Seychelles featured in prominent United Arab Emirates newspaper

Alain St. Ange, the CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board, met with the UAE’s popular newspaper, “Al Bayan,” as he transited Dubai this week. Mr. St. Ange said that he remained a believer in meeting with the press and ensured visibility of the Seychelles in all the island’s main tourism markets.

“Al Bayan” is one of the most-read daily newpaper in the UAE and the Middle East with a circulation of 104,550. To see that newspaper dedicate a full half-page of its Business Section to the islands, shows the impact that the Seychelles is making as a destination for Middle East travelers.

Alain St. Ange explained to “Al Bayan,” as was reported, that 3,200 tourists from the area have now visited Seychelles so far this year.

“In the first half of 2011, this is the recorded figure of arrivals. This is seen to be increasing by 20 percent from the same period last year. Emirates is now looking at starting its operation of 14 weekly flights to Seychelles while Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways will operate 7 and 4 weekly flights respectively,” said Alain St. Ange.

The CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board also sold to the “Al Bayan” the unique selling points of the Seychelles. “We are but four hours plus from Dubai and no one requires a visa to enter Seychelles,” he said.

Seychelles is now well known in the Middle East and the GCC countries with Sheike Khalifa personally enjoying short holidays to these dream tropical islands. It has been remarkable how succesful the Seychelles has been these days in working with the press, and the personal efforts of Alain St. Ange has not gone unnoticed right accross the world.

Only two years ago, the dreamy islands of the Seychelles were operating in slow mode, but this has changed dramatically when the government of Seychelles President James Michel entered into a public-private sector partnership, which saw the entry of Alain St. Ange to take the position as the head of the islands’ tourism industry. Today, Seychelles is everywhere, and Alain St. Ange has become a popular speaker at tourism forums in the four corners of the world. He is open about the successes of their island’s tourism industry and about the efforts of the Seychelles government in the protection of the island’s environment. Seychelles is today also not scared to meet the press and tell to the world what these mid-ocean islands are all about.