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by STB - 28th March 2006
Few can doubt that Seychelles stands at the threshold of a quantum leap forward in its tourism industry and that the realisation of the destination’s enormous potential is now within our grasp.
This sparkling island destination is definitely no longer the 5-star destination with 3-star products but rather the Indian Ocean’s destination of the future – the new kid on the block, with everything to play for.
Renewed interest in Seychelles as a tourism destination is everywhere apparent: from the presence of the lions of the aviation industry, Emirates and Qatar Airways, who both fly four times a week to Seychelles, to the 19 new establishments scheduled to appear on the scene between 2005 and 2008, by the end of which total employment in the tourism sector will see an 80% boost and the number of beds will have seen a 43% increase.
Already, on the ground in Seychelles, the difference is being felt. In 2005, the total visitor arrival figures ended on almost 130,000, which was an increase of 7% over 2004. Since January 2006, Seychelles has seen an increase in visitors of over 18% and the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) are targeting 147,300 visitors for 2006, which represents a 13.8% rise on 2005.
As part of its strategy, the STB will focus on widening the variety of hotels on offer, ranging from quaint Creole guesthouses and self-catering establishments to luxurious 5-star properties and magnificent island resorts.
The new Seychelles Secrets brand, whose website was launched in March 2006, www.seychellessecrets.com, represents a wealth of small holiday properties, vetted by STB for cleanliness, comfort, décor, value for money and a range of other criteria, with a view to creating, maintaining and marketing a stock of high-standard yet affordable accommodation for tourist visitors.
Large hotel brands such as Hilton, Shangri-la, Four Seasons, Southern Sun, La Constance and Beachcomber are competing for a chance to be a part of the action with new developments and planning launches between 2006 and 2008, some with their second hotel investment.
Such fresh confidence in the potential of the destination is continuing to attract numerous exciting and prestigious tourism development projects to our shores which, combined with renewed government commitment to create an enabling environment on the ground, is heralding a promising new dawn and an unprecedented opportunity for us to realise our dreams for our beautiful islands’ tourism industry.
The STB has compiled all of the latest information on these new developments into a convenient reference guide: ‘Soon in Seychelles’, which will be updated as and when new developments come into fruition, so watch this space.
View the current version on http://www.seychelles.net/stb/Soon_In_Seychelles.pdf
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