World News | forimmediaterelease.net

... press releases & Breaking World News

The Seychelles Tourism Board to host the first Digital Marketing Fair in Seychelles

by

The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) Digital Marketing team once again brings in its ‘avant-garde’ touch to the industry as  it instigates the first ever Digital Fair for tourism Stakeholders.


eTN Chatroom for Readers (join us)

The fair, which will be held on Tuesday March 26, 2019 at Eden Blue on Mahé and Thursday March 28, 2019 at Pirogue Restaurant & Bar on Praslin targets at creating a platform for local service providers to interact with their clients.

The first digital marketing fair will be an opportunity given to all to meet various exhibitors in a central location to discuss about the available digital services and experience new digital trends available on the local market.

The fair will also provide the local tourism trade representatives attending with the opportunity to meet the STB digital marketing experts for further interaction regarding how to maximise on digital resources to enhance their business growth opportunities.

The exhibitors include representatives from Intelvision, Hoffman Business Consultancy, Com & Click, CTF Consultancy, Kokonet, Maven, Hotel Link Solutions, VCS Group, K-Radio, Vision 360, Rockit, Multimedia Seychelles, Airtel, Sales & Marketing Seychelles Pty Ltd.

Speaking of the importance of the fair, STB Digital Marketing Director Chris Matombe mentions the necessity to facilitate interaction between stakeholders and digital service providers.

“The aim of this digital fair is for us to have a stronger collective digital presence. Through our interaction with various small partners in the industry, we have noted that there is a lack of communication between the local tourism trade and the digital service providers. Our objective as an organisation is to bridge the gap and open doors for our stakeholders to increase their online presence,” Said Mr. Matombe.

STB Chief Executive Mrs. Sherin Francis mentioned her satisfaction to see the fair being concretised; she commended the team for their efforts and expressed her desire to see more exhibitors join the project in the future.

“Our aim as the STB is to continuously raise the standards when it comes to the quality of service we provide. The fair is a perfect opportunity for all our partners to find a way to better their services. It adds to our marketing value as a destination and creates more visibility for their products and services and Seychelles as a whole,” said Mrs. Francis.

The digital marketing fair will be opened from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm on Mahé and Praslin, the public is invited to visit the various stands to see the various products and services on display.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Seychelles Tourism presents: Gout De France/Good France

by

Notice to all food lovers!

We are on the highway through a magical culinary journey to experience an unforgettable Provencal encounter.

Last week, we started with an introduction of chefs from @Kempinski Seychelles Resort Baie Lazare and @Four Seasons Resort Seychelles.

As we head this week to the D-day, the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) culinary journal series will keep you au fait about the establishments which are collaborating with Gout De France/Good France in Seychelles 2019.

Announced Friday, March 1, 2019, at the headquarters in Mont-Fleuri, several chefs in Seychelles will be among 5,000 worldwide to please our taste buds.

Meet our participants:

Cyann Restaurant- Constance Ephelia

Save the date: Thursday, March 21

At Constance Ephelia Chef Amit Chandel has finely selected his ingredients, to make an irresistible four-course menu French gastronomy style.

Delplace Restaurant

Save the date: March 21-28

For a week long, Province Chef Julien puts his perfected Provençal savoir-faire and creates a marvelous feast. He aims to take his guests on a spectacular culinary rendezvous through his exquisite French cuisine.

Goût de France/Good France in Seychelles is an event coordinated by the French Embassy in collaboration with the Seychelles Tourism Board, this March 2019, residents and visitors are invited to the world’s biggest event to French gastronomy in over 150 countries!

Travel News | eTurboNews

Seychelles eco-friendly efforts put forward to the German press during Seychelles delegation press conference organized during ITB

by

Seychelles eco-friendly efforts put forward to the German press during Seychelles delegation press conference organized during ITB

Environment conservation efforts being made by Seychelles, and how tourists can join in the initiatives, were the focus points of a press conference organized by the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) during the Internationale Tourismus-Börse Berlin (ITB) fair that took place in Berlin, Germany.

Held as part of the STB’s participation activities at the 53rd edition of travel trade show, the press conference took place on March 6, 2019 at the Funkturm Restaurant within the ITB fair grounds and saw the participation of over 52 journalists from different German media houses.

Seychelles’ Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports & Marine, Mr. Didier Dogley, and STB Chief Executive, Mrs. Sherin Francis, headed the press conference.

The Seychelles Delegation was honored by the two representatives of Seychelles in Germany in the presence of Mr. Max Hunzinger Honorary General Consul Hessen – Baden-Württemberg – Bayern – Sachsen – Sachsen-Anhalt – Thüringen and Dr Vladi Farhad Honorary Consul for – Hamburg – Bremen – Niedersachsen.

Mrs. Francis stated that recent development on the international front, made the destination’s participation at the ITB an opportune moment to give more detailed information in term of progress and accomplishments made in those fields as well as the implications of these initiatives to Seychelles.

“As a nation and a tourism destination, we are committed to environment protection, as the marketing wing of the Seychelles Tourism, STB has tied this commitment to its objectives to ensure that we maintain our pristine environment and be able to protect our ocean as well,” said Minister Didier Dogley.

During the press conference, media partners present learnt more about the Spatial Marine Conservation Plan, where Seychelles has committed to up to 30 percent of its waters to marine protection. The minister explained that a comprehensive marine spatial plan has been developed to ensure the long-term protection of marine species and their habitats.

The session also saw the participation of the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Seychelles Sustainable Tourism Foundation (SSTF) represented by Diana Körner, as the Pristine Seychelles campaign launched in 2018 was highlighted as one of the current significant sustainable initiative.

The Pristine Seychelles campaign is a call to all tourism stakeholders to promote the three pillars of sustainability, which are environment, Creole culture and local economy amongst tourists and locals.

“Through the various eco-friendly campaigns happening in Seychelles, we want to create awareness among our visitors on nature conservancy and sustainable tourism efforts being made by the country and encouraging them to join in and match our effort,” said Mrs. Francis.

The Aldabra Clean-Up Project was also underlined, informing the audience about the current presence of 12 volunteers on the island collecting ocean debris from the beaches of the UNESCO world heritage site, home to the endemic giant Aldabra tortoises and the nesting place for green turtles.

Several other local initiatives were also brought forward, namely the current ban regarding the importation and use of Styrofoam lunch boxes and plastic bags, plates, cups and cutlery, which was followed by a ban on the importation of plastic straws. In addition to the regular beach clean-ups organized by various to deal with plastic being washed up on beaches of the country.

The press conference was also a great platform for the STB Chief Executive to talk about the current numbers pertaining to visitor’s arrival. Germany remains the leading market with 17,354 visitors since January 2019.

“Germany is one of our healthiest and fastest growing market so far. It has been growing exponentially over the past few years and I believe that with the strong support that we have from the trade there, our office together with the various airlines connecting Germany to Seychelles, we will keep seeing the good performance,” said STB Director for Germany, Switzerland and Austria, Ms. Edith Hunzinger.

Germany, along with the German speaking territories, is one of the markets that is well connected to Seychelles.

The journalists also had the opportunity to meet “tête-a- tête” with the minister, STB Chief Executive and STB Directors present. The meeting was followed by a lunch with a touch of Seychelles cuisine.

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

Seychelles Tourism Board at Mahana Tourism Fair in France third-largest city

by

The destination through its marketing body, Seychelles Tourism Board (STB), featured at the Mahana Tourism Fair in Lyon from March 8, 2019 to March 10, 2019, an opportunity for many French visitors to discover more about the exotic islands of Seychelles.

Held over three days, the event received over 26,100 visitors at the Halle Tony Garnier in Lyon, France.

Destination Seychelles rubbed shoulders with the best exotic destinations during the 39th edition of the fair; presenting itself in its most favorable light through a short island-hopping video highlighting the three main islands of Seychelles – Mahé, Praslin and La Digue and the various available activities such as hiking, diving and sailing, among others.

The STB team in the Hexagon was represented by STB Marketing Executive based in Paris Ms. Valérie Payet displayed the destination’s feature, the stand was honored by the presence of the Seychelles Consul for Auvergne Rhône Alpes, Mrs. Virginie Mathieu on the first day of the fair.

They also took the opportunity to inform visitors about Seychelles’ investment in sustainable tourism, culture and heritage.

The team noted that frequent questions asked at the Mahana Fair refer to the best season to visit Seychelles, the available activities and flight connectivity to the destination.

STB’s Regional Director for Europe, Mrs. Bernadette Willemin, explained that the Mahana Tourism Fair is an opportunity to shift the perception that Seychelles is an expensive destination with only luxury hotels. She explained that the strategy behind the STB’s participation to the fair was to provide the chance to show that the destination remains accessible experience for all.

“The fair has been a good opportunity to promote our official website and to show potential visitors that Seychelles offers a large range of affordable accommodations such as guesthouses, small family Seychellois hotels, and self-catering establishments,” said Mrs. Willemin.

She added that people were pleasantly surprised and happy with this information. Mrs. Willemin commented that the trend has changed and people are more and more looking for holiday’s destinations where they will be able to meet the local people and interact with them.

“Seychelles remains a dream and paradisiac destination that people hope to visit once in their lifetime. This fair definitely allows increasing Seychelles visibility and people’s awareness about the destination,” Mrs. Willemin concluded.

The Seychelles’ stand Mahana Tourism Fair recorded visitors from diverse lifestyles and demographics; ranging from young couples looking for their honeymoon getaway, to people looking to embark on an unforgettable cruise, not forgetting those looking for the best destination for diving.

The STB stand also provided visitors with the occasion to share their experience and memories made during their stay in the island nation.

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

Seychelles Tourism Board accentuates its efforts towards Singaporean agents

by

The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) in its ongoing marketing strategy to bring the Seychelles products close to the agents has conducted an aggressive meeting spree in February 2019 in Singapore.

This initiative follows the workshop conducted in May 2018 in the region after which a stronger profile of the market was established.

The sales visits were conducted by STB Director for South East Asia, by Mrs. Amia Jovanovic-Desir with the support of STB partner SriLankan Airlines Ltd represented by Ms. Alis Shehdek, Senior Sales Executive of the airline.

The visits aimed at consolidating the Seychelles brand presence on the Singaporean market and to enrich the knowledge of key local agents about the destination.

Speaking about the initiative Mrs. Jovanovic-Desir mentioned that the sales visit follows a long preparation resulting from a better understanding of the characteristics and demands of the Singaporean agents. She further mentioned that this sales activity conducted by STB is in order to better position the destination alongside its’ close and dominant competitors on the market.

Meetings were organized with the representatives of key agencies interested in the destination namely; Same Page Travel, Chan World Holidays, JTB PTE LTD, Aveson Travel, Fascinating Holidays, Famous World Tours, Albatross World Travel, Euro – Asia Holidays, Price Breaker Travels and Shan Travel Service.

During the mission on Singaporean soil, Mrs. Amia Jovanovic-Desir and Ms. Alis Shehdek, also had the opportunity to visit the tour operators/travel agents who are promoting beach and resort destinations at the NATAS Travel Fair which was held from February 22-24, 2019.

The opportunity for the duo to discuss with the agents present about the frequent questions asked by clients concerning the destination, which pertained to the issue of connectivity.

The agents were pleased to learn that although there is no direct flight serving the destination; clients have connectivity options through two airlines, namely SriLankan Airlines and Emirates, both deserving the regions.

Mrs. Amia Jovanovic-Desir mentioned the focus for the Singaporean market would be centered around raising awareness on the destination.

Feedback emphasized by Ms. Cathy Loh, one of the Singaporean agents present who is the owner of Aveson Travel Pte Ltd. Ms. Loh who had visited Seychelles ten years ago affirmed her strong need to assess the Seychelles product today so as to better promote the destination. She informed the Seychelles representatives that her company’s strategy is to focus on the honeymoon, families and incentive market segments.

Impressions shared by the CEO, of Albatross World, Ms. Crystal Sim she mentioned that the marketing opportunities for the Seychelles product is vast, she also confirmed that in Singapore there is a strong market segment to tap into.

“Seychelles could be one of that specific niche segment that the agents in Singapore are searching for, which will match their clients’ demands and interest, thus quenching their thirst for new destination for their holiday,“ said Ms. Sim.

“I can confirm that it was a fruitful sales visit, I was very impressed by the commitment demonstrated by our agents to sell the destination. In order to have a stronger and persistent presence on the market we should work closely with those tour operators and agents who believe in the destination. The outcome of this visit is that STB with the support of SriLankan Airlines in Singapore will invite some of the decision makers whom we have met during the visit on a familiarization working trip to Seychelles,” said the STB Director for South East Asia.

Indeed, through the destination presentation, different features, attractions and the points of interest of the destination were featured, giving a wide view for the partners selling the destination.

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