Minister heads ITB delegation

Tourism and Transport Minister Joseph Belmont is in Berlin this weekend at the head of the Seychelles delegation to the International Tourism Exchange (ITB).

A 54 member delegation has travelled from Seychelles to attend the five day travel fair, held at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds and the city's International Congress Centre.

Joining the Minister are representatives of some 25 different tourism organisations, adding to the near 10,000 companies taking part.

In total roughly 180 countries and territories will be represented at the 2004 ITB, which a Seychelles Tourism Marketing Authority (STMA) press release described as "among the most important instruments for communication within the international tourism industry."

An ITB article meanwhile promotes the event with the news that, "The ITB accurately reflects a business sector that operates on a truly world-wide scale and its value as the world’s leading market place for tourism is as high as ever."

STMA information adapted from the ITB website states that,

"This leading trade fair for the International tourism industry enables it’s exhibitors to enhance their own company's profile, establish contacts with new customers and to prepare to sell new products and services as well as analysing the competitive situation around the world. It is for those reasons including others that Seychelles is committing itself to such Travel Fair so as to maximise publicity and promotions for the destination."

The ITB follows the recent South African Incentives and Conferences Travel (ICT) fair, held at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg.

Targeted at the meetings, incentive, conference and exhibition travel market, the ICT ran from February 25 to 27 and attracted over 140 exhibitors.

Attended by a far smaller Seychelles contingent the ICT event saw Air Seychelles, Masons Travel, Creole Holidays and STMA try to capitalise upon opportunities in the African incentives travel market.

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