Seychelles wins most scenic holiday award at Hong Kong’s travel fair |01 July 2016

Seychelles added yet another award to its collection when it won the ‘Most Scenic Holiday’ award at the International Travel Expo (ITE) recently from U-magazine in collaboration with ITE.

The destination won the award after receiving more votes.

The award was collected by the Seychelles Tourism Board’s senior marketing executive Stephanie Lablache who was attending the June 16-19 fair in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong has 7.2 million people who can visit some 140 destinations visa free. In 2014 it spent US $22.8 billion on international travel and is ranked Asia's fourth largest source market with over 86 million departures.

ITE is Asia’s long established and Hong Kong's only travel fair. In 2015, it drew from 50 countries and regions a total of 607 exhibitors (85% from abroad); 11,874 buyers and trade visitors (around 75% from Hong Kong & 25% mainland China and abroad) in two trade days; and 78,116 public visitors (over 85% FIT or private tour group).

Among its buyers and trade visitors, 6,198 (52.2%) were from travel agents, 2,534 (21.3%) from MICE and corporations, and 907 (7.6%) from the media.

The minister in the embassy of Seychelles in China Dr Sydney To and the trade and investments representative of Seychelles in Hong Kong Mary Jim also attended the fair alongside the Seychelles Tourism Board’s manager for China Jean-Luc Lai Lam, and the marketing executive Mavreen Pouponneau.

During the four-day fair, Seychelles got a lot of interest from the Hong Kong trade members looking to send more visitors to our shores as well as the local public enquiring about the various activities that the destination has to offer.

Andrew Jones, the chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) who recently met the Seychelles’ Minister for Tourism and Culture Alain St Ange and the Seychelles Tourism Board’s senior consultant Glynn Burridge when they attended the PATA summit in Guam last month, met the Seychelles delegation in Hong Kong. He said he was very taken by Seychelles and plans to visit soon.