What do Indian travelers usually look for in a destination, what are their needs and expectations when it comes to Seychelles and what can be done to further develop the market?
The Seychelles Tourism Board, local and Indian trade partners were recently given the opportunity to ponder on these questions in a half-day seminar dubbed The Indian Traveler.
The seminar was held at the Avani Seychelles Barbarons Resort and Spa on Friday 30th June.
India is still a relatively new market for the islands whose bulk of visitors originate from Europe. STBs efforts really started 4 years ago, with the appointment of its representation office, based in Mumbai.
2016 was a great year for the Indian market with total arrivals amounting to 10,916, which represented an 88 percent increase over 2015 figures, finishing the year as the 10th largest source market for Seychelles. From January to 2nd July 2017, a total of 6,653 visitors from India have disembarked in Seychelles compared to 5,680 during the same period in 2016 representing an increase of 17 percent. With great accessibility; enjoying 5 direct flights a week from Mumbai, Seychelles is however yet to see the desired growth on this market.
One of the guest speakers at the seminar, Jai Bhulwalaand, the founder of a Mumbai-based travel agent Holidays Box gave an overview of the typical Indian traveler.
Seychelles is new in this market and the Indians are very different to Europeans, Indians are a lot about customized features and shorter stays, very geared on value for money options, he said.
Mr. Bhulwalaand said that Seychelles has it all but just needs to be packaged and delivered in a way that would be even more appealing to the Indian visitors.
Theres a very positive trend in bookings to come to Seychelles, and this is being boosted by more road shows where representatives can come and gain exposure for their own experience and to promote Seychelles, he added.
After directing efforts at promoting honeymoon, family, adventure, eco-tourism, small groups, wellness and spa holidays in Seychelles among Indian travelers, the STB more recently started to focus on Indias destination wedding segment. And during the seminar it was confirmed that Seychelles Indian market definitely has potential for further growth, especially within the honeymoon and wedding segment.
Mr. Parthip Tyagarajan, the founder of weddingsutra.com, a popular online platform already promoting Seychelles as a wedding destination, noted that there are several opportunities to tap into considering the various segments involved in an Indian wedding.
There are several stages in an Indian wedding, and Seychelles may be ideal as the proposal destination, as well as the pre-wedding photoshoot and/or the family moon which is where the family comes to relax after the wedding, said Mr. Tyagarajan.
While the wedding segment remains the main focus, it was agreed that there was a need to ensure that all potential Indian travelers are given the opportunity to hear about the Seychelles islands and its products.
Ms. Lubaina Sheerazi the chief operating officer at Mumbai-based Blue Square Consultants, which represents the STB in India said many of the almost 22,000 tourists that have visited Seychelles over the past three years, have been involved in word of mouth publicity, leading to increasing interests in the destination. She added that there is a need to build on this advantage to further increase the visitor numbers.
Going further, Mr. Ashutosh Mehere the chief operating officer of Alliances at Cox & Kings, one of the oldest travel company headquartered in India urged the STB and local trade partners to find ways to ensure that there are more local goods available as well as more activities on which the Indians can spend as they love to splurge on extras.
Air Seychelles head of marketing, loyalty and guest affairs Ms. Sabrina Agathine also a guest speaker at the seminar spoke about the airlines connection to Indian highlighting the 5 weekly flights from Mumbai to the Seychelles and its code share with Jet Airways to other destinations in India. Ms Agathine also elaborated on Air Seychelles short-term objectives to benchmark itself against competing airlines and destinations when it comes to the Indian market.
In her introductory remarks at the event, the Chief Executive of the STB, Mrs. Sherin Francis highlighted the fact that India being just a three-hour flight away stands as a prime destination for Seychelles, adding that that the STB would like to see increased tailor-made efforts to ensure that Indian travelers enjoy a wonderful experience in the Seychelles.
It is an opportunity right there and then, ready for us to tap into. We just need to understand their requirements, and to recognize what makes them tick, said Mrs. Francis.
At the end of the seminar, Mrs. Francis also called on stakeholders to invest in the little things rather than restructuring their business model around the Indian market.
A small effort goes a long way and with the Indian market its important that what is on offer in a specific package is made available, although they might not use it during their stay, she added.
It is important to note that with over 62 million passport holders who are potential travelers, India has emerged as the worlds second fastest growing outbound market after China in terms of visitor numbers.
Excerpt from:
The Indian traveler: Seychelles Tourism explores potential of Indian market - eTurboNews
- Seychelles: Maps, History, Geography, Government, Culture ... [Last Updated On: June 10th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 10th, 2016]
- Seychelles Tourism Board [Last Updated On: June 10th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 10th, 2016]
- Seychelles - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [Last Updated On: June 12th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 12th, 2016]
- Discover - Seychelles - Seychelles Tourism Board [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2016]
- Seychelles - Republic of Seychelles - Country Profile ... [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2016]
- Seychelles Beach Resort - Wyndham Vacation Rentals [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2016]
- Seychelles Holidays - Luxury Breaks | Thomas Cook Signature [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2016]
- Seychelles Map / Geography of Seychelles / Map of Seychelles ... [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2016]
- Voyage aux Seychelles : rservez vos vacances aux ... [Last Updated On: June 22nd, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 22nd, 2016]
- Seychelles - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [Last Updated On: June 27th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 27th, 2016]
- Seychelles Holidays | Hotels & Island Hopping | Seyvillas.com [Last Updated On: June 27th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 27th, 2016]
- Seychelles - gilt.com [Last Updated On: August 27th, 2016] [Originally Added On: August 27th, 2016]
- Seychelles | history - geography | Britannica.com [Last Updated On: August 27th, 2016] [Originally Added On: August 27th, 2016]
- Seychelles police: Autopsies done for sisters found dead in ... [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2016] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2016]
- US sisters Robin and Annie Korkki found dead at Seychelles ... [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2016] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2016]
- Victoria, Seychelles - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [Last Updated On: October 15th, 2016] [Originally Added On: October 15th, 2016]
- Seychelles Mystery: No Illegal Drugs in Hotel Room of Sisters ... [Last Updated On: October 15th, 2016] [Originally Added On: October 15th, 2016]
- Seychelles - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: October 25th, 2016] [Originally Added On: October 25th, 2016]
- Seychelles national football team - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: November 27th, 2016] [Originally Added On: November 27th, 2016]
- Seychelles Tourism reaches out to Belgium visitors - eTurboNews [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2017]
- Getting to know the Seychelles - Alternatives Journal (blog) [Last Updated On: February 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 10th, 2017]
- Four suspected foreign drug barons deported to Seychelles - The Star, Kenya [Last Updated On: February 12th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 12th, 2017]
- 33% increase in tourism arrivals in Seychelles: True! - eTurboNews [Last Updated On: February 15th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 15th, 2017]
- SA, Seychelles nationals held in narcotics crackdown - The Standard (press release) [Last Updated On: February 15th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 15th, 2017]
- Navy completes Seychelles ship refit - Times of India [Last Updated On: February 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 17th, 2017]
- SAA adds new codeshare route with Air Seychelles | Traveller24 - News24 [Last Updated On: February 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 18th, 2017]
- Crystal Esprit Performs Seychelles Rescue - Cruise Industry News ... - Cruise Industry News [Last Updated On: February 19th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 19th, 2017]
- South African Airways announces codeshare agreement with Air Seychelles - BizNis Africa [Last Updated On: February 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 20th, 2017]
- Seychelles - The New York Times [Last Updated On: February 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 20th, 2017]
- New Seychelles Diary blog enhancing tourism - eTurboNews [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2017]
- Seychelles Tourism Minister works for daily flights with Mauritius - eTurboNews [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2017]
- Enhancements and improvements: Seychelles resort gets upgrades - eTurboNews [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2017]
- Destination Seychelles: Topping travel lists in the US - eTurboNews [Last Updated On: February 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 23rd, 2017]
- Seychelles Tourism is in Jeddah promoting tourism - eTurboNews [Last Updated On: February 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 23rd, 2017]
- Fourth Steber vessel for Seychelles resort - Manning River Times [Last Updated On: February 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 23rd, 2017]
- Future is BRIGHT for Seychelles hospitality graduates - eTurboNews [Last Updated On: February 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 24th, 2017]
- Seychelles' Dubai office welcomes visitors to Dubai travel and tourism event - eTurboNews [Last Updated On: February 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 24th, 2017]
- Seychelles Footwear's President and Director of Product on Overseeing the Brand Together - Footwear News [Last Updated On: February 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 24th, 2017]
- French 'Memo Planet' supports Alain St.Ange - FTNnews.com (press release) [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2017]
- Seychelles Tourism on the road in South Africa - eTurboNews [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2017]
- Mohammed receives President of Seychelles - Gulf Today [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2017]
- #TravelGoals 2017: Rent a private island in Indonesia or the Seychelles - GQ India [Last Updated On: March 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 1st, 2017]
- Lanka and Seychelles to jointly fight drug menace - The Sunday Times Sri Lanka [Last Updated On: March 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 1st, 2017]
- St.Ange from Seychelles receives more support from the Mauritius - FTNnews.com (press release) [Last Updated On: March 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 1st, 2017]
- Seychelles vies for its fair share of the China market - eTurboNews ... - eTurboNews [Last Updated On: March 2nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 2nd, 2017]
- Seychelles reports 17% increase in South African visitors - Bizcommunity.com [Last Updated On: March 2nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 2nd, 2017]
- Breakout Role: Seychelles - Paste Magazine [Last Updated On: March 2nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 2nd, 2017]
- Moratorium update on large hotel projects in Seychelles - eTurboNews - eTurboNews [Last Updated On: March 4th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 4th, 2017]
- Seychelles Tourism team on its way to ITB Berlin - eTurboNews.com - eTurboNews [Last Updated On: March 4th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 4th, 2017]
- Get to Know the Seychelles - TravelPulse [Last Updated On: March 4th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 4th, 2017]
- Seychelles ensures tourists receive best possible service - eTurboNews [Last Updated On: March 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 7th, 2017]
- Tourism Minister of Seychelles goes door to door - eTurboNews [Last Updated On: March 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 7th, 2017]
- Seychelles Tourism brings paradise to Travel & Adventure Show in San Diego - eTurboNews [Last Updated On: March 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 9th, 2017]
- Seychelles holidays beneath the waves promoted in Italy - eTurboNews [Last Updated On: March 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 10th, 2017]
- Abu Dhabi students fall in love with Seychelles - eTurboNews [Last Updated On: March 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 11th, 2017]
- Behind the scenes of the Seychelles debt-for-nature deal ... - ImpactAlpha (registration) [Last Updated On: March 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 11th, 2017]
- Travel: Paradise found on Alphonse Island in the Seychelles - The Scotsman [Last Updated On: March 12th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 12th, 2017]
- Seychelles Tourism in the spotlight at ITB Berlin - eTurboNews [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2017]
- Quick trips: 48hrs in Seychelles - iAfrica.com [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2017]
- Air Seychelles Receives New Aircraft - Footprint to Africa - Business and Financial News (press release) (registration) (blog) [Last Updated On: March 19th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 19th, 2017]
- Air Seychelles takes delivery of second Airbus A330 - Logistics Update Africa (registration) [Last Updated On: March 29th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 29th, 2017]
- From Seychelles to farming at Toko Mouth - Otago Daily Times [Last Updated On: March 31st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 31st, 2017]
- Six Senses Zil Pasyon Opens On The Seychelles' Most Dramatic Island - Forbes [Last Updated On: March 31st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 31st, 2017]
- Seychelles touchdown marks 11th international airline in Durban - Times LIVE [Last Updated On: April 2nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 2nd, 2017]
- Air Seychelles begins flights to Durban - North Coast Courier [Last Updated On: April 2nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 2nd, 2017]
- Kenya to host Seychelles President Danny Faure on Monday - The Star, Kenya [Last Updated On: April 2nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 2nd, 2017]
- Air Seychelles starts flights to Durban - Engineering News - Creamer Media's Engineering News [Last Updated On: April 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 3rd, 2017]
- Kenya, Seychelles link up to combat illegal fishing, piracy - Business Daily (press release) (blog) [Last Updated On: April 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 3rd, 2017]
- Seychelles part 1: Which island in Seychelles is right for you? - Independent Online [Last Updated On: April 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 3rd, 2017]
- Blackwater founder held secret Seychelles meeting to establish Trump-Putin back channel - Washington Post [Last Updated On: April 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 3rd, 2017]
- Seychelles opens doors for Kenyan teachers, farmers - K24 TV [Last Updated On: April 5th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 5th, 2017]
- MK weds in Seychelles, slams lack of civil marriage in Israel - The Times of Israel [Last Updated On: April 5th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 5th, 2017]
- IMF Staff Completes Visit to Seychelles - International Monetary Fund [Last Updated On: April 5th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 5th, 2017]
- KQ clinches open-sky deal with Seychelles - The Star, Kenya [Last Updated On: April 5th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 5th, 2017]
- Boost for KQ as open sky deal with Seychelles secured - The Star, Kenya [Last Updated On: April 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 7th, 2017]
- Let's take lessons from Seychelles and divesify economy - The Star, Kenya [Last Updated On: April 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 7th, 2017]
- Week in Pictures: Searcys' showcase and Seychelles: A Taste of Bliss - CIT Magazine [Last Updated On: April 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 7th, 2017]
- Seychelles part 2: How to spend 3 days in the country - Independent Online [Last Updated On: April 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 7th, 2017]
- Flag of Seychelles - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: April 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 10th, 2017]
- Seychelles showcased at fishing fair in Italy - eTurboNews [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2017]