One of  Italy’s major tour operators, Carreblu, attended the sixth OUITIS exhibition with a stand dedicated to Seychelles.

The theme of the OUITIS exhibition was "The Traveller’s Mind" and it was held in Milan from May 9-11, at the Stelline’s Palace, one of the most prestigious hotels in the region.

An estimated 2,500 visitors, consisting of travel agents, trade journalists and other  VIPs attended the event.

The Seychelles Tourist Office representatives in Milan supported Carreblu with a presentation on Seychelles which was followed by the screening of the promotional video. To supplement this a cocktail evening for trade partners, agencies and journalists was co-hosted.

The exhibition organisers carried out seminars, workshops and talks focusing on adverse tourism issues, updating participants on the impact of Sars, the war crisis and other factors responsible for the upheaval in the tourism industry.

One element highlighted during these forums was tourists from high income brackets  choice of their holiday destination based upon, “where others cannot go”. Emphasis was given to Seychelles due to its uniqueness, exclusivity and high level of safety, which are paramount components affording the destination a strong competitive edge.

Meanwhile, in a trip in the opposite direction, a party of Italian tour operators have recently visited Seychelles, for an educational visit arranged by three of the major players in the local market.

The visit was organised by Air Seychelles, Seychelles Tourism Marketing Association and Masons Travel and following the visit Mr Derek Savy, Head of Marketing at Masons Travel, wrote the following:

"The discerning traveller is continuously looking for ‘safe’ destinations for  holidays and this is where, in a way, SARS has been a blessing in disguise for Seychelles. Tour Operators that have been promoting the Far East are now diverting their traffic to our shores.

Air Seychelles, STMA and Mason’s Travel have been very proactive in making these new players ‘live the Seychelles experience’. An educational with nine Tour Operators accompanied by Silvia Floris of Air Seychelles and Eric Goblet, Mason’s Travel representative on the Italian Market, landed in Seychelles to be exposed to the different facets of our destination. Between May 10-17 the party visited properties on the three main islands. The feedback has been very positive. It was the first time that such a trip had been organised with so many tour operators in one go.

It also gave us the opportunity to learn more about the market to better meet it's needs and expectations.

Our unique pristine beaches, spicy Creole dishes that reflect our culture and the people itself are all ingredients that have played a major role in seducing these new players in this ‘ as pure as it gets’ setting.

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