STB hosts trade and PR event in Reunion |04 November 2017
The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) organised another Trade and PR event in Réunion Island from October 23 to 26, 2017, wrapping up activities organised for local trade partners on that market for 2017.
The event which employed the B2B workshop and destination training formats was aimed at ensuring Seychelles’ ongoing visibility on the Réunion market and allowing trade partners from both sides to remain connected.
STB’s delegation was led by the director for Europe, Bernadette Willemin. She was accompanied by the senior marketing executive for Reunion, Bernadette Honore, and the marketing executive for the Indian Ocean, Daphnee Zahary.
Trade partners from Seychelles who attended the events were Nadine Victor from Seychelles European Reservations, Lucy Jean Louis from Mason’s Travel, and Nichole Celestine from Hilton Seychelles Hotels.
Business to business workshops were organised in Saint Gilles and Saint Denis where local trade representatives had one on one meetings, which provided them with the opportunity to present their products to travel agents in Reunion.
Round table meetings organised in both cities also recorded a positive turnout, attracting the participation of some of the island’s top tour operators actively selling Seychelles as a tourist destination.
Besides workshops, destination training for travel trade professionals selling Seychelles in Réunion – through the Seychelles Smart Certification programme – was a major component of the event, as destination knowledge is considered to be an important tool.
Following its first Seychelles Smart Certification training programme held in Saint Denis in April, which saw the participation of 26 travel agents and tour operators, STB found the Trade and PR event to be the perfect platform to conduct a second such training for agents on the western side of the island.
The half-day session held in Saint-Gilles was conducted by Mrs Willemin who gave a detailed presentation about the destination.
Mrs Willemin said: “While it is important to remain visible on the market and keep increasing awareness of our product, it is also imperative to keep on training the Réunion travel trade. Training is key to the future business development of our business and market share. We have to ensure that the travel trade professionals are well prepared and equipped to convert all enquiries into sales and also confidently propose our destination to their clients. Destination training is one of our strategic priorities and STB Réunion will continue to invest time and effort in this area by ensuring that we cater for different market segments’ needs by adopting the appropriate formats.”
The local trade partners also participated in the training giving an overview of their services and products including the different categories of hotels available for visitors from various segments, whether they are travelling on a small or large budget. They all expressed satisfaction for being given the opportunity to not only present their products, but to also develop new partnerships.
Nadine Victor from Seychelles European Reservation said: “The workshop was a great way to showcase Seychelles through different perspectives to tour operators in Reunion.”
Nichole Celestine, representing Hilton Seychelles hotels who used the opportunity to showcase their three properties in Seychelles said: “The market has a lot of potential and is definitely one to consider for future collaborations.”
Lucy Jean Louis from Mason’s Travel said: “Once again Mason’s Travel travelled to Reunion to support STB and help to maintain the visibility and market share. Every time we visit, we witness the progress, more agents are participating and we encounter new faces, which are indications that much work is being done on the market.”
It is important to note that the Seychelles-Reunion route is served by Air Austral, which is in fact the only carrier offering direct flights between the two Indian Ocean islands.
Mr David Rougeau, who takes care of the Indian Ocean market at Air Austral was also present at the training and he gave a presentation on the airline. He noted that STB having a permanent presence in Reunion and the various marketing activities conducted in partnership with Air Austral have contributed to the increase in travellers using Air Austral to travel to Seychelles.
STB’s representation in Reunion started in 2016 at a time when the market was experiencing positive growth. A year later, Reunion remains the leading market for Seychelles in the Indian Ocean region. According to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics, Reunion has sent 5,184 visitors to Seychelles up to October 22, which represents a 10 percent increase compared to the same period in 2016.
Agents who attended the recent events in both cities of Saint Gilles and Saint Denis, also took part in a draw sponsored by STB, its local partners and Air Austral, which saw the lucky agents being awarded airline tickets to Seychelles and accommodation for their stay in the island nation.