STB appoints new tourism ambassadors
● Now 60 Seychellois in 25 countries
It was under the catchphrase “once a Seychellois, always a Seychellois” that the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) announced a second group of tourism ambassadors, at the ITB trade fair in Berlin, Germany.
This brings the number of Seychelles representatives to 60 in 25 countries across the world.
The new appointments were announced by Vice-President Joseph Belmont on Thursday at a trade lunch on the Seychelles stand.
“We shall continue to identify more Seychellois living and working overseas and propose to them that they become part of the Seychelles tourism ambassadors programme,” he said.
The director of tourism marketing, Alain St Ange, said empowering Seychellois in the four corners of the world to defend and promote Seychelles remains a novel idea and one that the tourism board will continue to develop.
He explained that by appointing Seychellois living overseas as tourism ambassadors, they were responding to President James Michel’s Koste Seselwa appeal. They have so far appointed 60 Seychellois in 25 countries to work alongside the overseas offices to make Seychelles better known.
“It is encouraging to see so many Seychellois nationals themselves making the approach to become a tourism ambassador, and in so doing express their wish to work for Seychelles,” said Mr St Ange.
The STB is finalising a dedicated newsletter for the ambassadors, to keep them updated on Seychelles’ tourism news and what the different members are doing in their own cities.
Sharen Venus, the tourism board’s marketing executive overseeing the programme, said the enthusiasm of the newly appointed ambassadors is so evident, and she is convinced their personal contacts will help make Seychelles better known in the four corners of the world.
The STB is expected to announce the next group of appointments to its tourism ambassadors programme during the Seychelles National Show as part of the National Day celebrations in June.