Some two weeks ago, Benjamine Rose, the Seychelles PS for Culture, issued a statement that reinforced the new trend of developing tourism through one’s culture. Benjamine Rose of the Seychelles was speaking following her participation at the UN World Tourism Organization/UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNWTO/UNESCO) conference on that same subject that was held recently in Cambodia. Now barely a month later, the Seychelles Ministry of Tourism and Culture has confirmed that pushing one’s culture and cultural events does help tourism as an industry.
The organization behind the coming Seychelles annual Carnaval International de Victoria has received confirmation that DERTOUR Tour Operator of Germany, HotelPlan Tour Operator of Italy, and a group of French tour operators are all sending to Seychelles a group of travel agents who will fly their flag in the Carnaval parade of April 25 this year. DERTOUR has confirmed that they are inviting 40 German and Austrian travel agents to be their delegation at this year’s carnival, whereas Hotelplan of Italy will be bringing 50 Italian travel agents and a group of French tour operators joining together to send 20 travel agents to be their representatives.
The confirmation that these groups would be traveling to Seychelles for the 2015 edition of their carnival were received during the ITB Tourism Trade Fair of Germany last weekend. Joern Krausser of DERTOUR was the first to confirm yet again his company’s participation when he was meeting with Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture, during an ITB meeting. “The travel agents we send to Seychelles during the carnival have a plus and also an unforgettable cultural experience. This year the travel agents will be coming from both Germany and from Austria,” said Mr. Krausser of DERTOUR Germany.
Minister St.Ange who was being accompanied at this meeting by Sherin Naiken, the CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board; Bernadette Willemin, the Seychelles Tourism Board’s Director for Europe; and Edith Hunzinger, their Tourism Board’s Manager for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland said that the islands were right to embark on cultural events to showcase the islands’ key USPs. “We worked alongside our colleagues in the Vanilla Islands, and we all pitched cultural events to help get our region on the world map. Today this approach is paying off. We have never had over one hundred key travel agents in Seychelles at the same time. We needed a catalyst, and it is our main cultural event, the annual carnival in Seychelles, that is today enticing our partner tour operators to send their educational visits to our islands. They will all parade in the carnival. They will all discover Seychelles, and they will all meet hotels and guesthouses who are partnering with the Tourism Board in the coming carnival,” said Minister Alain St.Ange
Seychelles is showing clearly that through their culture, their tourism industry is able to work to attract travel agents who had never before visited the islands.
