Seychelles showcased at 2018 edition of NY Times Travel Show

The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) was once again present at the New York Times Travel Show at the Jacob K Javits Convention Center, in New York, USA.

The 2018 edition of the event, which was celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, was held from January 26 to 28, 2018.

STB is actively working to position Seychelles as a destination of choice among North American travelers seeking an exotic island holiday location, especially those travelling to the Middle East and Africa.

The New York Times Travel Show was, therefore, the perfect opportunity for the Seychelles Tourism Board Director for Africa & the Americas, David Germain, to engage with the media, travel trade and consumers.

The New York Times Travel Show, presented by American Express, is geared towards travel trade professionals and travel enthusiasts. The annual exhibition features over 200 exhibitors from over 130 countries from across the globe, attracting over 25,000 participants.

During his participation at this year’s trade show, Mr. Germain attended several events including the ‘Focus on Africa’ conference, as well as presentations by various experts and speakers providing an update on the latest travel trend to Africa and the Indian Ocean.

The Seychelles Tourism Board is a member of the Association for the Promotion of Tourism to Africa (APTA), and also a member the United States Tour Operator Association (USTOA).

Mr. Germain therefore also attended an APTA conference where Key travel professionals discussed outbound travel from North America in 2018, particularly noting the predicted growth in outbound travel from North America to Africa & the Middle East.

He described STB’s participation at the 2018 edition of the New York Times Travel Show as another successful one, where he also had the opportunity to meet with different media organizations, airline representatives and other trade partners present at the exhibition.

Mr. Germain said: “This is the 5th time that Seychelles has participated in the New York Times Travel Show, an exhibition which brings together important African Travel specialists, in search of product and destination information about Africa and the Indian Ocean islands, as it is important for us to be present, to consistently promote our islands in North America.”

The Seychelles Tourism Board is very much encouraged by the steady increase in visitor arrivals from North America recorded in 2017, and in view of this, will be increasing its promotional efforts in North America in 2018.

The STB will participate in both consumer & trade exhibitions and workshops in Canada and in different cities in the United States during 2018. Familiarization visits for North American agents and press trips are also planned, while a Canadian TV Crew will also be visiting Seychelles.

Flights between North America and Africa are available via South African Airways and Ethiopian Airlines, and soon Kenya Airways will also start flying to the USA further increasing air access from Africa to North America, with easy connections to Seychelles.

Emirates Airline, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines and Etihad Airways also fly from North America with easy connections to Seychelles, via their main hub in the Middle East.