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The “Tourism Wi” Campaign Continues with the Youth of Seychelles

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As part of the “Tourism Wi” campaign, activities engaging with the youth of the island nation of Seychelles have taken place over the past few weeks.

Educators from some 20 schools around Mahé, Praslin and La Digue attended a half-day workshop conducted by the Seychelles Hospitality and Tourism Association (SHTA) on how to sensitize their students on the importance of the tourism industry.  

The workshop, which forms part of the activities in the “Tourism Wi” awareness campaign, was hosted at the SITE Auditorium on Friday, November 13, 2020.  

The training included the presentation and handing over of a set of educational resources for the participants to use when dealing with the topic in their classes or tourism clubs.   

The material provided, tailored to address the importance of tourism, is a vital part of the campaign, which teachers were encouraged to customize in their classrooms to enhance its suitability and effectiveness, as well as share with their colleagues to ensure its wide use.  

This campaign component was specifically designed to be delivered to children from P5 to S2.

In addition to this workshop, SHTA also organized a student panel discussion which took place on Thursday, November 26, 2020, at the STB Headquarters at Botanical House, Mont Fleuri.

The event saw the participation of a total 8 children from Pointe Larue, Anse Royale, Au Cap and Mont Fleuri upper primary who shared their views on the Tourism Industry and how it is significant to the country.

The discussion was produced by K-Radio Seychelles and hosted by Ms. Patsy Canaya, who witnessed an incredible display of the students’ confidence as well as their articulate and well-informed opinions on the current situation being faced by the country.

This activity not only gave the tourism industry players an idea of educated and informed the youth are on the matter, but it also presented the opportunity to clarify common misunderstandings.

Run by Seychelles Hospitality and Tourism Association (SHTA) in collaboration with the Department of Tourism, the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) and the Seychelles Tourism Academy (STA), the “Tourism Wi” awareness campaign is a domestic campaign designed to reassure local people who might have concerns about the return of tourists to Seychelles despite their importance to our economy.    

The campaign highlights how the Seychelles economy has been severely affected by the pandemic, which has trampled on the global tourism industry, and that Seychellois must band together to preserve the creole hospitality they are famed for.   

The campaign launched at the STB Headquarters at Botanical House on Monday, October 19, 2020, and has run through two stages through various platforms including television, radio and social media.   

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

The Seychelles Islands Remain a Tourist Favorite

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The mystical Seychelles Islands remains a fantasy escape for travelers across the globe and, although the vicious pandemic has dwindled travel, the destination maintains its allure.

On the path to a slow yet steady recovery, the tropical paradise has seen the arrival of 98,894 up to November 15, 2020.

Based on data provided by the National Bureau of Statistics, since re-opening to commercial flights on August 1, 2020, the Seychelles International Airport has seen the arrival of 9,272 visitors.

Since then, up to date, the local tourism industry’s traditional markets have remained steadfast with the UAE as the top visiting region with 3,065 visitors, followed by Germany with 2,328, Switzerland with 1,495, the UK with 662 and France with 298.

In week 46, the airport has seen 1,154 arrivals with the same markets remaining strong during this time hailing 628 visitors from Germany, 218 from Switzerland, 83 from the UAE, 72 from South Africa and 55 from Austria.

Additionally, since the resumption of Air Seychelles flights to South Africa, there has been an increase in the number of visitors from the region from 11 in week 45 to 72 in week 46.

Reviewing the recent tourism arrival numbers, the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) Chief Executive, Mrs. Sherin Francis stated that the current situation leaves little room for previsions of trends as travelers are booking very close to their travel date.

“The last quarter of 2019 alone, Seychelles received 104,079 visitors; therefore, the numbers presented this year may seem dull in comparison. However, looking at the bigger picture, these same figures are monumental for the local tourism industry. At current, our marketing approach is flexible and in constant evolution. We are doing so without deviating from the very crucial goal of keeping our people safe,” said Mrs. Francis.

Mrs. Francis further stated her gratitude to the local industry, international partners and the airlines who are pushing for Seychelles to remain visible and accessible during these challenging times.

Keeping abreast on client’s sentiments regarding the safety of visitors in the destination, a small-scale pilot study was conducted by STB’s Strategic Planning and Market Intelligence Team in collaboration with Hilton Northolme, and the data collected comes as a beacon of hope for the local tourism industry.

With support from Hilton Northolme, the Market Intelligence Team was able to evaluate tourists’ travel motivation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Assessing tourists’ perception of the destination during the COVID-19 pandemic, measure tourists’ level of safety and satisfaction in Seychelles during the pandemic as well as capture issues and challenges faced by travelers when travelling to Seychelles in the ‘new normal’.

The findings revealed several key information as 100% of respondents stated that they felt safe being in Seychelles during this time, with 81% claiming to feel very safe. Furthermore, 100% of respondents claimed that they would recommend travelling to Seychelles during this time and 17% responded that they came to Seychelles to seek refuge from the pandemic.

The data collected convey growing confidence in the travel industry especially in the Seychelles where the local authorities have united to implement extensive safety measures whereby the low infection numbers have created a sense of security in the minds of travelers. The study is expected to be repeated with a bigger sampling.

As the pandemic swept across nations and fear of travel rose, Seychelles made safety central to its recovery strategy. As the main marketing body for the islands, STB has been advocating for safe travel for months now, through a myriad of campaigns and participation in virtual summits and webinars addressing the safety of travelers and tourism recovery.

“Safe tourism is not an option for Seychelles but rather a must. This is not only for the safety of our people but also especially for the restart of our industry, which was, until we were hit by the pandemic, a flourishing one. Our commitments for safe tourism have been ably supported by the various partners on the tourism task force,” said the STB Chief Executive.

During these moments where reconnection with loved ones and family and the much-needed escape are desperately sought after, the Seychelles Islands, with its pearly white beaches meeting crystal waters and spectacular landscapes, fulfils these desires whilst keeping the safety of travelers and locals its highest priority.

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

Condor Colors Return to the Seychelles Islands

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Some 224 visitors from Germany and its surroundings disembarked in Seychelles as Condor airlines made a special return to paradise Seychelles, on Saturday, November 14, 2020. 

The airline operated a special charter in collaboration with DER Touristik, a German tour operator, the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) and Mason’s Travel in the aim to ignite the spark for Seychelles for visitors in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. 

Working in partnership with the STB and Mason’s Travel, DER Touristik- prominent European tour operators and a market leader for long haul travel in Germany, Austria and Switzerland- gave the honor to Seychelles to be the first destination for such a charter since March.  

Ensuring the success of this venture, sixteen local accommodation partners joined the project and created various attractive packages, which included special honeymoon packages for newlyweds, a booming market segment for the pristine paradise.  

In line with the new travel prerequisites to enter Seychelles, the various packages included a travel health insurance required for entry with Covid-19 coverage and the super carefree package from DER Touristik, which protects holidaymakers in the event of Covid-19 related incident. Travelers were allowed to cancel their trip free of charge up to 14 days before departure. 

The collaboration carries hope for the local tourism industry, as the operated Condor charter was a fully booked one with passengers excited to be away from the confined cities to experience the mystical beauty of the islands until their return flight on November 21, 2020. 

Speaking about the special flight to Seychelles, the STB Chief Executive, Mrs. Sherin Francis mentioned her satisfaction to see the interest of the visitors from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

“Our collaboration with Mason’s Travel, Condor, DER Touristik is in anticipation of the resumption of the Condor flights at the end of the year. We are glad to see that the interest of our visitors and partners from the market is still present. Germany remains a very important market for Seychelles and as such, is vital that we remain very close with our partners,” said Mrs. Francis.

On his part, Mr. Christian Zerbian, STB representative on the German market stated his satisfaction to see the response of the visitors from that market to the offer.

“This is a definitely a very positive outcome of the efforts invested these past few months. There is still a lot of potential for this market to produce even more and we are striving to make the return on Condor on the Seychelles route beneficial for the destination,” said the STB Representative in Germany.

Safety has become pivotal to rebuilding confidence in the travel industry, through this partnership between the destination, airline, hotels and DMCs, traveler safety remains central throughout the entire travel chain starting from departure extending throughout their stay.  

Condor is expected to resume flights to Seychelles on December 18, 2020, with a direct weekly flight from Frankfurt.    

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

The Seychelles Islands participates in the first virtual World Travel Market

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After 40 years of being held in London, the 41st World Travel Market stepped into the virtual world, bringing the international travel event to the doorsteps of tourism players, with the Seychelles Islands making an appearance from Monday, November 9, 2020, to Wednesday, November 11, 2020.

The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) and several industry partners including Seychelles Hospitality & Tourism Association (SHTA), Mason’s Travel, 7° South, Creole Travel Services, and Hilton Seychelles, represented Seychelles.

The STB Team consisted of Chief Executive, Mrs. Sherin Francis; Regional Director for Europe Mrs. Bernadette Willemin; Marketing Directors Mrs. Lena Hoareau for Russia, CIS & Eastern Europe, Ms. Karen Confait for UK & Ireland, Scandinavia and Ms. Judeline Edmond for Switzerland. SHTA representatives included Mrs. Sybille Cardon, Mr. Ash Behari and Mr. Eddie D’Offay. 

The Destination Management Companies teams included Mason’s Travel represented by Sales Manager, Ms. Amy Michel; Senior Sales Executive, Sheila Banane and UK Representative, Ian Griffiths. 7° South represented by Managing Director, Mrs. Anna Butler Payette; General Manager, Mr. Andre Butler Payette and Director Marketing & Products, Ms. Corinne Delpech; and finally Creole Travel Services represented by General Manager, Mr. Eric Renard; Junior Sales and Marketing Manager, Ms. Melissa Quatre and UK Representative, Mrs. Dendy Walwyn. 

On the accommodation side, Hilton Seychelles was present and represented by Cluster Commercial Director, Mr Anthony Smith; Cluster Director of Sales, Mrs. Thabang Rapotu and Cluster Sales Manager, Ms. Serena Di Fiore.  

Speaking about the importance of Seychelles participation at WTM Virtual, Mrs. Sherin Francis emphasized on the importance of consistency in the marketing tactics.

“Tourism marketing is a continuous business. You cannot take a pause and hope to pick up several months after. The day Seychelles disappear from the scene, another destination is quick to replace you. Therefore, it is very important that even though people are not travelling that we keep the destination visible and we remain in communication with our existing partners and within reach of new potential partners. The virtual WTM has been ideal in that sense,” said the STB Chief Executive.

Over the three days, the Seychelles delegation attended live conference sessions and forums tackling some of the major issues the industry currently faces, as well as speed networking sessions, one-to-one meetings, and virtual networking opportunities.

The agenda for this year’s WTM centered around restoring and developing business connections, growing one’s network, one’s brand and learning how to make one’s comeback. The event made recognition of the travel industry’s critical state intending to aid the recovery, rebuilding and shaping of it. 

Speaking about the global event, Mrs. Willemin said, “It is important that we keep the global travel conversation alive. The delegation used this platform to tap into a wide range of online business opportunities. STB participants alone attended to over 150 meetings with professionals from different parts of the world, from Generalist Tour Operators to Island Specialists, Special interests specialized operators, Travel Designers to name some and members from the press and the media. In this new virtual space, one could also capture news, discover the latest trends, and hear the opinion from the industry’s leading executives.”

Mrs. Willemin further emphasized how the event was an opportunity to address the impact the global health pandemic has had on the travel and tourism, brief the partners on the different sanitary measures in place in the country to safely accommodate the visitors and discuss recovery plans, identify the trends and innovation shaping the future of the industry.

Despite moving to the virtual stage, the event was as successful as it had been in the previous years, attracting a large crowd of exhibitors from all corners of the world as well as international journalists seizing the chance to keep up with travel industry news and network. 

WTM London has been shaping the future of travel by facilitating the connection of people within the travel industry, bringing their global experience to local markets.

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

New Seychelles Minister for Tourism takes Office

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The Seychelles Islands welcomes its new Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Ambassador Sylvestre Radegonde.

Appointed by President of the Republic Mr. Wavel Ramkalawan early this month, the new minister was sworn-in his position on Monday, November 16, 2020, at State House. Minister Radegonde thereafter headed to his new offices at Maison Queau de Quincy at Mont- Fleuri.

Minister Radegonde has a history in the tourism sector, serving as the Chairman and Chief Executive of the Seychelles Tourism Board from March 2005 to February 2006.  

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism called on staff at the Seychelles Tourism Board Headquarters and Department of Tourism at Botanical House for a familiarization visit, allowing him to briefly interact with the various staff present.

Commenting on his visit, the Tourism Minister stated his satisfaction to have an opportunity to be part of this important industry for Seychelles.

Speaking in regards to his new appointment, Minister Radegonde said that Diplomacy also encompasses the promotion of the destination and that during this pandemic it is essential to join resources, emphasizing this by stating that the Embassies and STB should work together whenever possible.

He further elaborated that the promotion of Seychelles will be a priority of the Embassies.

Additionally, he made note that the 3 institutions; STB, Foreign Affairs and Department of Tourism; possess a competent, driven workforce which his ministry aims to continuously motivate and support during this difficult climate.

The Minister will be meeting with the individual institutions; STB, Foreign Affairs and Department of Tourism; in staff meetings during the week to share and discuss his vision.

Before he was appointed Minister, Hon. Radegonde was based in Paris for the past 3 years, where he formerly served as Seychelles appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to France.

Minister Radegonde holds a Masters in Diplomatic Studies from the University of Westminster and has an extensive background in International Relations, Political Affairs and Diplomacy.

Minister Radegonde is married and has three sons.

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

Seychelles More Accessible in Southern Africa with Flights to Johannesburg

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The tropical paradise of the Seychelles Islands will now become more accessible to visitors in the Southern African region with Air Seychelles resuming its commercial operations to Johannesburg as of Saturday, November 7, 2020.

The restart of the Seychelles national airline to South Africa materialized three weeks after the local authorities have reviewed the Category 1 list of permitted countries to include 10 African countries of which four from the Southern African Region.

Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) Chief Executive, Mrs. Sherin Francis expressed her enthusiasm to have air connectivity restored with the South African market as South Africa remains an important market for Seychelles.

“It is an encouragement to have our national airline back with its Seychelles-Johannesburg route. As part of our strategy to increase the visibility of the destination, our team has been working diligently to increase Seychelles visibility on the market especially with the local partners in South Africa. As we are approaching the festive season, we are glad that Seychelles becomes not only a dream but a possibility for an idyllic holiday for our travelers from this region,” said the STB Chief Executive.

The national carrier will be operating weekly flights between Johannesburg and Seychelles on Saturdays throughout November and will expand its operations with three flights per week on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays in December.

A swift getaway will be within the reach of travelers longing for a change of scenery especially with good air connectivity, a Seychelles holiday will now be possible for the festive season ahead.

Upon landing in Johannesburg, the Air Seychelles aircraft received a warm welcome with a guard of honor salute upon landing at OR Tambo International Airport.

Remco Althuis, Air Seychelles Chief Executive Officer said: “We are pleased to add Johannesburg back unto our network now that both Seychelles and South Africa have reopened to welcome international visitors.

“The resumption of services between both countries will provide travelers more options when planning their holidays especially during the festive season in addition to increasing the visibility of the Seychelles destination to further boost tourism demand to the island.

With these increased operations, the national airline will be ensuring the safety measures and procedures put into place by the Seychelles Public Health Authority remain in place during all stages of travel.

Since its reopening, the Seychelles International Airport was already operating under these measures and will continue to ensure that the safety of their passengers remains their top priority.

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

Seychelles Crowned Indian Ocean Leading Sustainable Tourism Destination

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For the second consecutive year, Seychelles receives the honor of being crowned Indian Ocean’s Leading Sustainable Tourism Destination for the 27th annual World Travel Awards.

This year’s coronation propels once again, the archipelago of surreal natural beauty, to the pinnacles of the regional ecological spheres for 2020 against its island contenders Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius and Reunion Island.

Truly, “Another World,” Seychelles clings to its reputation of a world-class holiday destination with sublime natural allure and puts vigorous efforts in the preservation of the islands.

Speaking of the honor of receiving the award for the second time in two years, Seychelles Tourism Board (STB), Chief Executive Mrs. Sherin Francis reaffirmed the destination’s commitment towards conservation.

“It is such an honor for our small destination to be recognized as one excelling in sustainability.  As a destination, it is our pride to be an inspiration to the world. This award is for all Seychellois trying hard to contribute enormously in the protection of some of the most endangered species and their habitats, and in the safeguarding of our ecological systems. My thoughts go to our partners in the industry striving to maintain the standard of their practices. These includes environmentalists, NGOs and nature lovers just to name a few, who have been constant and persistent towards keeping our islands in a pristine state,” said Mrs. Francis.

Renowned for its pristine beauty, Seychelles has made it its mission to preserve its exotic paradise and rich natural heritage through sustainable practices and measures.

The Seychelles Islands does not only hope to attract more travelers through their winning of this award but also to inspire great nations to take up the mission of sustainability under their wing.   

Other winners at the World Travel Awards this year include Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort & Spa for ‘Indian Ocean’s Leading Villa Resort’, Air Seychelles for ‘Indian Ocean’s Leading Airline’, and Seychelles Travel (‘Indian Ocean’s Leading Tour Operator’).

Since its establishment, the World Travel Awards celebrates excellence across prime sectors of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry and is presently recognized as the ultimate certification of industry excellence. 

Following a yearlong search for the world’s top travel and hospitality brands, travel industry professionals and the public cast votes, with the nominee gaining the most votes in a category named as the winner.

These winners invited to the virtual Indian Ocean Winners Day on Tuesday, November 10, 2020, which showcased the very best of the region’s travel and tourism sector to the world. 

Hopes for the industry’s global recovery shines through with the record number of votes cast by the public for this year’s World Travel Awards indicating the rising demand and thirst for future travel.

Winners also gain extensive exposure as they are globally represented on social media, with daily content on multiple platforms.

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

Seychelles Brought Closer to Reunion Holidaymakers Through Webinars with Partners

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The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) office in Reunion conducted two virtual meetings with industry partners in the overseas department and region of the French Republic in the aim of reviving business from this market.

The Reunion market considered part of France is eligible to enter Seychelles under conditions applicable to visitors from Category 2 on the permitted list of countries as of October 1, 2020.

The STB team invited tourism stakeholders in Seychelles and their Reunion counterparts to join two webinar sessions set to provide clarity on procedures applicable in Seychelles for Reunion holidaymakers.

Responding to the STB’s invitation, several partners including Destination Management Companies (DMC) and Hotel partners with interest in the Reunion market joined the discussions.

On the DMC side, Seychelles was represented by 7 degrees South, Creole Travel Services and Masons Travel to explain the new features regarding their services while on the hotel side representatives from Hilton group and Le Laurier Eco Hotel attended the virtual meetings to showcase their properties and explain the different protocols in place.

Ms. Bernadette Honore, STB representative in Reunion and Mrs. Bernadette Willemin, STB Regional Director for Europe represented the destination tourism board and representatives from Air Austral were presented during both sessions in support of the initiative.

The main point of the agenda remained the wellbeing of clients from Reunion in the face of the new sanitary protocols imposed by the destination as part of its Safe Tourism policies.

The STB representative on the Reunion Island stated that these virtual marketing activities are crucial for the tourism board as the priority is to re-generate the demand of Réunion Travelers to Seychelles.

She further stated that as part of re-generating demand from the Reunion market, the engagement of Travel Trade professionals to restart selling the destination and Air Austral’s commitment of repositioning direct flights on Seychelles route are crucial.

“Keeping our partners engaged and providing the reassurance that Seychelles is a safe destination for Reunion visitors is the main reason behind the two webinars. As Seychelles is ready to welcome travelers to its shore, we felt the need to invite our partners to explain to them the travel protocol in place for category 2 on the permitted list of countries. We were pleasantly surprised to receive over 30 decision-makers of Réunion Travel Trade professionals in the city of Saint-Denis and Saint Gilles during two days,” said Ms. Honore. 

During the sessions, Mrs. Willemin responded to various questions raised by the Réunion Travel Trade professionals and provided pertinent information regarding the travel protocols.

On their part, the Air Austral representatives offered an opportunity for discussions between Seychelles local partners, STB, Air Austral and the Réunion Travel trade professionals regarding the availability of flights for visitors from Reunion.

“The two sessions have been very satisfactory for the STB team as we have witnessed the enthusiasm of the Réunion Travel Trade professionals to restart selling Seychelles as a holiday destination and this is a positive sign for the market. The meeting also provided reassurance to our partners in Seychelles as it confirmed the commitment of Air Austral to provide direct schedule flights to Seychelles in mid-December. The timing of the re-opening of direct flights from Reunion is very encouraging for partners predetermining a growth in visitors from Reunion towards the end of the year,” said the STB representative in Reunion.

Ms. Honore further stated the anticipation of an increase in the numbers of travelers from Reunion in December since the month sees the happening of the ‘été Austral’ holiday starting from December 19, 2020, to January 25, 2021 marking of the one longest vacation period for the market.

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

Richard Quest still on his Seychelles Quest!

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After a successful visit on the island destination in February of this year, CNN’s renowned anchor and international business correspondent Richard Quest is back in Seychelles for about ten days.

This visit aims at reshooting sequences for his show “Quest’s World of Wonder” reflecting the current situation.

During his last visit, the British journalists touched by the warm welcome received and impressed by the beautiful creole culture of Seychelles commented about his experience of exotic islands saying, “Seychelles is an extraordinary place with a melting pot of people and incredible nature.”
The CNN press trip has been facilitated by the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) in the aim of generating visibility for the destination.

Anticipated to be placing the archipelago in the international spotlight once again, Mr Quest and his team members landed in Seychelles from Dubai on the Emirates Airlines flight early this Thursday, October 29, 2020.

Similarly, to visitors coming from a country placed on the Category 2 list of permitted countries to enter Seychelles, the trio is expected to follow protocols applied to this group including being in isolation at their hotel for the next five days and start his working mission as of November 4, 2020.
The CNN team will be exploring the treasures of Seychelles and will be visiting the Islands of Mahé and Praslin.

Speaking about the second visit of Mr Quest this year, Mrs Sherin Francis STB Chief Executive stated it is crucial that the country remains visible at all times so as to stay top of visitors minds and more so during these challenging times for the industry. 

“We are delighted to receive Mr Quest in Seychelles again. This visit comes at an opportune time where publicity is of the utmost importance and is a definite advantage for our destination proving to the world that Seychelles is indeed the safe destination our STB team is promoting and we are looking forward to seeing Seychelles on the CNN network,” says Mrs Francis.

As part of reviving the local tourism industry to its full glory, the Seychelles stakeholders have designed and continuously are implementing intensive safety measures to ensure the welfare of visitors and the safety of the local population.

The appearance of Seychelles in the CNN TV program will be the pinnacle of visibility for the destination across all continents on the CNN network and social media. 

The program is the first of a series of exposure Seychelles is expected to receive on the network leading to 2021.

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

“Experience Seychelles: Our Home, your Sanctuary” Campaign goes live in Paris

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Keeping the beautiful island destination visible in Metropolitan France, the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) has launched an above the line advertising campaign in the French capital, Paris, as part of its communication plan for the autumn-winter promotional season.

The campaign launched in mid-October will roll for four weeks and involves the deployment of striking pictures of the destination as a means to entice the French market to visit the islands.

Initially scheduled for April, the campaign was postponed to October and is targeting visitors on a long-term period extending to 2021.

The STB office in Paris has opted for a dynamic and earthly medium of communication, as it will allow us to reach out to a significant percentage of active workers in selective business firms with high-income brackets employees, areas in Paris and La Défense.

Some hundred taxis, branded on both sides will be circulating in the capital city Paris and suburban areas. During the last two weeks of October and first two weeks of November, the taxis will be transporting the branded visuals of the destination with the tag line: “Seychelles, Our home your sanctuary.”

Equally part of the campaign, the STB team in Paris has extended the marketing stunt to corporations in the French capital, as it remains a strategic place used by regular holidaymakers. Allowing passers-by to dream, destination Seychelles will be featured in 275 ten seconds inspirational spots at 166 sites for 2 weeks to push the potential clientele to choose our destination for their forthcoming holiday.         

Speaking about the campaign, Mrs. Bernadette Willemin, STB Regional Director for Europe, stated that despite the current situation in several European cities, the efforts put into the campaign are essential for the survival of the destination.

She stressed that even though not all the prerequisites for travel are in place at the moment, it is important that Seychelles must remain visible

She further stated that it was a strategic decision to have an important part of the campaign stretched over the area of La Défense for it is Europe’s largest purpose-built business district.

The business zone is composed of 560 hectares (1,400 acres) in area, 72 glass and steel buildings (of which 19 are completed skyscrapers), 180,000 daily workers, and 3,500,000 square meters (38,000,000 sq. ft.) of office space.

“This is a period whereby European cities tends to be grey and foggy; hence the contrasting impact of our visual depicting sunshine, warm and vivid colors which could not go unnoticed even during the peak and rush hours,” said Bernadette Willemin.

Additionally, she added that the objective of this campaign is to remind the public that Seychelles is ready to accommodate the visitors and that our islands are considered one of the safest destinations to travel to now.

This campaign complements other promotional activities B2B or B2C currently being undertaken in France and also other markets across Europe ensuring that we keep the momentum going and keeping the Seychelles top in the mind of the people so that when travel resumes in earnest they will aspire to choose our destination.

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