SEYCHELLES Tourism Board (STB) is set to launch a new office in Shanghai in early 2013 to expand its presence in China.
Elsia Grandcourt, CEO, STB, said: “In tandem with our existing Beijing office, the new office in Shanghai will work to increase the Seychelles’ visibility in the Chinese market by conducting workshops for local trade partners to help them build up knowledge and capacity.”
Explaining the heightened attention on China, Grandcourt stated: “Europe was our main source market for a long time, but there’s now a need to diversify from Europe. Furthermore, (our efforts in) China is bearing fruit.
“China is a fast-growing source market for the Seychelles. From under 1,000 arrivals in 2010, we are likely to reach 4,000 Chinese arrivals this year – a 114 per cent increase over last year.”
Meanwhile, Air Seychelles will introduce thrice-weekly services between the Seychelles and Hong Kong via Abu Dhabi in February 2013.
The national carrier’s new Hong Kong link will boost air connectivity from Greater China, which alongside Seychelles’ visa-free requirement for all nationalities, is likely to boost Chinese outbound flow to the island country, Grandcourt added.
She said: “We expect another five to seven per cent increase in Chinese arrivals for next year, but there’s a high possibility of surpassing the forecasted figure with the new Air Seychelles flight.”
