STB conducts four-city roadshow in Brazil |11 April 2018

Riding on a 120 percent increase in visitor arrivals from Brazil in 2017, Seychelles’ visibility received an added boost through a roadshow organised by the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB).

Moving from Porto Alegre, to Curitiba, Belo Horizonte and finally São Paulo, the roadshow was held from March 19 to 22.

The event was spearheaded by Global Vision Access (GVA) - a tourism marketing and communication company - that has been the Seychelles’ representation company for Brazil and South America since 2012.

Led by GVA’s founder, Gisele Abrahão, the STB team comprised its regional director for Africa & the Americas, David Germain, and senior marketing executive, Natacha Servina.

The aim of the roadshow was to promote Seychelles as a holiday location catering for all market segments. The key message relayed was that Seychelles is much more than a honeymoon destination.

Aside of promoting the destination and its local services and products, the STB team also took the opportunity to build relationships with travel professionals from the tourism sector in Brazil, such as tour operators and travel agencies, through various business-to-business encounters.

Three local hotel partners: Six Senses Zil Pasyon, North Island, Seychelles and Banyan Tree Seychelles as well as three airlines serving the Seychelles route: Emirates Airline, Turkish Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines, joined STB on the last leg of the roadshow in São Paulo.

STB also organised a media event in São Paulo, which was attended by nine journalists from some of the main publications in Brazil: Elle, Glamour and Viagem e Turismo.

At a lunch event hosted at ‘Le Manjue’ restaurant, the media professionals were treated to video presentations about the Seychelles islands highlighting the differences between the main islands and attractions found on each of them.

The founder of STB’s representation company in Brazil, Gisele Abrahão, said she was satisfied with the outcome of the roadshow while also expressing satisfaction with Brazil’s performance as a tourism market for Seychelles.

“We are clearly succeeding with our strategy of presenting the diversity of the Seychelles islands and showing that besides being the dream destination for honeymooners, the archipelago is also perfect for destination weddings, incentive travels and as well as vacations for families and friends,” Ms Abrahão said.

“In fact, Seychelles is a destination that deserves to be on everyone’s bucket list. It is a paradise on earth that inspires and certainly has a place in the heart of Brazilian holidaymakers,” she added.

In 2017, Brazil sent 1,882 visitors to Seychelles, representing the 120 percent increase over 2016. Up to March 2018, 329 Brazilian tourists have disembarked in Seychelles.