STB appoints Edith Hunzinger to head German representation |10 November 2007
“I am thrilled to be working with STB at such an exciting time for Seychelles’ tourism industry,” said Ms Hunzinger, who will be based in Frankfurt, from which Seychelles’ only direct connection out of Germany flies, via Condor.
“Germany has been the third-most important market for Seychelles behind France and Italy, and together with our trade partners there are a range of exciting activities and initiatives we can implement to help bolster the performance of the German market in the years to come,” she added.
Ms Hunzinger has had a long and storied career in the travel industry in Germany, serving for 14 years as the regional manager for the Seychelles Tourist Office in Frankfurt, and later taking over the portfolio for Scandinavia as well. Over the years, she has built a powerful network of individual contacts among trade professionals and journalists.
From 1988-2002, she served as vice-president and later president of Corps Touristique, the umbrella organisation of foreign tourist offices in Germany. Ms Hunzinger was also instrumental in setting up the successful Seychelles Secrets brand of the islands’ finest guest houses and small hotels.
The new appointment follows the expiry of the contract with STB’s previous representation, the Munich-based agency of Aviareps Mangum, which has worked with STB (and previously the Seychelles Tourism Marketing Authority) since 2002.
“We are grateful for all of the hard work that Aviareps Mangum has put into promoting Seychelles and we’ve had a long and fruitful relationship,” said STB chairman and CEO Maurice Loustau-Lalanne. “Going forward, however, we are hoping to duplicate the success we’ve enjoyed in Italy and France by having Seychellois directly on the ground in this key market. Ms Hunzinger has an extensive travel résumé and combined with her knowledge of the destination, we are incredibly optimistic about what we can achieve in the German-speaking market.”
The German market got off to a sluggish start in 2007 compared to Seychelles’ other core markets, but has shown signs of recovery and is now currently on pace with its arrival figures from last year, with around 16,000 visitors having travelled to the archipelago as of the end of October.
STB