Princess Anne’s visit ‘welcomed by tourism trade’ |09 December 2010

“Members of the tourism trade welcomed the arrival of the Princess Royal and they felt honoured that she had spent the whole of her stay at a resort that formed part of the Seychelles Hospitality and Tourism Association,” he added.

Frederic Vidal, general manager of the Maia Resort – which hosted Princess Anne and her party – said Seychelles is now receiving many stars and sports personalities, and her arrival was the perfect addition to the VVIP list who are making the country their holiday destination.

Seychelles’ tourism trade has an unwritten agreement to respect the privacy of important visitors, and everything possible is done these days to ensure that the VVIPs’ stay remains private and out of reach of prying eyes.

Seychelles takes pride in promoting itself as having “personalised tourism”, and everyone who comes here realises that the personal welcome they get is one of the unique attributes still so evident, Mr St Ange said.

"We are one of the tourism destinations not after mass tourism, but we are out to ensure we manage our islands as serious custodians to ensure that future generations can appreciate the Seychelles you see today," he told the media after Princess Anne’s departure.

Seychelles’ diversity enables the islands to plan itineraries for stays that are out of this world. Princess Anne managed to visit the two Unesco World Heritage Sites in Seychelles – the Vallée de Mai on Praslin, and Aldabra. She also made a short stop at the Botanical Gardens to see for herself the coco de mer tree planted by her father, the Duke of Edinburgh, on a visit in 1952.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip officially visited Seychelles in 1972 when she opened the international airport.

This latest visit by a member of the Royal Family saw Princess Anne join President James Michel to officially open the University of Seychelles.