100 local tourism establishments awarded TripAdvisor’s certificate of excellence |19 March 2015

What a proud moment for the tourism industry in Seychelles! A total of 100 tourism establishments officially received their TripAdvisor certificate of excellence yesterday at the Savoy Resort and Spa, Beau Vallon.

The event was organised by the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) in collaboration with TripAdvisor whose destination marketing organisation manager, Chad Shiver, attended this first of its kind event in Seychelles alongside Tourism and Culture Minister Alain St Ange, tourism principal secretary Anne Lafortune, STB chief executive Sherin Naiken and the chairman of the Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industry Marco Francis.

“It is a great joy for Seychelles to witness so many establishments receiving a certificate in excellence. Our visitors are finally recognising the products we are offering and we are indeed on the right path.

What we sell and promote is the brand Seychelles. It shows that when you work hard and you provide the necessary service, you are recognised by the guests. This certificate is a feather in your cap and it shows how good you are. What we have in Seychelles is close to perfection. Now all the other establishments will work hard to achieve the same standard,” noted with joy Minister St Ange.

“For such a small island, 100 establishments to be rewarded is very impressive. I am particularly happy to be here to reward such a large number of you for offering an exceptional experience to travellers. TripAdvisor awards the certificate of excellence awards every year to business owners that have proven positive impact on the local tourism industry, and contribute to a great reputation for their country’s international reputation. The way we decide on who is presented with these awards is quite complex but the basics are: the property must maintain an overall TripAdvisor rating of at least four out of five; achieve a set minimum number of reviews and have been listed on TripAdvisor for the full previous 12 months. Another key factor in awarding a certificate is the property’s popularity ranking on TripAdvisor, meaning that you must excel when compared to your local competitors,” said Mr Shiver while addressing the winners.

STB’s chief executive Naiken stated that “today’s ceremony provides adequate proof that our islands stand at the forefront of change and embrace the way that the consumer has direct access to knowledge of tourism products and services all over the world”.

“STB congratulates all the recipients of these awards and it shows how today’s tourists are the kings and queens in this business of tourism and how standards must be maintained in what has become an increasingly transparent, consumer-weighted process,” she added.

Freddy Karkaria, chairman of the Seychelles Hospitality and Tourism Association, said “this event puts us again on the world map. This number of awards shows that we are on the right track but there is still more to do. It will definitely raise the level of service in our tourism establishments”.
The only winner in the category ‘Walks & Trail’ is Robert Agnes from La Digue who also owns Sunny Trail Guide Private Tours.

“It’s been four years since I started this business and despite a slow start I am now doing guiding on La Digue and Praslin at least four times a week. This certificate shows my dedication and hard work and it also gives me the much required motivation to continue with my job,” said Mr Agnes.

After the awards presentation ceremony, the recipients had the opportunity to follow training on social media conducted by E-Tourism Frontiers chief executive Damian Cook and training on TripAdvisor by Chad Shiver. This will allow the trade to maximise their ability to make efficient use of digital marketing platforms and how to better market them using social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.

TripAdvisor is the world’s largest travel review site with nearly 280 million unique monthly visitors and the most popular review site used by travellers to review tourism establishments.

In 2015, research showed that over 70% of tourists researched online before visiting a destination and booking a hotel, thus proving that reviews are very important. TripAdvisor reviews are highly valued when booking a hotel.

The winners were divided into several categories:
Large hotels category: Banyan Tree, Constance Ephelia Resort, Constance Lemuria Resort, Denis Island, Hilton Seychelles Labriz and Northolme, Kempinski, L’Archipel, Le Domaine de la Résèrve, Le Domaine de l’Orangeraie, Le Méridien Fisherman’s Cove, New Emerald Cove, Paradise Sun Hotel, Raffles Praslin and Ste Anne Resort & Spa.

Small hotels category: Britannia Hotel, Cerf Island Resort, Château Sans Souci, Château St Cloud, Dhevatara Beach Hotel, Le Duc de Praslin, Le Repaire Boutique Hotel & Restaurant, Les Lauriers Petit Hotel, L'habitation de Cerfs and Pension Michel.

Guesthouse category: Bay View Villa Seychelles, Beach Villa, Chalets Côte Mer, Colibri Guesthouse, Daniella's Bungalows, Etoile Labrine, Lakaz Safran, Le Triskell, Romance Bungalows, Villa Bananier and Villa Dorado.

Self-catering category:  Aquario Apartments, Au Fond de Mer View,  Blue Lagoon Chalets, Bord Mer Villa,  Cap Jean Marie Villas,  Casa De Leela, Chalets D'Anse Forbans,  Choice Villa,  Cocotier du Rocher,  Hanneman Holiday Resort,  Iles de Palmes,  La Résidence,  Le Domaine de Bacova, Le Surmer Self Catering,  Les Pieds dans L'Eau,  Les Villas D'or,  Mango Lodge,  Ocean Jewels Resort,  Pension Hibiscus,  Petit Amour Villa,  Sailfish Beach Villas,  South Point Villas – Cerf,  Villa Authentique, Villa Kass and  Villas de Jardin.

Budget holiday accomodation category:  Au Cap Self Catering,  Auberge de Nadege,  Buisson Self Catering,  Carpe Diem Self Catering,  Chalets D'Anse Reunion,  D&M Holiday Apartment,  Lemongrass Lodge,  L'Oasis Self Catering,  Maison Soleil,  Oceanes Self Catering,  Sky Blue Guesthouse,  Fleur de Lys, SunGlow Holiday Villas and  Zanboza Self Catering.

Restaurant category: Café des Arts, Banyan Tree Seychelles – Restaurant,  La Perle Noire,  La Plaine St. André,  La Scala Restaurant,  Lanbousir,  Restaurant 8,  Mahek Restaurant,  Maria's Rock Café, Marie Antoinette Restaurant, Grégoire Pizzeria, Pasquere Restaurant and Les Dauphins Heureux.

Boat operator’s category: Indigo Boat Charter and Zico one Charter
Dive operators category: Trek divers
Snack Bar category: Snack Belle Vue
Walk & Trail category: Sunny Tour Guide