A new group of 35 Seychellois has been appointed as tourism ambassadors, bringing the total to 95 members in 30 countries worldwide now representing Seychelles.
Seychelles is the first country to have taken the initiative of appointing its citizens as tourism ambassadors all over the world and their role is to assist in the promotion of Seychelles as a tourism destination in tandem with the country’s marketing team and overseas tourist offices.
The announcement of the third group is coinciding with the Seychelles’ National Day on June 18 and will continue to build on the network that brands the program under the title tag line, “Once a Seychellois, always a Seychellois.”
This program capitalizes on the assistance and valuable local knowledge of Seychelles citizens living abroad to raise the profile of the islands in their respective countries of residence.
Thus, more individuals are coming on board in some of Seychelles’ main markets, as well as in several countries that are not being represented at the moment.
Seychelles’ tourism ambassadors have already been involved in several promotions since the official launch of the program in January, and they work in different ways to further market their islands to the world.
A total 14 tourism ambassadors were initially announced six months ago, and the program was further strengthened by another 46 in March. The second group was announced by vice president Joseph Belmont, in his capacity as Minister for Tourism, at the ITB trade fair in Berlin.
Alain St. Ange, the Seychelles’ director of tourism marketing, has said that the country’s overseas offices continue to have added support to more adequately service our tourism markets.
“The tourism ambassadors are like consuls, but here only to promote and continuously help develop Seychelles as the tourist destination,” he said.
“They now have their own newsletter, email addresses, and soon they will have their own forum on the popular social network Facebook to exchange ideas and update each other on their activities.”
Mr. St. Ange stressed that all Seychellois living abroad are natural ambassadors of their country of birth. They are well-known in their countries of residence, and their network of contacts and local knowledge will be invaluable tools in promoting Seychelles as a tourism destination across the globe.
Sharen Venus, the tourism board’s marketing executive overseeing the tourism ambassadors program, said that the enthusiasm of the newly-appointed members is so evident, and she was convinced that their personal contacts will help make Seychelles better known around the world.
The newly-appointed Seychelles tourism ambassadors are:
AUSTRALIA
Ms. Hillary Vidot from Adelaide
Ms. Tahirih Ernesta from Adelaide
Mr. Kevyn Wilmot from Gold Coast
Mrs. Jeannine Gilbert-Finnigan from Perth
AUSTRIA
Mrs. Mary-Mica Vierlinger (born Abel) from Vienna
CANADA
Mr. Antoine Lautee from Calgary
Mr. Rolard Georges from Toronto
CHINA
Mr. Christopher Azais from Shenzen
FRANCE
Ms. Aurelie Bonvalet from Arles
Mr. Michael Fayon from Bordeaux
Mrs. Monica Michel-Bonvalet from Marseille
Mrs. Mary Isaac (born Asba) from Paris
IRELAND
Mrs. Mathilda Twomey (born Butler-Payette) from Galway
MAURITIUS
Mr. Kalyan Patel from Terre Rouge
PAKISTAN
Mr. Shahid Ahmad from Karachi
REUNION
Dr. Kenneth Sherwin from St. Louis
SOUTH AFRICA
Mrs. Josette Weber (born Larue) from Cape Town
Mrs. Renette Vidot-Acquah from Johannesburg
SPAIN
Mr. Mark Dunford from Barcelona
Mr. Xavier Jacqueline from Palma de Mallorca
SWEDEN
Mrs. Lucy Blom (née Alcindor) from Stockholm
SWITZERLAND
Ms. Inese Bastienne from Geneva
UKRAINE
Mrs. Valentyna Avilova from Odessa
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Ms. Aliette Esther from Dubai
UNITED KINGDOM
Mrs. Suzette Ward (born Moulinie) from Bristol
Ms. Muriel Choppy from Inverness
Mrs. Georgina Dhillon (born D’Acambra) from London
Ms. Lynne Domingue from London
Ms. Rose Fayon from London
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Mrs. Marie Antoinette Swapp (born Savy) from Colorado
Mr. Jacques Bronze from Guam
Mrs. Roselyn Adam from Houston
Mrs. Georgette Ross (born Shroff) from Louisiana
Mrs. Cecile Nageon Szulkowski from Orlanda
Mrs. Myrtile Webb (born de Charmoy Lablache) from San José
WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:
- Seychelles is the first country to have taken the initiative of appointing its citizens as tourism ambassadors all over the world and their role is to assist in the promotion of Seychelles as a tourism destination in tandem with the country's marketing team and overseas tourist offices.
- The announcement of the third group is coinciding with the Seychelles' National Day on June 18 and will continue to build on the network that brands the program under the title tag line, “Once a Seychellois, always a Seychellois.
- They are well-known in their countries of residence, and their network of contacts and local knowledge will be invaluable tools in promoting Seychelles as a tourism destination across the globe.
