seychelles 09
Perfect for couples, or those twinning the destination with Dubai or Abu Dhabi, the Seychelles has plenty to help agents overcome any price resistance, says Kathryn Liston
T
he Seychelles has a reputation for being pricey but travel agents should stress the diversity of its islands
and current excellent added-value offers to counter client concerns, say tour operators. “The Seychelles is a real challenge to sell and people can fi nd better prices elsewhere, but the islands are stunningly beautiful and worth the money; that is the message we need to get across to clients,” says Mark Boullé, Marketing Manager at Beachcomber Tours. Owen Davies, Marketing Director at Just
Seychelles, agrees. “People don’t realise the diversity of the Seychelles. There is tropical rain forest and more than 115 granite and coral islands to explore. We encourage people to get out and about and visit at least two or three islands.” Davies says the Seychelles are more
affordable than many people think – a point driven home by the Seychelles Tourism Board’s recent Affordable Luxury campaign. “There is a huge range of accommodation available, including some very good four-star resorts, boutique hotels and Creole guesthouses that offer something different,” says Davies. “A lot of our clients will also add a few nights in a luxury hotel such as Raffl es at the end of their stay.” Although UK arrivals are down by around six per cent so far this year compared to 2013, tour operators report consistently strong demand for weddings, honeymoons and anniversary celebrations. Premier Holidays’ Product Manager, Nikki
Hain, says there are some great added- value offers for brides, honeymooners and couples celebrating anniversaries such as free nights and room upgrades, bride discounts and welcome gifts upon arrival.
sellingtravel.co.uk Premier offers brides an 80% discount on
accommodation at the four-star Doubletree by Hilton-Allamanda Resort & Spa, Mahé, while honeymooners and couples celebrating an anniversary qualify for discounts at the Coco de Mer & Black Parrot Suites on Praslin. “The Seychelles are perfect for honeymoons and anniversaries because guests are not disturbed by hordes of tourists or locals plying their wares,” adds Hain. Both Travel 2 and Hayes & Jarvis report that sales are doing well this year. Zoe Betchley, Hayes & Jarvis Destination Manager, says: “The Seychelles is performing strongly this year and sales for 2015 have started well due to the ‘Affordable Luxury’ campaign the tourist board launched in 2013. “The growth has mainly been driven by
couples travelling to the destination and twinning it with Dubai or Abu Dhabi.” With no direct fl ights from the UK to the
“Early bird catches the flight...With the limited number of airlines flying into the Seychelles, flights fill up quickly so encourage clients to
book well in advance” NIKKI HAIN, PRODUCT MANAGER, PREMIER HOLIDAYS
Seychelles, the majority of holidaymakers fl y via Dubai with Emirates or Abu Dhabi with Etihad. However, high load
factors on these routes means high airfares for tour operators and empty beds for hoteliers. Alain St Ange,
Seychelles Minister for Tourism, says: “At our peak periods, when we should be
full, we cannot get bookings because the airlines serving Seychelles through the two Middle East hubs are running on a very high load factor.” Those who do visit the Seychelles will be
rewarded with a destination that really does have something of the ‘X factor’ about it: think stunning scenery and delicious Creole cuisine, whether they choose Mahé, Praslin or La Digue, or a deserted hideaway such as Des Roches, Denis, Fregate or Bird.
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