Seychelles at the Salon de la Plongée in Paris |16 January 2016

The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) in France was once again at the Porte de Versailles in Paris from January 8-11 to attend the French diving show.

More than 400 exhibitors took part in the show and came to propose their novelties in hall number 4 of the exhibition centre.

Equipment manufacturers, tour operators and tourist offices, clubs and associations all answered present to the call of the ocean, with 37% of them coming from abroad.

Fifty-five thousand five hundred (55,500) visitors made it to the show this year, a historic attendance which testified their support to the environmental cause, which was the theme for this year’s event.

The diving market in France remains a stable one with 160,000 licenses for a total of 300,000 estimated divers.

The Seychelles delegation this year was represented by the STB, Silhouette Cruises and the national airline Air Seychelles. The trio joined forces to showcase to the visitors the vast world that lies between 4 and 10 degrees south of the equator, home to a marine extravaganza as diverse and vibrant as it is unique.

The Seychelles was visible through the participation of Blue Sea Divers with its own dedicated stand.

“Seychelles offers diverse and impressive diving opportunities for experienced and novice divers alike and we have dive centres throughout the archipelago; it is thus imperative that we keep reminding the world of the rewarding experiences around both our granitic and the numerous coral atolls which await them throughout the year,” said Bernadette Willemin. 

She added that diving is a priority market segment which the Seychelles tourism targets and will continue to do so.