The Seychelles brings “Sun and Sea” to Belgium Trade Fair

Sunny Seychelles made a magnificent appearance through the participation of the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) at the 62^nd edition of Salon des Vacances, which was held from February 6, 2020 to February 9, 2020 in Brussels, Belgium. 

The salon des Vacances, a consumer event targeting the public, is the largest tourism event in Belgium with over 100,000 visitors, 800 exhibitors and 70 countries including Seychelles.

In the spirit of providing key attention to the small island destination, the Seychelles stand was rightly located at the entrance of the destination’s pavilion where the STB team met with visitors to inform them about the destination.

The STB team tasked to increase the visibility of the destination in Belgium included Mrs. Bernadette Willemin, the STB Regional Director for Europe and Ms. Myra Fanchette, STB Marketing Executive from the STB France Office, who for four days actively provided information about the destination and its potentials. 

Centred around the theme ‘Sun & Sea’, the stand, which was illustrating vibrant scenes of the Island destination’s exotic beaches and lush mountains, did not miss dazzling the Belgian visitors attending the fair complementing the presentation efforts made by the team.

Her Excellency Ms. Beryl Shirley Samson, Seychelles Ambassador in Belgium, paid a visit to the Seychelles stand making the event 62^nd edition of Salon des Vacances a special one.

The event allowed the STB team to perform STB’s mandate to increase the destination’s visibility and raise awareness about its offerings through the distribution of information to potential holidaymakers. 

One particular aspect of the fair, which complimented the STB’s interest in participating in the event, were the themes chosen for this year; one of which was eco-tourism which is a major focus in the Seychelles, especially with increased severity of climate change.

Seychelles is an active advocate for sustainability and conservation in the Indian Ocean, and promotes eco-tourism on its shores as part of its ambition for a sustainable future. The Salon des Vacances, in Belgium undeniably provided a platform to sensitise both exhibitors and visitors about the destination’s firm environmental stands while giving the STB an opportunity to educate a wider audience about the beautiful pristine environment.  

As part of their promotional activities, the STB team seized the opportunity to promote the destination as a multifaceted place through adventure activities such as water sports and hiking. In the recent years, the country has hosted several sporting events such as FINA and the Eco-Friendly Marathon, attracting participation from all corners of the globe. The STB has also launched the SNT Trail, calling nature lovers to hike some of the scenic routes of the tropical paradise.

“We wanted to showcase the diversity and variety of our products, and the fact that Seychelles has something to offer each traveller. We thus brought to the fore our attributes including our unique flora and fauna, world class diving and fishing, exceptional cruising within our archipelago, the Seychellois culture among others while ensuring that the visitors to our stand got to know about the wide range of hotel infrastructure available, catering for all tastes and budgets,” said Mrs Willemin.

She further added, “We were surprised to see a good number of the visitors coming to see us who had already travelled to our country and were satisfied with the experiences on the ground.  They were thus the perfect ambassador for the ones who were at our booth for information.”

The Fair features amongst eight travel shows, which the STB office in France has attended in numerous places around France, Netherlands, Luxembourg, since the beginning of 2020 to promote destination Seychelles.

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