The Seychelles’ Minister for Foreign Affairs and Transport, Mr. Joel Morgan, who is also the Chairman of Air Seychelles, appeared alongside his cabinet colleague, Alain St. Ange, Minister for Tourism and Culture, at the opening press briefing last weekend while launching the Seychelles Carnival 2015.
Joel Morgan used the opportunity to confirm that indeed the Seychelles’ government, through the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority, agreed to give landing rights to a series of charter flights from China, which will for the first time connect the world’s most populous country nonstop to the archipelago’s main island of Mahe.
Chinese visitor numbers have this year already shown a rise again, and while Air Seychelles is flying three times a week from Mahe via Abu Dhabi to Hong Kong, a widening of the air connectivity is seen as crucial to further tap into that market and increase visitor numbers to the Seychelles.
Seychelles’ Vice President Mr. Danny Faure, who was in China last weekend, also touched in his bilateral talks on the issue of bilateral air services, and it is understood that it will be a Chinese airline, yet to be confirmed which one, launching the first flight to link the two countries.
The Seychelles has in recent years added a China-Seychelles Festival week, which has brought added attention in China for the archipelago and for those attending key tourism trade shows in China. In addition, tourism attaches have been posted to the Seychelles embassy and consulates in China to help exploit the market through a direct presence, which are able to respond to any queries in real time.
China was one of the countries represented at the Seychelles’ Carnival 2015 and was warmly received by the local spectators.
In a related development, it was also confirmed during a visit to the Seychelles’ Tourism Academy (STA) that the institution has signed a second MOU with a Chinese hospitality and tourism college in Beijing after already cooperating with a Shanghai-based college for the past two years. Exchanges of lecturers and students will assist to teach Chinese to the students of the La Misere-based STA in readiness for greater visitor numbers from China.
