For the first time since the opening of the Seychelles International Airport in 1972, more than 250,000 tourists have visited the country in a single year.

As of December 10 this year, Seychelles has in fact registered a record of 254,017 visitor arrivals to its shores, an increase of 19% or 40,309 visitors compared to 2014.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Transport Joel Morgan made the happy announcement during a meeting with senior staff members of the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA), Air Seychelles and the Ministry of Tourism yesterday afternoon. Also present were the Minister for Tourism and Culture Alain St Ange and SAA board chairman David Savy.

Minster Morgan described the visitor arrival record as “remarkable figures” and an important mark in the aviation and tourism industry.

He added that the achievement represents something very important in terms of the strategy put in place by the ministries responsible for transport and tourism to ensure connectivity with the outside world.

The strategy, he reminded, now includes eight airlines ensuring 61 flights in and out of Seychelles per week, code sharing and partnerships with other airlines and connecting to over a hundred destinations, as well as more than R200 million currently invested in the development of the airport infrastructure.

Minister Morgan further remarked that everyone has to be proud of the accomplishment, as what has been achieved is the work of all actors in the aviation and tourism industry.

He added that as the national airline, Air Seychelles will continue with its policy to diversify its routes, bring in more passengers and contribute more to the country’s economy.

As part of the new routes, the transport minister reminded that Air Seychelles will be flying direct to Beijing as from the beginning of next year.

Minister St Ange has on his side commented that for the country to for the first time attract one quarter of a million visitors in a year is important for the livelihood of everybody in the tourism industry.

Describing the occasion as “a milestone for our country”, he congratulated the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) staff for good marketing, while insisting that STB has to continue consolidating its position, “as other destinations with more money than us are looking for the same clients”.

Without the marketing, he remarked, small hotels with no marketing capacity will simply die.

Minister St Ange further emphasised on the necessity of efficient marketing, due to a shift in tourism markets. As examples, he noted that as a result of resumed direct flight to Paris, France has retaken its first place with a 15% increase while with five to six flights per day from the Middle East, the region and the United Arab Emirates have for the first time taken third position behind Germany.

It is worth noting that added to the 254,017 passengers arriving in Seychelles so far this year, more than 60,000 Seychellois have also travelled overseas. It is expected that at end of the year, the country will have received a total of around 268,000 tourists.

Forrás: www.nation.sc