Emirates to fly to Seychelles every day |13 October 2010

A memorandum of understanding highlighting joint promotional activities in the Middle East was signed yesterday between the Dubai-based airline and the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) in Dubai, in the presence of Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Paul Adam and Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ divisional senior vice-president, planning and research.

The extra flight will operate on Thursdays and increase existing capacity by 16% per week in each direction, making it easier for leisure travellers, especially tourists from the Middle East, to visit the country
Flight EK 705 will leave Dubai at 2.30am and arrive in Seychelles at 7am. On the return journey, flight EK 706 will leave Seychelles at 8.30am, arriving in Dubai at 1pm. The service is operated by an Airbus A340-500 plane offering 12 seats in first class, 42 seats in business class and 258 seats in economy.

Majid Al Mualla, Emirates’ senior vice-president, commercial operations West Asia & Indian Ocean, said: “With the increase in frequency which took place in February, this is the third extra flight we have introduced on the Seychelles route this year.

“This is a clear indication of our trust in the tourism industry of Seychelles and shows that all our marketing efforts are bearing fruit.

“We are active partners of Seychelles. We are taking the commitment to enhance our efforts to promote the archipelago further in the Middle East region. Hand in hand with the Seychelles Tourism Board, we are confident of bringing even better results. We wish to thank the government of Seychelles for their trust in Emirates.”

Alain St Ange, chief executive of the STB, said: “The STB values the support it has been receiving from Emirates airline, which has now clearly established Dubai as a hub for Seychelles.

“The MoU signed between Emirates and the STB will consolidate this working partnership and bring about results that will benefit both Emirates and Seychelles.

“Emirates has shown that it is a trusted and serious partner for Seychelles, especially at this time when Seychelles is forging its visibility programme in the Middle East. The friendly ties that exist between the Middle East bloc and Seychelles can only be strengthened by the signing of this agreement.”

Various initiatives to promote travel to Seychelles have taken place during the year. This includes the launch of special packages in markets such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, Greece and Turkey. And a press trip comprising journalists from the Middle East visited Seychelles in April, courtesy of Emirates Holidays.

From the start of its flights to Seychelles in January 2005, Emirates has promoted the island destination throughout its network. Every year, Emirates Holidays’ brochure – A World of Choice – dedicates a prominent section to the destination.

In 2009, 157,541 tourists visited Seychelles, the leading markets being France, Italy, Germany, the UK, South Africa and Russia.

For Seychelles travellers, the extra flight will bring more flexibility to travelling to Dubai and to Emirates’ global network, representing more than 100 destinations around the world.