As part of efforts to relaunch the Seychelles destination in the UK market, the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) will reopen an office in London on Thursday July 15, after an absence of almost two years.

The occasion will be marked by an opening ceremony at Chandos House in London attended by the STB’s chief executive Alain St Ange, who will deliver his speech in the presence of UK trade partners and travel agents.

Seychelles has had a regional manager based in the UK for the last eight months but working from a temporary office. A new location has now been confirmed for the fully-fledged Seychelles Tourist Office, which will work closely with tour operators and agents to build the profile of the destination and consolidate its market share throughout the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia.

The regional manager for the UK office, Fiona Lane, and her two marketing assistants, Stephanie Medor and Lorraine Louis, form an all-Seychellois team who will boost the country’s tourism marketing activities.

The office will also support tour operators, hoteliers and other trade partners in their sales and marketing campaigns, and introduce initiatives for UK agents including a comprehensive training programme in 2010 and 2011.

Speaking ahead of the official opening, Ms Lane said: “We will work with our traditional partners and expand into niche markets to reach the broadest audience possible.

“Our focus is to maintain momentum within the established wedding, honeymoon and luxury markets, and raise awareness of the growing choice the islands can offer in both the affordable travel and special interest sectors.”

Mr St Ange said the UK remains an important traditional market for us and one that should be producing good results.

“It is high time we re-established ourselves in the UK market, and we are now there to stay. The UK knows Seychelles well, and what we need to do now is to translate knowledge of the destination into solid bookings,” he said.

To coincide with the reopening, a workshop has been organised for UK travel agents right after the opening ceremony and cocktail reception on July 15.

The UK office will be open Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm, but will be closed on public holidays.
The contact details of the UK office are: Seychelles Tourist Office, 73 Newman Street,
London, W1T 3EJ. Telephone +44 (0) 207 580 7759. Email: seychelles@uksto.co.uk