Seychelles Tourism Board clinches award at tourism trade fair in India

The Seychelles Tourism Board has once again excelled in trade fairs, this time at the Outbound Travel Market tourism trade fair in India known as OTM, winning the most decorative stall award.

Maharashtra State’s Minister for Tourism, Ram Shinde, presented the award to the Seychelles Tourism Board’s representatives who were in India.

The Deputy Chief Executive of the Tourism Board, Nathalie Didon; Marketing Executive Pamela Godley; and the team from the Seychelles Tourist Office in India were all present to represent the islands there.

The Seychelles’ stall saw more than 500 visitors in the period of 3 days, and was one of the highest number of visitors owing to a fantastic location and innovative design which contributed in the Tourism Board clinching the award.

The Outbound Travel Market tourism trade fair was held from February 4-6 in Mumbai. Chief guest, Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra State, inaugurated the event.

The private sector partners who attended the fair from Seychelles were 7 Degrees South, Savoy Resort & Spa Seychelles, Creole Travel Services, Air Seychelles Ltd., Coral Strand Smart Choice Hotel, Berjaya Resorts, and Le Relax Hotels.

Over 1,000 travel-product sellers from 50 countries exhibited at the fair and over 10,000 buyers from the travel industry attended the 3-day event.

Pavilions at this year’s OTM tourism trade fair were from Turkey, New Zealand, Mexico, Dubai, Japan, Thailand, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Philippines, Macau, China, Argentina, Oman, Bangladesh, Jordan, Bhutan, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Taiwan, among others.

Seychelles was also represented by trade partners from the private sector, who also accompanied the Tourism Board’s delegation to the SATTE trade fair in New Delhi.

Both trade fairs were more significant this year with the Seychelles Tourism Board’s increasing focus on its emerging markets in Asia and the launch of Air Seychelles’ direct flight to Mumbai.

SATTE’s fair this year, held from January 29-31, saw over 650 representatives from over 35 countries, 26 Indian states, and more than 12,000 visitors (a 42% increase over last year).

The fair was seen as an industry platform with the presence of chief guest Girish Shankar, additional secretary, representatives of the country’s Ministry of Tourism and government, among eminent ministers from across the globe, ambassadors, and high commissioners of countries that were taking part.

SATTE is supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Incredible India, and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

The private sector from Seychelles was very well represented by 7 Degrees South, Savoy Resort & Spa, Seychelles, Creole Travel Services, Air Seychelles Ltd., Vision Voyages DMC Pty Ltd., Constance Hotels & Resort, AVANI Seychelles Barbarons Resort & Spa, and Coral Strand Smart Choice Hotel.

The Seychelles Tourism Board’s Director of Marketing, Rose-Marie Hoareau, along with the Seychelles Tourist Office in India represented the islands. The Seychelles booth was one of the busiest at the fair with attendance of more than 800 visitors over 3 days.

Other international tourism boards present were from Abu Dhabi, Bhutan, Brand USA, Cambodia, Egypt, Fiji, Hong Kong, Israel, Macau, Malaysia, Japan, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Mexico, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Reunion Island, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Britain, Gold Coast (Australia), New Zealand, Zagreb, and Zambia among others. Additionally, travel and hospitality companies, destination management companies, online travel agencies, and tourism products/services companies also graced the event with their presence.

The entire delegation from Seychelles had meaningful interactions at both fairs with various travel agents, tour operators, and media and gained valuable feedback about the market which will help them better cater and get more business from the high-potential Indian market.

Commenting on the two trade fairs, the Seychelles Tourism Board’s Chief Executive, Sherin Naiken, said India is an emerging source market for the islands.

“The country is huge with potential travelers scattered across the length and breadth of the country. Since we opened the office in India less than two years ago, the tourist arrivals from there are slowly picking up,” she said.

“It is important to be present at fairs like SATTE and OTM to better understand the diverse and dynamic Indian market and the new and empowered Indian traveler.”

Miss Naiken added that it also serves as a great chance to educate the Indian travel trade fraternity about Seychelles and the diversity that the islands have to offer.

“We were very happy to see a significant rise in the number of representatives from the Seychelles’ private sector as compared to last year, and we are grateful for their continued support,” she said.

Seychelles is a founding member of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP) .