Seychelles plus the press equals tourism success

The recent successes of Seychelles and its tourism industry is due partly to the support it has received from the press the world over. It can be said that the world press has been seduced by the beauty of these Creole islands and by the diversity of its people.

Seychelles was innovative, and they launched over a year ago the “Friends of Seychelles – Press” Club, which has since continuously seen the continued increase of the membership of this group. They have also religiously made it a point to keep their members of this unique and exclusive group informed with the happenings in the Seychelles.

This month, the Seychelles Tourism Board has come out with the latest issue of the “Friends of Seychelles – Press” newsletter, with the first page welcoming the appointment of Isaac Mangena of e-News Africa, the latest member to join this Seychelles exclusive group. Mr Mangena was accredited during the recent Seychelles Investment Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The newsletter also highlights Seychelles’ continued visibility in publications from all over the world, bringing exceptional awareness on the destination. In its cover article, the glossy “Luxury Travel & Style Magazine” has recently dedicated eight pages full of pictures and editorials to Seychelles. UAE’s “Al Bayan” is another popular newspaper, which has dedicated a full page of its business section to the Seychelles islands.

Alain St Ange, Chief Executive of the Seychelles Tourism Board, met with “Al Bayan” newspaper staff while in transit in Dubai recently, where he said that he remained a believer in meeting with the press and ensuring visibility of the Seychelles in all the island’s main tourism markets.

The Seychelles newsletter also brings out the story of the African Explorer, Kinglsey Holgate, who is another great personality to have dedicated his final travelogue, Mama Africa, to the islands of Seychelles. It is entitled “Seychelles: saving the best till last.” Mr. Holgate, accompanied by his family, was recently on a visit in Seychelles whereby he was presented with the first copy of the new Seychelles map.

At another level, the Zanzibar Minister for Tourism, and the Seychelles Tourism CEO have discussed a partnership and working together. Minister Jihad Abdillah Hassan and Ali Khalil Mirza, his Director General of the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism, discussed with Mr. St.Ange and the Seychelles Consul & Tourism Ambassador in Tanzania, Maryvonne Pool, how the two countries can benefit from exchange programs.

It was agreed that Seychelles will be assisting the island of Zanzibar through a working visit by the head of the Seychelles Tourism Academy, Flavien Joubert, and the head of the e-marketing section of the Seychelles Tourism Board, Nathali Pillay.

The newsletter also reports on the 14th International Friendship and Culture Festival held recently in Beijing, where it was announced that Seychelles will host the 1st Global Cultural Ambassador Award-GCAA next year. The award will be a spectacular cultural pageant with male and female competitors from diverse parts of the globe, especially China.

Another great happening in Seychelles will be the return of the Miss Seychelles beauty pageant next year. The contest is expected to be held in July 2012 and will open the door for partnership with the annual Miss Southern African International and the Miss World Pageant.

The newsletter ends with an article detailing the calendar of events for Seychelles in 2012. This is aimed at increasing the visibility of the islands so as to pull more visitors to the destination.

The Friends of Seychelles newsletter is accessible through the Seychelles Travel website at http://www.seychelles.travel/en/contacts/sey_friends.php .