Seychelles among '52 Places to Go' in 2014 – NY Times |14 January 2014

'Witness a city in transformation, glimpse exotic animals, explore the past and enjoy that beach before the crowds.'

This is how The New York Times refers to Seychelles in an article listing the ’52 Places to Go’ in 2014.

David Germain, the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) director for Africa and the Americas, expressed his joy when he was informed by tour operators that Seychelles has been featured as one of the 52 places to visit in 2014 by The New York Times.

Seychelles was the only destination from the Indian Ocean to make this prestigious list guiding American holidaymakers in 2014.

STB’s chief executive Sherin Naiken on her part said that America is a growing market for Seychelles and one that will be receiving more attention by the marketing department.

"Our consul general in New York has been working closely with us in planning the development of the market. We are starting to see the benefits from the work done so far and this review by the respected New York Times is proof of this," Ms Naiken said.

The Minister for Tourism and Culture Alain St Ange also spoke about the inclusion of Seychelles in the 2014 must-visit tourism destinations list.

"We have always believed in the Americas as a good target market for our tourism industry. This is why we have worked to keep a degree of visibility on this big market only to keep us relevant in the world of tourism and as a holiday destination option. We know that we have to push the twin-centre approach with our neighbours and partners like a safari where our tag line 'From the Big Five…to the Best Five' launched some three years ago comes alive. The same approach is with La Reunion where its spectacular mountains and our unrivalled clean and white sandy beaches complement each other," Minister St Ange said.

Seychelles is listed number 27 in this list of tourism destinations of the world alongside the major cities of the world. The picture used for the Seychelles in the listing is a beautiful shot of the North Island beach by Michael Poliza for the Wilderness Safaris.