Seychelles annual arrival numbers almost even with 2013

After a challenging first half of 2014, when arrival figures showed a softening trend with key markets in Europe underperforming, has hope now returned into the hallways of the tourism board and the tourism ministry that, come 31st of December, another arrival record will have been set even if not by much, but a record nevertheless to keep the curve pointing upwards still as it has since 2009.

While still very slightly below the numbers of 2013 at the end of September, have stronger demand for holidays boosted optimism, and the honeymooning of the newly wed Clooney couple on North Island will no doubt become a factor too in attracting more honeymoon holidays on the islands.

With Emirates going double daily later in October, up by two flights from previously 12 a week, is home carrier Air Seychelles adding three new routes, Dar es Salaam, Antananarivo and Mumbai.

France was a soft spot for the Seychelles with numbers dropping at one stage by some 13 percent compared with the last year but the presence of a very strong team at the recently ended Top Resa, France’s most important tourism trade show, has given hoteliers, DMC’s and the tourism marketers at STB some reassurance that they will be doing better again, especially considering the return to Paris by Air Seychelles, albeit of course with flights via Abu Dhabi and not nonstop as many private sector stakeholders now openly demand.

Upcoming festivals like the Festival Kreol followed by SUBIOS, the Festival of the Sea, will also attract added numbers of visitors, and especially for the Creole week for which delegations are expected to come from as far as the Southern US States, the Caribbean and the other Indian Ocean islands.