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Archive - Archive 2004 - July 2013

Seychelles receives tourism award in China |17 September 2012

Seychelles receives tourism award in China

The Seychelles representatives with the award

Jean-Luc Lai-Lam of the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) office in China personally received the award, together with the other Seychelles’ tourism representatives there, Li Huanhuan and Chenyun.

The China Travel & Meetings Industry Awards for Leisure & Business Travel hosted by Travel Weekly, which was the first travel industry media to incorporate online coverage and magazines for exclusive professional perspectives on the tourism industry, has over the years won industry wide recognition and praise for their spirit of fairness, justice and innovation.

“With increased focus on the Chinese market in recent years, this shows that Seychelles is slowly but surely taking its place in China amongst one of the world’s most sought after destination for both the Chinese leisure and business travellers,” said Mr Lai-Lam.

Seychelles, Maldives and Tahiti were short-listed among the top three Luxury Island Destination of the Year by a panel of senior experts from the tourism and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions) industry.

Their decision was based on first-class products and excellence in service with professional standards, outstanding performance with a competitive advantage in the industry and a wide range of industry or public visibility, superior strategic development strategy and clear market insight, outstanding product innovation and R & D, strong relationship with consumers and partners, and finally superior business execution.

“Being short-listed among the top three by the expert judges not only shows good progress in our campaign for Seychelles, but also the confidence that the Chinese trades have in Seychelles as a number one destination for the market,” added Mr Lai-Lam.

“What gives us even more confidence in the work being done as a destination is that the final say went out to the public/travellers themselves to cast their votes online and coming out as number one confirms the potential of Seychelles in China,” noted Mr Lai-Lam.

“Achieving this award today is also due to the excellent cooperation and support that the local trade in Seychelles is always providing and we look forward to working closer together in order to increase our presence and increase the number of Chinese travellers to our shores,” he said.

Year to date, Seychelles has recorded a 126% increase in visitor arrivals from China compared to last year.

Upon receiving the excellent news of the award, the chief executive of the STB, Elsia Grandcourt, congratulated her team for their dedication and hard work, as well as thanking trade partners from China and in Seychelles for their trust and believing in the potential of the Seychelles destination on the Chinese market.

“Receiving such an award today is the result of the ground work started two years ago when the now Minister for Tourism and Culture Alain St Ange was at the helm of the STB,” stated Mrs Grandcourt.

“Now that Tourism and Culture is under one portfolio, the minister is confident that Seychelles stands to benefit in multiple ways as he focuses on further building on the long standing relationship dating 150 years between Seychelles and China,” she said.

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