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Top Singapore Travel Company in Seychelles for a familiarization visit

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The successful visit organized through the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) with the support of various local partners, followed a sales visit earlier this year by the Mrs. Amia Jovanovic-Desir, the Director for India, Australia and South East Asia in Singapore.

Ms Crystal Sims, the CEO of the international Travel Agency Albatross World, made a special effort to see the Seychelles on a familiarization for ten days by the end of October 2019. This trip was the prime opportunity for her to also experience the products and services.

During her working visit to Seychelles, Ms. Sim had the opportunity to have an overview of the destination through the diverse attractions available on islands of Mahé, Praslin and La Digue, which are the most frequented island- including the pristine beaches and the Vallée de Mai.

As part of her explorations of the islands and tourist attractions, Ms. Sims also had the chance to stay at the Four Seasons Resorts on Desroches Island and Hilton Seychelles, LaBriz Resort and SPA on Silhouette.

Several meetings with core tourism stakeholders including key Destination Management Companies (DMC) in Seychelles, through which the representatives presented their products and services providing the Singapore professional with a clearer idea of what holidaymakers would expect while in Seychelles.

Ms. Sims also met with the Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Mr Didier Dogley, Mrs. Sherin Francis, STB’s Chief Executive and her Team during which discussions were centered towards the strategic approach of how to tap into the Singaporean market. Throughout the debates all partners agreed that further collaborations with the tourism trade partners on both end need to be encouraged.

Ms. Sims mentioned that her perception of Seychelles has surpassed her expectation. She added that she was impressed to see the natural beauty of the islands and the strong commitment of the Seychellois people including its government to preserve the environment.

“The world will love travelers who roam beautiful places with ease, and one corner of the globe not yet fully appreciated is the Seychelles.  We will become better people if we know the Seychelles, truly another world,” said Ms. Sims

Speaking of the visit from the Singaporean partner, Mrs. Amia Jovanovic-Desir mentioned that she is pleased to see that the continuous efforts done by STB to meet with international partners being rewarded.

“As a prime collaborator to several international partners, such collaborations add to our marketing strategy and what we are currently doing to further position on the market. FAM trips are one of the most cost effective marketing activities for the destination to engage more agents to boost their knowledge on the Seychelles and its products and to push more interest to be converted into sales, added Amia Jovanovic- Desir.

Mrs. Jovanovic- Desir expressed STB’s sincere appreciation to all the partners who have supported in making this FAM trip a success, she extended special thank you to the Four Seasons Resort at Desroches, Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort and SPA, Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort and SPA, Double Tree by Hilton Seychelles, Le Meridien Fisherman’s Cove and Patatran Hotel.

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

The Seychelles Tourism Board takes the Seychelles to Los Angeles

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The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) recently conducted a ‘Seychelles product & destination training’ for a group of 45 Los Angeles based tourism professionals.

The session was conducted by the STB Regional Director for Africa and the Americas, Mr. David Germain, who presented the products and services available in the Seychelles for the North American travelers visiting the island paradise.

Held at the Il Fornaio Restaurant on Manhattan Beach, the training saw the participation of tourism professionals from the Southern Region of Los Angeles, most of which are familiar with the Middle Eastern and African market.

The training provided the industry players present with updated information about the Seychelles and its products and services. Participants were also informed about the different flight schedule and airlines available from North America to Seychelles, providing several options, which could be made available to their customers. They were also given the opportunity to have their enquiries about the Island destination answered

Mr. Germain mentioned that training is an important part of STB’s marketing efforts to obtain results in North America, and a very essential distribution strategy for our islands in that part of the world.

“Travel Agents help people plan, choose and arrange their holiday, they also advise, and at times give their opinion where to go, they are thus very important and essential partners for Seychelles in North America, especially, as there are thousands of them who works from home,” he added.

Other trainings also take place whenever STB takes place in major exhibitions in North American cities, these help to, as much as possible; boost North American Trade Partner’s knowledge on the Seychelles Islands.

Aside from training programmes, STB also organizes familiarization trips to the Seychelles for North American agents in collaboration with the various airlines and trade partners, allowing the agents to understand the destination they are selling to their clients.

The North American market is increasingly becoming more significant to the Seychelles. According to statistics, 9,152 visitors from North America visited Seychelles until the end of September this year, an increase of 7% more visitors than last year, 2018.

For more news about Seychelles, please click here.

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

The Seychelles kicks off the autumn season with the Nordic Roadshow

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The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) embarked on the sixth edition of the Nordic Roadshow from September 23-27, 2019. The delegation, which included hotels, Destination Management Companies (DMCs) and airlines, travelled to five Nordic cities; Oslo, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Stockholm and Gothenburg.

A strong delegation from the Seychelles attended the Nordic roadshow, making the event successful one for the destination and its partners.

The marketing mission was headed by STB’s Marketing Director for Nordics, Karen Confait, and joined by the various partners and local business representatives.

On the hotel side, Avani Barbarons Seychelles Resort was represented by Crystal Abram; Devi Pentamah was present on behalf of the Hilton Hotels; Le Duc de Praslin, Valmer Resort and Castelo Beach Hotel were represented by Derek Savy; Ferruccio Tirone from Maia Luxury Resort & Paradise Sun was also part of the group.

Amanda Lang from Creole Travel Services was present to represent the DMCs alongside Amy Michel a representative from Masons Travel and Masons Hotel Group.

The Emirates Airline team consisted of Meritha Merhad, Tanya Milad and Carmen Javier; while Qatar Airways was represented by Nils Geir Askekjaer, Karin Wellington-Ipsen, Jari Nuotio, Suvi Saari, Nina Astor, Pernilla Tillas, Eunice Raila and Chantal Tabatabae.

In each city, an evening event was hosted by the Seychelles’ delegation for the local travel trade during which participants had an opportunity to network and hear more about the Seychelles as a destination through presentations made. 

Partners present from Seychelles to showcase their product build on the momentum to inspire the local players from the visited cities and motivate them to offer Seychelles to their clients as the next holiday destination.

Ms. Confait mentioned that the Nordic Roadshow generated plenty of interest and attention from agents in each of the five cities.

“Over the years, the roadshow has immensely contributed to the growth of the Nordic market as the ideal platform to provide the travel trade with increased knowledge on the destination and its products, whilst fortifying relationships between partners and I am pleased to mention that we had very good attendance from the local agents both familiar and new ones,” commented Ms Confait.

True to its nationalistic belief and its dedication to sustainability and conservations, Seychelles remains one of the destinations of choice for potential visitors from the Nordics as they seek holiday destinations that have the same environmental and sustainable awareness they do.

Ms. Confait stressed that the Nordics is a market in need of constant nurturing through events such as similar roadshow, as it holds great potential for Seychelles. Thanking the partners present on the Nordic Roadshow, she further encouraged other partners to continuously invest and keep a constant presence in the region in order to further stimulate interest in the Seychelles Islands.

With greater flight accessibility through Emirates, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines flying out of this region, the Nordic market has become more significant for the Seychelles.

For more information on Seychelles, click here.

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

The Seychelles Tourism Board and trade partners ready for the Italian Market

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The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) and trade partners prepare for the 56th edition of the TTG Travel Experience in Italy, Fiera di Rimini, which runs from October 9, 2019 until October 11, 2019.

The Seychelles delegation, headed by STB Chief Executive Mrs. Sherin, will also consist of the presence of STB Director for Italy, Turkey, Greece and the Mediterranean, Ms. Monette Rose with the support of a team from the Italy office and a representative from Headquarters.

The team will be accompanied by trade partners from Seychelles including 7° South, AVANI Barbarons Seychelles Resort, Berjaya Resorts Seychelles, Creole Travel Services, Hilton Seychelles Resorts, Savoy Resort & Spa and Coral Strand Smart Choice, all present at the trade event to market their services as the Tourism Board team will be selling the destination.

Speaking of the upcoming three-day event and interest of the STB to be present Ms. Monette Rose mentioned the opportunity for the destination representatives and its partners to network with key industry players and understand the recent developments and trends on the Italian market.

On her part, Mrs. Francis stressed that the participation at the TTG Travel Experience in Italy is the extension of the STB team’s presence in Europe.

“We are anticipating to extend our impact on the Italian market as much as we did in France last week, we are very much eager to keep our Italian counterparts updated with the destination and what makes us unique,” said the STB Chief Executive.

TTG Travel Experience is Italy’s most important business-to-business International Tourism Exhibition, and the travel industry’s leading event for doing business, innovating and keeping up to date.

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

Destination Seychelles and its Trade Partners all set for IFTM Top Resa 2019

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The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) and their trade partners are gearing up to be part of the 41st edition of the IFTM Top Resa 2019 in France.

The four-day event is set to take place in Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, from the October 1, 2019 to October 4, 2019.

The delegation is being headed by Minster Didier Dogley, Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marines and is accompanied by the CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board, Mrs. Sherin Francis.

Alongside the Minister and STB Chief Executive, Mrs Bernadette Willemin STB Europe Director, the STB Paris team and representatives from the STB Seychelles Headquarters will be ensuring that the Seychelles will shine once again at the IFTM Top Resa.

The STB Team will work diligently with the support of the trade partners from Seychelles -consisting of 7° South, Savoy Resort & Spa, Coral Strand Hotel, Mason’s Travel, Hilton Hotels, Creole Travel Services, Banyan Tree Hotel and Avani Barbarons Seychelles Resort-with the aim to increase the visibility of the destination, selling the destination as a must-visit place in the world as well as marketing the various products and services available in the Seychelles.

The event further presents STB and its partners with a platform that gives access to business-to-business meetings with key industry players, not mentioning the opportunity to network, increase understanding of the French market, as well as catch up to the latest market developments and trends.

At the eve of one of the biggest trade event in France, Mrs. Francis mentioned the eagerness of the STB to be present.

“It is an exciting time for the Seychelles, we are confident that this edition of the IFTM Top Resa be one which reconnects our destination with our French audience. We are looking forward to be present alongside our trade partners from Seychelles,” said the STB Chief Executive.

The Seychelles has been an avid participant in the IFTM Top Resa, France’s main international tourism trade fair, over the years.

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

Seychelles Tourism Board led Local Trade Partners on Réunion Roadshow

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Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) and its local partners embarked on a roadshow in Réunion, Saint -Gilles- Les Bains from September 16, 2019 to September 17, 2019.

The event was organised by the STB team in Reunion who prepared presentations and workshops so that they could equip Réunion Travel Trade professionals with the tools to further boost the wave of Réunion Holiday makers in Seychelles. These sessions attracted over 40 agents.

The Réunion roadshow saw participation from local partners comprising of 7° degrees South, Mason’s Travel, Seychelles European Reservation, Summer Rain Tours, Avani Seychelles Barbarons Resort & Spa and Patatran Hotel.

The STB team consisted of Mrs. Bernadette Willemin, Director Regional Europe and Ms. Bernadette Honore, Senior Marketing Executive from the STB Réunion office.

Whilst the first session consisted of presentations showing travel trade front liners staff across Réunion about what the Seychelles has to offer its visitors, the second session focused on training the Réunion Travel Trade professionals specialising in group business. 

This destination and product training initiative provided the professionals with a better understanding about the Seychelles products so that they have enough information to encourage travellers to visit Seychelles.

The STB team also received the support of the Reunion airline partner Air Austral- that provides direct connectivity to the Seychelles- as they delivered product knowledge presentations.

Commenting on the Réunion Road show, Mrs Bernadette Willemin, Director Regional Europe, stated the STB’s commitment to increase visibility and knowledge of the product to all its partners.

“Destination and product trainings are of utmost importance in this competitive tourism world and our role as a marketing tourism professionals specialist is to ensure that the travel trade professionals we interact with to sell Seychelles are well versed with our products and confident to sell our destination” said Bernadette Willemin.

Mrs. Willemin emphasised that the product-focussed training sessions are a success with the help of the trade from Seychelles.

She added, “The STB with the collaboration of its partners will continue to organise such activity on the market making sure that our Reunionais partners have all the knowledge to attend to the clients’ requests and convert them into sales”.   

 The training sessions closed with Business-to-Business meetings, where the participants had the opportunity to hold discussions with local Trade partners and Reunion Travel Trade professionals.

Members of the trade present commented unanimously that the roadshow organised by the STB team in Reunion was very successful.

They stated that the local workshop sessions were well structured and gave them an opportunity to meet various partners from different tourism fields.

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

The Seychelles Islands celebrate the annual “Endless Summer” roadshow in CIS region

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The Seychelles Tourism Board appeared in full flare for the third edition of its annual “Endless Summer with The Seychelles Islands” events, which took place in Astana and Almaty (Kazakhstan) and Kiev (Ukraine) in August 2019.

The events featured interaction with key partners from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region and presentations of the destination and its partners.

The “Endless Summer” roadshow seized the city of Astana on August 26, 2019 and saw the presence of 45 companies. The events included a tropical breakfast, a presentation of the Seychelles Islands in the luxurious UNO restaurant, followed by a B2B workshop.

At the next stop, Almaty, participants had an opportunity to partake in a workshop with one-one meetings followed by a networking cocktail reception, which took place in “Afisha”, a popular restaurant that was transformed into an exotic paradise, invoking the Seychelles atmosphere.

The following day, the STB team engaged with trade partners during the summer open-air festival in the Garden of VDNH Park, in Kiev, Ukraine, where the participation of 75 agents were recorded.

Taking place in a vintage orangery, the core elements of Seychelles flora blended with the rustic elements of the retro festival, namely its food trucks, scattered beanbags and fairy lights, creating a mesmerising backdrop.

The workshop and teasers were presented inside the orangery and was followed by open-air festival with lounge zones, picnic style tables and sun lounges.

The food stalls also contributed to the Seychelles Islands atmosphere with grill fish, seafood finger food, coconut ice cream, tropical smoothies and lemonades.

These successful events gave the STB team the opportunity to provide the perfect platform for local tour operators to meet the partners from Seychelles, to broaden their knowledge about the destination and discuss prospective collaboration opportunities.

This year in Astana & Almaty we saw participation from 7° South, Pure Escapes, Savoy Resort & Spa Seychelles & Coral Strand Seychelles, Fregate Island Private, Etihad Airways and Fly Dubai. Participants in Kiev included, 7° South, Pure Escapes, Fregate Island Private and Turkish Airlines.

“We are very happy to get such an opportunity to share a part of Seychelles with our dear partners from the CIS region. This region has great potential for Seychelles and our presence continues on such events with the support of the local partners will only help to penetrate the region even further” said the STB representative in Russia and CIS, Ms Olga Demina. “Year after year we record a positive growth from these important markets as Kazakhstan and Ukraine and hope that the interest in Seychelles will only keep growing”.

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

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.

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. 

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

Minister Bartlett to meet with UN division of partners and other investors in New York

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Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett, leaves the island today to meet with the United Nations’ division of partners and other potential tourism investors in New York.

In outlining the significance of the meetings with these stakeholders, Minister Bartlett said, “The visit to New York is to accomplish a number of things. Among them is my meeting with the United Nations’ division of partners to discuss the relationship with the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) and our strategic development, particularly in areas of climate change and seismic disruptions.”

The GTRCM is dedicated to assisting with preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions and crises that impact tourism and threaten economies and livelihoods. Just this week, President of the Republic of Kenya, His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta, accepted an invitation to be Honorary Co-Chair representing Africa.

“I will also be having a series of discussions with potential investors in the area of shopping to look at the building out of mega shopping facilities in Jamaica. One of these discussions will be with one of the largest developers of shopping malls in the United States (U.S) and there is strong interest in building out such a facility in Montego Bay,” Minister Bartlett added.

While in New York, Minister Bartlett will also speak at the Jamaica Independence Black tie Gala. The Jamaica Independence Gala, which is organized by the the Jamaica Independence Gala Society, is an annual event for celebrants from the business, ecumenical and organizational communities to celebrate Jamaica’s Independence.

In acknowledging the importance of the event, Minister Bartlett said, “I am delighted to speak at this significant gathering which forms part of the Independence celebration activities for the Diaspora and will bring focus to the great work being done by nonprofit organization, Food for the Poor.

This staging of the Gala will also honour acclaimed U.S actress Kerry Washington and our very own Byron LaBeach, the distinguished Olympian of the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games.”

The Minister will also participate in a series of interviews with TravAlliance and Recommend Magazine as well as a live interview with Good Day New York. The focus of the interviews will be to highlight the successes of Jamaica’s tourism industry; give an update on product development; and look at the work of the GTRCM, especially as it relates to the issue of Sargassum.

Minister Bartlett returns to the island on August 13, 2019.

MEDIA CONTACT: Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, Corporate Communications, 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Tel: 920-4926-30, Fax: 920-4944

Cuba announced as partner country for 2019 OTDYKH Leisure expo

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Cuba has made the exciting announcement that it will be the official partner country at the OTDYKH 2019 expo, which will take place in Moscow on September 10-12.

A long-time contributor to the OTDYKH Leisure Trade Fair, Cuba has been participating since 2001. Their sponsorship as partner for the 2019 expo will include an exciting display of traditional music, dance, cuisine and cocktails, from the country famous for its tropical salsa rhythms, vibrant attire and delicious mojitos.

This year Cuba makes an auspicious choice for partner country, as Russian tourism in Cuba has been flourishing in recent years. Last year a record 137,000 Russian tourists came to Cuba, marking in increase of 30% from 2017, a year in which Russian tourism in Cuba had seen a 70% increase from the previous year. These encouraging statistics put Russia in the top 10 source markets of Cuba. 

This comes at a time when the number of visitors to Cuba from European countries such as Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the UK has decreased by 10-13%. Cuba is also experiencing a decrease in tourism from countries in the Americas including Canada, Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela.  However, in spite of this downward trend, the Russian tourist market is steadily on the rise. Forecasts predict that there will be 150,000 Russian visitors to Cuba in 2019.

Cuba announced as partner country for 2019 OTDYKH Leisure expo

Not only is Cuba 2019’s partner country at the OTDYKH Leisure expo, but they have increased their stand to include more co-exhibitors, increasing the potential for trade between Russian and Cuban travel and tourism related companies.

The entire expo will span across 15,000 m2 with a total of 180 speakers at 30 business events including workshops, presentations and seminars from industry professionals from all over the world.

In 2018 the expo welcomed 38,000 visitors over the course of three days, and 287 media attendees from 80 media partners. This year will feature multiple conference halls with guest speakers and exclusive live performances.

Exhibitors are invited to participate and celebrate the 2019 OTDYKH Leisure trade fair and celebrate 25 years of the expo’s continued success.

MEDIA CONTACT: Ms. Anna Huber, International office: +43 1 230 85 35, a.huber@euroexpo-vienna.com