A group of travel agents from the UAE recently visited Seychelles as part of a familiarisation trip arranged by the Seychelles Tourism Board’s office in the Middle East.

The trip aimed to further encourage the agents to push and support Seychelles being at the forefront in the travel business.

Ahmed Fathallah, Seychelles Tourism Board’s regional manager in the Middle East, said the trip gave the agents a chance to be familiar with different properties and product offerings to create packages suitable for their clients.

The trip was supported by Constance Ephelia Resort, Avani Resort & Spa, and Raffles Praslin Seychelles.

Maia Luxury Resort & Spa, Kempinksi Seychelles Resort, Banyan Tree Seychelles, Eden Island, L’ habitation de Cerf, Coco De Mer Hotel, Constance Lemuria Resort, and Savoy Resort & Spa also opened their doors for the agents to be accustomed to other properties in Seychelles.

Destination management companies from Seychelles such as Vision Voyages, Select-Seychelles, Masons Travel, Creole Travel Services, and 7-degrees South also contributed to this trip.

“With the Seychelles tourism office in the Middle East slowly climbing to the top, being the third feeder market to Seychelles with more than 10,000 visitors from the region for week 29, we gained a tremendous increase of 58 per cent from January to July - ending week 29 - on visitor arrivals compared to the same period last year for the UAE region,” said Fathallah.

“We are truly delighted with this development, and we are inspired to execute more of such trip activities, as this is truly beneficial for both parties - the agents having a great chance to enjoy and experience the island while also gaining knowledge on how best to sell the destination and its properties to their clients,” Fathallah said. – TradeArabia News Service