Marathon walk helps STB promote Seychelles |30 May 2009

Ms Lablache was accompanied by Giovanna Rousseau in this year’s fourth marathon on Sunday May 10, which had over 5,000 entrants.

It is a unique event in which the competitors have to walk either 5km or 13km barefoot on forest paths, with a number of events taking place along the course.

The STB took advantage of the marathon to promote Seychelles, having a stand where mini brochures about the country were handed out to walkers and visitors.

Ms Lablache reported that people visiting the Seychelles stand were eager to learn about the country and were impressed by our iconic coco de mer.

“Walking barefoot for such a long course was a really great experience for me,” she said.
 “But most of all, I was happy with the turnout of visitors asking for information about Seychelles and what we have to offer. It makes you feel proud when people are interested in your country and you feel that you are really marketing and selling your country when responding to their queries.”

She also mentioned that taking part in the Sunyang Masai Marathon was fruitful in terms of ideas for Seychelles’ Eco-Healing Marathon 2010, which was a topic for discussion with the Seychelles representatives in South Korea during her visit.

In addition, they discussed and studied possibilities for Seychelles to attend some upcoming trade fairs in the Far East region now that the STB has announced it will be tapping strongly into that market.

While in South Korea, Ms Lablache also met two major tour operators – Hana Tour and Mode Tour – who are very keen on promoting Seychelles in the Far East.

Both operators said they will work closely with Tournet, which is Seychelles’ specialist in arranging educational visits for the different tour agencies.