Seychelles leaves imprints at trade fairs in China and Moscow |08 October 2011

Seychelles was being represented at the expo for business and leisure travels in China by a small delegation comprising local tourism professionals from the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB), Mason's Travel and 7°South.

The trade fair in China was held from September 16-18 at the Guilin International Conference & Exhibition Centre, with the participation of 59 countries including Seychelles. Also taking part in the exhibition, were 19 provinces and over 80 cities from China.

The launch of the exhibition started with a gala dinner on September 17, followed the next day by the opening ceremony, whereby the Seychelles flag floated proudly together with those of the other participating countries throughout the event.

Seychelles’ participation at the exhibition saw the islands being awarded the ‘Best Organised Booth Award’, ahead of the other countries.

Over 40 local tour operators in the Guangxi Province from Nanning (the capital of Guangxi), Guilin (host city) and Yangshuo city visited the Seychelles booth and showed high interest in Seychelles as a destination. This included major tour operators like CCT (China Comfort Travel), CITS (China International Travel Service), CYTS (China Youth Travel Service) and CTS (China Travel Service).

Jean-Luc Lai-Lam, STB’s marketing executive based in China, said the China Guilin International Tourism Expo was the ideal gathering point to get Seychelles known in this market in the presence of a large number of Chinese professionals in the travel and leisure industry.

“The Seychelles stand at the China Guilin International Tourism Expo has helped to elevate the visibility of the Seychelles islands, with media coverage provided by local media agencies such as Xinhua News Agency Guangxi (TV) Guilin Radio and Guilin Evening News,” said Mr Lai-Lam.

Over 6,000 trade visitors and over 160,000 public visitors attended the three-day exhibition.

After the tourism trade fair in China, Seychelles was then showcased in Moscow at the Otdykh Leisure Trade Show, held from September 21-24.
Representing the islands at the Moscow tourism trade show were representatives of the STB and trade partners, namely Air Seychelles, Raffles Hotels and 7° South, who once again ensured that Seychelles remains visible in Russia and in the surrounding region.

Andre Butler-Payette, STB’s marketing executive for Eastern European and who is based in Hungary, said the island’s tourism board recognises the true potential that lies in Russia as an important emerging market with unprecedented purchasing power.

“The Otdykh Leisure Trade Show was a stepping stone to tap into that potential, bringing Seychelles to the forefront as the ideal destination for Russian travellers,” he said.

Russia is currently Seychelles’ sixth largest market and despite the adverse effects of the global economy over the past few years, the country’s market share continues to grow steadily each year in terms of visitor arrivals.

This trade fair was significant in assuring that Seychelles has to position itself as the preferred holiday destination for Russians in order to cement this growth, said Mr Butler-Payette.

 “The message received from this trade fair is that Seychelles should increase its promotions and tourism campaigns to ensure more penetration in the region, as well as to reconfirm its commitment for next year’s trade fair, considering its importance for our tourism industry,” he added.