INDABA says farewell to happy Seychelles delegation

The Seychelles delegation has said that they leave South Africa happy and satisfied with INDABA 2012. The South African Tour Operator partners were eager to see what the Seychelles delegation were proposing for the 2013 season, and new tour operators from South America were holding meetings on the stand to determine their DMC partner in the Seychelles.

Interesting for Seychelles was the South American tour operator interest to look at extending programs from South America to Seychelles for groups already planned with a twin-center approach with South Africa and Seychelles combination. “We are pushing a South African holiday with their safari and bush and a Seychelles beach extravaganza,” South American tour operators are reported as saying.

Seychelles is recording continued growth from the South African market and tour operators were eager to plan new approaches with the announcement by Air Seychelles of two extra flights from January 2013. “Having four weekly direct and nonstop flights between Johannesburg and Seychelles will make it easier to sell Seychelles. We always wanted increase flights, and now we say thank you,” tour operators were heard saying as they met DMCs present at the Seychelles stand at INDABA.

The Seychelles Tourism Board on its part has welcomed the renewed interest by South African tour operators who have all committed to developing even further their Seychelles holiday programs. The Tourism Board encouraged tour operators to use the DMCs present at Indaba, as their presence in South Africa enabled the Tourism Board’s continued visibility in that important market.

Seychelles tourism operators all decide on markets they want to support and in return work with the Tourism Board to develop. Today, the Tourism Board said that they were happy to present to South Africa, to Africa, and to tour operators form South America, Air Seychelles with Deon Freemantle, the airline’s S.A. General Manager ([email protected]) and head of Sales & Distribution, Cindy Vidot ([email protected]); Banyan Tree Seychelles is represented by Tinaz Wadia, Director of Sales, ([email protected]) and Sheila Banane, Executive Sales ([email protected]); Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort & Casino represented by Johnette Labiche, Director of Sales, ([email protected]) and Sales Manager Erica Tirant ([email protected]); Representing Creole Travel Services is Blaisila Hoffman, Sales & Marketing Manager, ([email protected]) and Marketing Executive Hanifa Morel (Hanifa. [email protected]); Select-Seychelles’ Marketing & Contracting Manager is represented by Shamita Palit; ([email protected]) and Raffles Praslin Seychelles’ is represented by the Director of Sales & Marketing Marielle Morin, ([email protected]); Evgenia Boyankova is representing the Coral Strand Smart Choice Hotel’s as their Director of Sales & Marketing ([email protected]); and 7 Degrees South is being represented by their Marketing Assistant, Francesca Bonnelamme ([email protected]). “These Seychelles operators have shown their commitment to working with the Tourism Board on the South African Market by standing alongside them at Indaba 2012,” the Tourism Board said.

Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism & Culture, with Elsia Grandcourt, the CEO of the Tourism Board, and David Germain and Marsha Parcou for the Seychelles South Africa Office, were all at INDABA 2012 to support the island’s private sector partners showcase Seychelles and to spread the word about Routes Africa 2012 coming to Seychelles this coming July.

Seychelles is a founding member of the International Council of Tourism Partners (ICTP) www.tourismpartners.org .