Greater destination awareness as Seychelles draws extensive exposure on South African TV |15 July 2017
Seychelles has been enjoying unprecedented exposure on South African TV in the last three months. Besides the much publicised 7th season of Tropika Islands of Treasure -- filmed in Seychelles and aired on SABC 3 for 12 consecutive weeks -- the island destination is being featured in several other shows.
Dan Nicoll, the host of a celebrity talk show aired on SuperSport 1, made his debut with a rod in the waters of Alphonse in early June, showcasing the unique fly fishing adventure offered on the island by experienced fisherman Keith Rose-Innes and his team.
The Dan Nicoll Show, which hosts a range of sports and lifestyle celebrities from South Africa and beyond showcased a feature entitled ‘Fishing Paradise in Seychelles’ which portrayed Alphonse not only as a leisure-oriented island, but also one which offers a range of activities to its guests. Besides fly-fishing, Alphonse -- one of the outlying islands of the Seychelles archipelago -- boasting kilometres of pristine tropical shorelines, lagoons and sea flats – also offers diving, snorkelling, pedal skis, pedal boats and windsurfing.
After a week of fishing in both deep waters and on the flats, Nicoll described his “first” fly fishing experience as one he would never forget, adding that it has “certainly given me plenty of reasons to come back”.
Another TV personality, Gerrie Pretorius also visited the Seychelles for his Afrikaans Show, Leef Jou Reis (Live Your Journey).
He was able to explore the underwater world of the Seychelles while scuba diving and snorkelling at Le Meridien Fisherman’s Cove.
Once again, Seychelles came across as one of the most desirable destinations, offering some of the best snorkelling sites in the Indian Ocean. The tropical climate all-year round and unspoilt nature is something which has been proven to appeal to any potential visitor.
It’s not only the Seychelles natural beauty that has caught the attention of South African media, as the islands’ conservation efforts have also been recognised. The 50/50 environmental programme on SABC 2 has so far broadcast two episodes on Seychelles.
The first episode earlier in June featured the country as a pioneer in the field of conservation and how it is implementing the nationwide ban on common plastic items. The ban officially went into effect on July 1, meaning people will have to replace their plastic bags, plates, or Styrofoam takeaway boxes with more environmentally-friendly alternatives. Government agencies are being joined by several non-governmental organisations to spearhead the campaign to see a more sustainable Seychelles.
Episode 12 aired on the last Sunday of June showcased how conservationists in Seychelles are utilising their green fingers to save ocean reefs. The presenter, Bertus Louw, joined staff of Nature Seychelles for some underwater ‘coral gardening’.
Nature Seychelles - a local non-governmental organisation - has developed a successful coral gardening technique which is helping to restore coral reefs affected by bleaching events in the Seychelles waters.
Both episodes have commended Seychelles for its excellent efforts in conservation.
It is to be noted that the exposure on South African TV falls in line with the STB’s drive to reach South African consumers on a much broader scale. All programmes featuring Seychelles had the added benefit of being broadcast during prime-time slots in the evenings, which means they reached maximum viewers.
The Tropika series is already believed to have won Seychelles over 10 million Rand-worth of exposure on the South African market.
Commenting on the ongoing and extensive coverage of the islands on national TV in South Africa, the director of the Seychelles Tourism Board’s office in South Africa, Lena Hoareau, said that Seychelles was enjoying great mileage from the ongoing exposure.
“We have intensified our marketing activities this year for both trade and consumer, which means that while we are equipping the trade with more knowledge on the destination through training and workshops, which will help them turn over more sales to Seychelles, South African consumers are also gaining a better understanding and insight into the destination through the awareness created by the different TV programmes,” she said.
Mrs Hoareau added that there has been a notable increase in inquiries about the Seychelles, which serves as proof that these programmes are helping to boost the destination’s profile on the market.
“While the majority of the features being broadcast came as a direct result of our efforts within the market, some have been commissioned privately. We welcome all the positive coverage that Seychelles is getting, especially during the cold winter months where people at home are enjoying the beautiful footage on their screens,” she said.