Sanity in Tourism on Earth Day

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In nature, nothing exists alone is the message for Earth Day 2019. Announcing the public launch of its “SDG17 Partners Program” on Earth Day 2019, Professor Geoffrey Lipman co-founder SUNx, calls and president of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP) asks the Travel & Tourism sector to join its “Plan For Our Kids” and take the “Climate Sanity” Pledge.

Professor Lipman, former Executive Director at IATA, President of WTTC and Assistant Secretary-General UNWTO, said:

“I’m confident that Travel & Tourism will play a leadership role in the global shift to a New Climate Economy: we just need a pathway for change and that lies in our faith in the next generation”

SUNx a legacy for Planetary Champion Maurice Strong has created a “Plan For Our Kids”, aiming to recruit 100,000 STRONG Climate Champions to advance its vision of a no Carbon 2050 sector totally compliant with the evolving goals of the Paris Accords.

He added “During the past year we have seen a welcome intensification of the pressures for a new commitment to Climate Sanity, which stops discussing whether climate change is existential and just gets on with solutions. That’s the common message from Greta Thunberg’s Friday’s for Futures and AOC’s Green New Deal: it’s the message from Earth Scientists and Nobel Economists: it’s the plea from Sir David Attenborough.

”Lipman concluded “SDG 17 Partners will share our long-term vision on the fact that Climate Change is eXistential and that we have to act NOW, as if this Earth Day is the first day of the rest of our lives. We all have different starting positions, based on our separate realities: but we have a shared goal of meeting the Paris Agenda and together taking a “No Carbon 2050 moonshot”. We can deliver Climate Friendly Travel ~ measured plans: green growth: 2050 no carbon proof “

Juergen Steinmetz president of the eTN Corporation said “We are proud to become a SUNx SDG 17 Partner and provide preferential support for this great cause. As long as I have known Geoffrey Lipman, he has been drumming home the message that Climate Change is eXistential and that if we don’t fix it now, it will fix us. We are in, and will use all our links, like ICTP and the African Tourism Board to support Climate Friendly Travel. going forward”.

For more on SUNx and its SDG 17 Partnership Program please contact: go to www.thesunprogram.com

What is Earth Day?

The first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, activated 20 million Americans from all walks of life and is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement. The passage of the landmark Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and many other groundbreaking environmental laws soon followed. Twenty years later, Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in more than 190 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage.

On April 22, 1970, millions of people took to the streets to protest the negative impacts of 150 years of industrial development.

In the U.S. and around the world, smog was becoming deadly and evidence was growing that pollution led to developmental delays in children. Biodiversity was in decline as a result of the heavy use of pesticides and other pollutants.

The global ecological awareness was growing, and the US Congress and President Nixon responded quickly. In July of the same year, they created the Environmental Protection Agency, and robust environmental laws such as the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act, among many.

One billion people

Earth Day is now a global event each year, and more than 1 billion people in 192 countries now take part in what is the largest civic-focused day of action in the world.

It is a day of political action and civic participation. People march, sign petitions, meet with their elected officials, plant trees, clean up their towns and roads. Corporations and governments use it to make pledges and announce sustainability measures. Faith leaders, including Pope Francis, connect Earth Day with protecting God’s greatest creations, humans, biodiversity and the planet that we all live on.

Earth Day Network, the organization that leads Earth Day worldwide, has chosen as the theme for 2018 to End Plastic Pollution, including creating support for a global effort to eliminate primarily single-use plastics along with global regulation for the disposal of plastics.  EDN is educating millions of people about the health and other risks associated with the use and disposal of plastics, including pollution of our oceans, water, and wildlife, and about the growing body of evidence that plastic waste is creating serious global problems.

From poisoning and injuring marine life to the ubiquitous presence of plastics in our food to disrupting human hormones and causing major life-threatening diseases and early puberty, the exponential growth of plastics is threatening our planet’s survival.

Travel News | eTurboNews

How Emirates is supporting and preserving biodiversity

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Taking its environmental responsibilities seriously and championing wildlife conservation across different corners of the planet, the Emirates Group is playing its part to support and preserve biodiversity.

The Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve and Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley in Australia both illustrate the Group’s long-standing focus on protecting fragile ecosystems and support for sustainable tourism in very different parts of the world.  Both conservation reserves protect valuable ecosystems and at the same time provide unique and sustainable experiences for visitors from around the world.

The Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve

The Emirates Group funds the operations of the 225 square kilometre Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR), an inland desert habitat that has been protected by government mandate since 2003. This is the largest piece of land that Dubai has dedicated to a single project and aims to preserve Dubai’s unique desert environment for future generations. The DDCR plays an important role in ecological research, actively collaborating with both local and international universities. The findings and results of the research studies help to enhance knowledge of the desert ecosystem, gather scientific data around rare and endangered desert species, monitor its balance and preserve its natural environment.

The reserve is also a focal point for conservation programmes aimed at restoring populations of some of the UAE’s wildlife, such as the Arabian gazelle, sand gazelle and Arabian oryx. Since their reintroduction into the DDCR, the antelope species have thrived, and their populations have significantly increased, triggering the process of looking into relocating some oryx and gazelle species to other protected areas within the region. Over 250 endangered Macqueen’s bustard (houbara) were also released this year with 25 of them fitted with tracking devices to monitor their movement and breeding progress.

In 2018, the DDCR was visited by more than 285,000 tourists, through Arabian Adventures, various Emirates partner tour operators, and the Al Maha Desert Resort. The DDCR offers low-impact desert experiences in addition to desert clean-up activities in coordination with Arabian Adventures. During 2018 the DDCR was accepted as a candidate for the IUCN Green List for Protected and Conserved Areas, a global standard for the world’s most effectively managed Protected Areas.

Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley

Emirates has been supporting the protection of Australia’s extraordinary wildlife and plant life for over 10 years, through the conservation-based Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley in New South Wales. The property was the first luxury resort in the world to receive an internationally-recognised carbon neutral certification from New Zealand based CarboNZero, undergoing a comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions assessment. Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley also conducts regular research to identify opportunities and challenges for endangered species conservation. Efforts have also been underway to help restore vital vegetation and tree planting activities, which have helped to re-establish habitats for vital bird populations, essential for their long term survival.

Emirates and Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley jointly funded the development of the WomSAT app and website in collaboration the University of Western Sydney to help researchers identify opportunities for wombat conservation. Wombats are threatened by sarcoptic mange, an unpleasant and often fatal skin disease that afflicts Australia’s largest burrow builder. The tool is used to record wombat sightings and track population health to help treat wombats afflicted by sarcoptic mange. Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley is also spearheading a number of other conservation projects, such as the Wolgan River Restoration Project, an ongoing weed management programme, and supporting research projects with Western Sydney University.

United for Wildlife and The Buenos Aires Declaration

Since 2015, Emirates has continued its strong support for actions to stem the illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products, which is having devastating consequences for endangered animals and the environment in many parts of the world. In 2018, the Emirates Group also signed the Buenos Aires Declaration on Travel and Tourism and Illegal Wildlife Trade, an effort led by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) to reach a billion travellers with messages to fight the illegal wildlife trade and work with communities to develop sustainable tourism that provides livelihoods and protects wildlife. The WTTC and World Wildlife Fund are developing guidelines to eliminate illegal wildlife trafficking from the travel and tourism supply chains.

The Emirates Group has also adopted a zero-tolerance policy to wildlife trafficking and has set up training for its employees to identify and look out for warning signs of smuggled wildlife products during cargo transportation and screening. Emirates will not carry banned species, hunting trophies or any products associated with illegal wildlife activities.

Using its brand power to raise awareness around the illegal trafficking of endangered wildlife, Emirates emblazoned four of its A380s with special wildlife decals. Since then the aircraft have flown millions of kilometres across 48 cities in 29 countries on close to 6,000 flights taking this important message around the world and spurring conversation around wildlife preservation.

dnata Wildlife Conservation and Nature

dnata recently signed an MOU with the University of Pretoria in South Africa to support their research and rehabilitation projects. Under dnata4good, the partnership aims to safeguard wildlife and the environment by strengthening and enhancing research, veterinary training and awareness, increasing involvement through volunteer opportunities and ensuring needed measures are taken to care for injured animals and rehabilitate them to go back into the wild. The initiative will be partially driven by employee participation to protect fragile biodiversity in South Africa and to maintain balanced ecosystems.

Give a Ghaf

Emirates Group employees living in Meydan Heights (UAE) will be taking part in a Ghaf Tree planting event on 27 April in partnership with Goumbook. The event aims to raise awareness about the importance of conserving the living desert, with a specific focus on the Ghaf tree. The Ghaf is a drought tolerant, evergreen tree which can withstand harsh desert environments, and can be used for greening purposes whilst saving water.

Travel News | eTurboNews