Tourism delegation heads to Top Resa travel fair in France |16 September 2006

The annual fair, which draws more than 15,000 individuals and is the largest tourism and travel event in France, will be held from September 21-23, bringing tourism professionals, companies and journalists from around the world together for three days.

Top Resa will be the platform for the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB), led by Chairman & CEO Maurice Loustau-Lalanne, to unveil several new and exciting initiatives for the French market, including a slide show featuring 3D images of Seychelles to be used as a marketing and educational tool.

Additionally, STB will be promoting the recently completed French version of the Seychelles Secrets website (www.seychellessecrets.com) at Top Resa, in the hopes of elevating the profile of this portfolio of small hotels and guest houses on the French market.

On September 21, the Seychelles Hospitality and Tourism Association (SHTA) in conjunction with STB and local tourism partners is organising Soirée Seychelles, a traditional evening of Seychellois food, music and dance to thank the French travel trade for their continued support, at the Restaurant Chez Marte in Deauville.

Two magazines will also launch special Seychelles-dedicated editions for Top Resa – INDIGO, a travel magazine that will be highlighting Seychelles’ conservation successes with respect to tourism development, and Quotidien du Tourisme, a special publication distributed at Top Resa targeting the travel trade.

The French market will also get a further boost with the impending launch of a special training manual on Seychelles, to facilitate better product knowledge and information about the islands for travel agents and tour operators throughout France.

“France continues to be our leading market for visitor arrivals, and Top Resa is a good opportunity for us to continue building on our success in this market,” said Mr Loustau-Lalanne. “We expect a fruitful outcome for the entire delegation.”