The Seychelles islands captivated the attention of travel agents across four main Central European capitals, as the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) and trade partners hosted another successful edition of the Seychelles Eastern Europe Roadshow. The 3rd edition of the annual event was held from May 22-25, in Warsaw, Prague, Bratislava, and Budapest.

Through their train and dine setup, the Seychelles Tourism Board and local trade partners held networking sessions with the travel agents, which proved to be an effective way of grabbing their attention in a more friendly and relaxed atmosphere. For the main presentations that followed the tte--tte, around 60 agents embarked on the journey, which provided them with an overview of the Seychelles unique selling points, the diversity of what the destination has to offer, and the various products.

To conclude the roadshow, the Seychelles Tourism Board and partners joined together to present a prize to one lucky winner who was offered an 8-night stay in Seychelles, hence the opportunity to fully experience the island destination.

The Seychelles delegation at the 2017 Eastern Europe Roadshow was headed by the Seychelles Tourism Board Manager for Scandinavia, CIS & Eastern Europe, Karen Confait, accompanied by Marketing Executive Elsie Sinon, as well as representatives of hotels, Destination Management Companies, and airlines. The local trade partners consisted of Constance Hotels & Resorts: Dominika Janta, Kempinski Seychelles Resort: Marko Dobrus, Hilton Seychelles: Katerina Konarikova, Savoy Resort Seychelles & Coral Strand Hotel: Valeria Gavrikova, Masons Travel: Gerhard Bartsch, Le Duc de Praslin, Valmer Resort & La Digue Island Lodge: Derek Savy and Emirates: Zsolt Nemeth, Michaela Lechnov, Agata Rasala and Raphael Grugl.

The Seychelles Eastern Europe roadshow has become a highlight of promotional efforts on the market, generating more and more interest each year. Ms. Confait said this years event was a great success, having received positive feedback from both the travel trade and local partners.

The interest on the market has grown considerably since we started 4 years ago. This is clearly visible in the arrival figures with Poland and Czech Republic dominating the market. For this year, a 61% increase has been recorded so far on these 4 markets collectively compared to same period last year, said Confait.

Dedicated Seychelles events such as the Eastern Europe Roadshow, aimed at bringing the island nation and its products directly to the doorstep of the travel agents and boosting their confidence to sell the destination, also helps to put Seychelles in the forefront through the unified collaboration of all trade partners. Ms. Confait said the event also allows the Seychelles Tourism Board to build closer relationships with both the trade and local partners, which provides an advantage when growing and maintaining the market.

It is to be noted that our constant presence is recognized and appreciated by the travel trade especially in smaller cities like Bratislava, she added.

In additional to promotional efforts, theres also been significant increase in air access which is helping to make the destination more accessible to potential travelers. While Emirates has been a faithful partner over the years, more flight options are now available following the resumption of daily flights by Qatar Airways in December last year and introduction of thrice weekly flights to the island nation by Turkish Airlines, in October 2016.

With the increasing potential in this region and demand from both the Seychelles partners and travel trade, we look forward to working and growing this market further, while planning other activities for later this year, said Confait.

Go here to read the rest:

Seychelles concludes 3rd edition of Eastern Europe Roadshow, providing added boost to growing market - eTurboNews