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The celebrations to mark the 250 years of Seychelles are officially launched

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It is in a ceremony at the International Conference Centre of Seychelles (ICCS) in Victoria, on Tuesday, September 17, 2019, that the President of the Republic, Mr. Danny Faure, officially launched the activities commemorating the 250th anniversary of Seychelles.

The launch organised by the national preparatory committee for the 250 years of Seychelles saw the presence of several high Government officials including the Designated Minister, Mrs. Macsuzy Mondon; the Speaker of the Assembly, Mr. Nicholas Prea; the Leader of the Opposition party Mr. Wavel Ramkalawan and the leader of Government Business Mr. Charles de Commarmond.


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In her speech during the ceremony, Mrs. Sherin Francis, chairperson of the committee, mentioned the colourful history of the Seychelles throughout its 250 years of existence and urged all Seychellois to be part of the celebrations.

She further expressed her profound gratitude to all the organisations, including government offices, schools, private sector, artists, private individuals who have responded positively to the various media calls by presenting their projects and ideas to make the celebrations a success.   

“We are all honoured as Committee Member to be part of this celebration, but mostly it has been very humbling to see how much our Seychelles is a proud nation through the various contribution of their ideas and time. The celebrations remain a way for us to celebrate our beloved country and share with our next generations the real sense of the word patriotism,” said Mrs. Francis. 

The ceremony conducted in the three national languages of Seychelles opened its curtains on singing presentation from Angel’s Choir singing the blessing song “Ouver ou Leker” written by Raymond Clarisse and ended on a light note through a dance performance-dubbed “Nou Lorizin”-retracing the early days of Seychelles by the youth from the Seychelles National Youth Council (SNYC).

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About the Committee

  • A national preparatory committee chaired by Seychelles Tourism Board Chief Executive, Sherin Francis was appointed by President Danny Faure in August 2018.
  • The committee, which consists of seven other members namely Jeannine Chung Faye, Emanuel D’Offay, Sybille Cardon, Oliver Bastienne, Tony Mathiot, David Andre, Cindy Vidot and Alvin Laurence.
  • On May 30, 2019, the cabinet endorsed of the proposed plan to celebrate 250th anniversary of the first settlement in 2020.
  • In June 2019, the 250 years national preparatory committee organised a press meeting to address the Seychelles press partners for the first time and unveil the logo of this historic event.
  • On September 5, 2019, the committee met with the local press for a brief on the upcoming activities.

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

Sky Blues for the Multiply Titans in Seychelles once again

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The popular South African cricket team, Multiply Titans, once again visited the Seychelles as part of their pre-season tour.

Organized by Gran Kaz entertainment, alongside various partners including the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB), the Multiply Titans’ stay is the second consecutive visit the celebrity team has undertaken in the paradise like destination.

The team arrived on the new Air Seychelles aircraft, “Veuve,” on Wednesday, August 21, along with their coach, Mark Boucher and team administrator, Karen Smithies.

As part of their pre-season tour, the team hiked the Trois Freres trail with the Seychelles Police Defense Forces on Thursday for an extensive workout.

The Titans also hosted the second edition of the Children’s cricket clinic on Mahé, at Stad Popiler on Saturday, which gave approximately 200 local children the opportunity to learn more about cricket.

The clinic was followed by a charity golf match in the afternoon at the Anse aux Pins golf course. Closing off their Seychelles tour, the Titans engaged in a friendly match against the Gran Kaz Kings on Sunday, where they defended their T20 title from last year.

Aside from focusing on their pre-season preparation, the Titans had an opportunity to experience the destination as they enjoyed a sea excursion on Creole Travel’s “Odezir,” where they also had the chance to visit Moyenne.

The team were further exposed to the Seychelloise lifestyle with a beach barbecue creole night evening, at Avani Barbarons, where they resided during their stay.

During the evening, the South African celebrity guests enjoyed the fine taste of our local cuisine and the expression of the local talents through our traditional dances. 

The team also experience the warm Seychellois Welcome as the Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Minister Didier Dogley and the STB Chief Executive, Mrs. Sherin Francis made a point to meet with them.

Speaking about the second visit of the Multiply Titans, Mrs. Francis commended Gran Kaz and its partners to commit to such a great event, which adds to the visibility of the destination.

“It is always a delight to have celebrities over on our shores; this second visit from the South African Titan is another opportunity for us to shine as multi-faced destination. The calendar of activities included a myriad of the best available activities in Seychelles. The best ambassadors for Seychelles remain the people, who have had a memorable time after all and it is all we aim to achieve as we partnered with the organizers,” said Mrs. Francis.

As a form of gratitude, the Titans gave their sponsors signed t-shirts during a farewell event at Kenwyn House.

The Titans’ five-day stay in Seychelles was documented by a DStv production crew.

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

Seychelles charms featured at South Korea’s Hana Tour International Travel Show 2019 (HITS)

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Korean travelers and partners had a glimpse of the beauty of the destination as Seychelles featured at the 13th Hana Tour International Travel Show from June 7, 2019 to June 9, 2019 at KINTEX exhibition center, Goyang City in South Korea.

The three-day exhibition gathered the participation of over 700 organizations and companies, including tourism boards, airlines, and hotels.

Seychelles, represented by its marketing body the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) was lodged within an 18sqm stand with the destination brand image design focusing the beach the granite feature, which commanded the attention of many visitors to the stand.

The Seychelles delegation included Mrs. Amia Jovanovic-Desir, the Director for India, South Korea, Australia and South East Asia, Mrs. Judy Yun, newly appointed representative for the Seychelles on the South Korean market, Mr. Jean-Francois Figaro, Senior Officer – Strategic Planning & Market Intelligence and Ms. Jill Freminot- E-Marketing Executive.

Aside from meeting with the Seychelles team to discuss about the destination and its features, an assortment of events were organized at the stand to retain visitors’ interest. 

The activities included the spinning Roulette through which each participant had to mention the word Seychelles as many times as indicated in order to receive a branded water bottle. The spinning Roulette saw the participation of over 600 hundred visitors, which were a combination of families, couples and children.

Visitors were also invited to take a photograph at our stand with the Seychellois staff and the iconic Coco-de-Mer, the heaviest and largest nut in the world. Visitors then were invited to upload the photo on their social media page with the hashtags #Seychelles #HITS.

The highlight of the STB’s participation at the HANA 2019 remains the lucky draw, which saw the signing up of more than 5,000 visitors, all wishing to be the lucky winner of a return trip to Seychelles for two persons.

During the 3 days, the various visitors- including individual visitors -FIT, potential honeymooners, as well as retirees showed their extensive interest in Seychelles as a holiday destination. 

As part of its participation at the HANA 2019, the STB conducted a rigorous study on the Korean market.  The exercise was successfully conducted by STB the Senior Officer – Strategic Planning & Market Intelligence, Mr. Jean-Francois Figaro whose main objective was to facilitate the Consumer Insight Survey designed for this exhibition.

The aim of the study was to generate important insight into South Korea as a source market for the Seychelles and better understand the needs and desires of South Korean travelers.

Speaking about the collection of figure at the HANA 2019, the STB Director for India, South Korea, Australia and South East Asia, mentioned that it is essential for the tourism Board to have a better understanding of the challenges faced by the STB office in Korea and Korean Tour Operators in their attempt to successfully promote and sell the destination.

To achieve these objectives Mr. Figaro together with other members of the Seychelles team gathered responses from more than 275 participants over the three-day period through the administration of survey questionnaires.

The STB’s presence at the HANA 2019 caught the attention of numerous Korean Media representatives and STB Director for the market, Mrs. Jovanovic–Desir offered several media interviews to share the latest information and further promote the destination.

‘’Most of the tour operators and agents that we have met are focusing on the honeymooner’s segment and visitors who visited our stand believe that Seychelles is only for the high-end clients. I have thus informed them that Seychelles is a destination, which cater for demand from a broad range of income brackets.  We will continuously identify the appropriate marketing strategies and tools in order to increase the Seychelles’ image in South Korea, with the aim of changing this negative mind-set of the consumers,” said Mrs. Jovanovic-Desir.

“Seychelles is known as a dream and paradise holiday destination that people wish to visit once in their lifetime. This fair definitely allows increase Seychelles visibility and people’s awareness towards destination,” added Mrs. Yun.

While in South Korea, Mrs. Jovanovic-Desir together and Mr. Figaro guided by Mrs. Yun met with some key players and trade partners in Seoul in a series of sales calls organized ahead of time. These included visits to tour Operating Company including Honeymoon Resort, Mode Tour, Vanilla Island and Dream TNE.

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

Seychelles efforts for a sustainable destination in the forefront

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The destination joins the rest of the world to celebrate world environment day, a time us to reflect on sustainable tourism and how Seychelles as a destination is actively advocating for natural conservation.

As Seychelles took home the award for the Indian Ocean’s Leading Sustainable Tourism Destination 2019 at the 26th Edition of the World Travel Awards (WTA) held at the Sugar Beach- A Sun Resort in Mauritius on Saturday June 1, 2019.

Seychelles is one of those countries on the planet that is most reliant on tourism and fully realise the need to behave in such a way that its many resources are not squandered over the short term, but rather, used wisely so that they remain available for future generations of Seychellois.

At the forefront of keeping Seychelles sustainable is our very own Ministry of the Environment and its plans for waste management with the specific aim of reducing the amount of waste going into the landfill, which produces unwanted greenhouse gases, consumes scarce land and releases dangerous leachate into the environment.

The initiative towards developing a recycling system for PET and aluminium cans which started in 2008 is still ongoing and being sustained by importation and environmental levies. A glass bottle recycling system is also being implemented and has taken effect during 2018.

Additional restrictions are also being applied to the manufacture, trade and distribution of domestically produced and imported plastic bags of under 30 micrometres thickness.

 In 2017, the Ministry of Environment banned the use of manufacturing and sale of plastic, Styrofoam boxes and plastic utensils, rather promoting the use of paper boxes, reusable bags and other biodegradable substitutes. The government is working on setting up a waste-sorting centre to sort different types of waste for exportation.

Most recently, Plastic straw importation has been banned as of Friday, 1 February 2019. The sale, use, manufacturing, and processing of plastic straws ban has been reinforced as of 1 June 2019.

In order to benefit from the latest research, the Seychelles Ministry of Environment has been collaborating with different universities and also the World Bank and European Union to gather information about waste management in Seychelles and the development of a sustainable, 10-year waste management plan, which includes a waste-characterisation study and students’ exchange programme.

The ministry is also behind a composting programme where green waste will go to the landfill and also an education and awareness programme about effective waste management and waste sorting.

Meanwhile, the Seychelles Blue Bond Project which was presented at the recent Economist World Ocean Summit in Bali and which has already been awarded with the 2017 Ocean Innovation Challenge. It involves the government issuing a blue bond valued at $15 million over 10 years with guarantees from the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility to support the transition to sustainable fisheries.

The need for sustainability also underpins Seychelles’ exploration of the ocean for biotechnology as well as its research into alternative forms of energy such as that provided by, for example, wave power or solar farms, to lessen the load on imported and increasingly expensive forms of power production.

However, sustainability’s lowest common denominator remains the manner in which we each make a concerted effort to lessen our footprint on the planet and to consume its resources in ways that will make them available to future generations of Seychellois and tourists alike. It is when, as individuals, we truly begin to change our habits to take into consideration the broader, long term, needs of our environment and communities that we most favourably affect our prospects of success.

“As we commemorated World Environment Day on June 5, and looking at celebrating World Ocean Day on June 8, it is important we remember that our immaculate environment is the reason Seychelles is considered one of the best destination around the world. It is great to see that our government alongside the NGOs and the public remain focus on ecological measures. Our legacy to the younger generations has to be at the level of what our forefathers left for us,” said Mrs. Francis.

Article written with the collaboration of Glynn Burridge / TOURISM CONSULTANT / COPYWRITER, SEYCHELLES TOURISM BOARD

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

Seychelles to celebrate 250th anniversary of the first settlement in 2020

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As announced by President Danny Faure in August 2018, the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the first settlement of Seychelles is to be held in August 2020.

A national preparatory committee chaired by Seychelles Tourism Board Chief Executive, Sherin Francis was thereafter set-up to spearhead the planning and organisation of the events.

The committee, which consists of the eight other members namely Jeannine Chung Faye, Emanuel D’Offay, Sybille Cardon, Oliver Bastienne, Tony Mathiot, David Andre, Cindy Vidot and Alvin Laurence, has been meeting on a regular basis to present an extensive one-year plan to commemorate this important milestone in the history of Seychelles.

Following the endorsement by cabinet on May 30, 2019 of the proposed plan to celebrate 250th anniversary of the first settlement in 2020, the 250 years national preparatory committee organised a press meeting to address the Seychelles press partners for the first time and unveil the logo of this historic event.

During the press conference held at the National History museum in the Settlement section on Friday June 7, 2019, that the committee also presented a brief overview of the calendar of activities over the 1-year celebration period, during which all Seychellois will be taken back through a historical journey of discovery about the Seychelles.

A series of planned activities for the 2020 celebrations will be launched on August 27, 2019; the activities scheduled will involve various events in districts and at national level.

“The celebration is not merely commemorating the anniversary of the first settlement, but it is also celebrating the birth of Seychelles – 250 years of Seychelles. As proud Seychellois, it is our duty to make sure that we celebrate this achievement as it should be,” said Mrs. Francis.

The committee chairperson also stated that a secretariat office will be set-up and that will be based at the Seychelles Tourism Board Headquarters in Mont- Fleuri, she encourages all Seychellois who would want to contribute their valuable ideas or make a contribution of their time towards the project to contact the secretariat on the following email info@250yearsseychelles.event.

Mrs. Francis also mentioned that throughout celebration period, the Seychelles tourism marketing strategy would carry the 250th anniversary brand to entice visitors to also take part in these historical events.

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