Air Mauritius recently organised a meeting with several travel agencies to present Singapore as a destination for Mauritians. This approach will in return bring visibility for Mauritius and Singapore. The meeting in Mauritius was organised in collaboration with Changi Airport Singapore and it was the occasion for Raj Deenanath, the VP Sales Support and Distribution for Air Mauritius, to review all the direct flights proposed by the airline company on Singapore since March 2016.
It is confirmed that there has been a constant progress in the occupancy rate of Air Mauritius with 10 points difference between financial years 2015/2016 and 2016/2017, reaching 80.7%. The first quarter of the current financial year is very positive. Air Mauritius transported 17,000 passengers on this route representing an increase of 10% compared to the same period in 2016.
The various assets of the Singaporian hub have also been presented. Air Mauritius offers connections to 15 destinations from this hub: Shanghai, Hong Kong, Perth, Sydney, Jakarta, Denpasar, Medan, Palembang, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Bangkok, Samui, Manilla, Phnom Penh, Ho Chi Minh. The code share agreement with Singapore Airlines also offers other options.
With the increasing demand on the Mauritius-Singapore route, Air Mauritius decided to increase its flights as from December this year passing to four weekly flights, and according to Raj Deenanath, there could even be a fifth flight operated in 2018.
Changi Airport Singapore was represented by Sarah Ong Mei Shan, Manager Airport Development, and Neo Wei Shan, Manager Passenger Development. Sarah Ong Mei Shan who made a presentation on Singapore, talked about the touristic best sellers – the zoo, river safari, Sentosa Shopping, stunning hotels, leisure parks, cruising offers, and F1 races that could interest Mauritians. She also mentioned the various new and ongoing projects, namely the opening of the fourth terminal at Changi Airport before the end of this year and the opening of the Jewel Changi Airport in 2019 and that will offer a unique experience with an unexpected architecture.
The travel agents have been able to meet two Singaporean DMCs who came to Mauritius for the occasion, The Traveller and Luxury Tours.
Seychelles Tourism Board on its part, has moved to target consumer-driven advertising to attract more visitors from the Middle East
With the aim of capitalizing on growing interest in Seychelles among holidaymakers in the Middle East region, the Seychelles Tourism Board is aiming to create more brand awareness to further position the island nation as a destination of choice in that region.
According to statistics, over 20,000 visitors from the Middle East have travelled to the Seychelles Islands from January to July this year. This represents a growth of 30 percent.
The United Arab Emirates is one market that is doing remarkably well. Currently standing as the third main source market, the UAE has sent 18,574 visitors to Seychelles up to 20th August, representing a 24 percent increase.
Aiming to keep the tourism numbers growing, the STB’s regional office in Dubai is getting ready to launch a series of marketing initiatives ranging from outdoor advertising as well as taxi, SMS and YouTube advertising campaigns.
The campaigns will be launched in several regions of the Middle-East, namely in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia – mainly in Riyadh and Jeddah, Kuwait, Qatar & Bahrain.
The Seychelles Tourism Board’s regional manager for the Middle East Ahmed Fathallah said “for the past several years one of our main strategies was to educate the trade partners with Seychelles’ unique selling points, however the market needs has changed wherein it is now more consumer driven.”
“With this we are adapting on the trend and we are positive that this will meet our objectives and return on investment will be quantifiable on the later stage through the number of visitors to Seychelles,” he added.
The majority of the campaigns will run for a little over two months, mainly between September and October.
For the outdoor advertising campaign, 23 double sided MUPI advertising panels will be launched at 3 business communities in Dubai. This is a mass marketing campaign where several artworks depicting key scenes of the Seychelles will be portrayed featuring tags translated into Arabic.
Aimed at captivating the attention of as many on the go consumers in Dubai, the taxi campaign will see some 50 taxis being fully branded with artworks depicting the Seychelles sceneries and the Tourism Board’s logo.
Targeting online consumers in the 25 to 60 age group, a 20-seconds non-skippable clip of the Seychelles will be featured on YouTube. The advertising campaign will be focussed on encouraging bookings and will be targeting potential travellers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar & Bahrain.
The SMS campaign is one that will run for one year, where ‘Seychelles TB’ will be the sender ID used to try and take advantage of the peak travel seasons in Middle East including the EID holiday, to drive more travellers to Seychelles.
The chief executive of the Seychelles Tourism Board, Mrs. Sherin Francis said: “It is important that we constantly look for ways to reach out to the discerning travellers as part of our strategy, so that we remain top of mind. For our source markets this strategy is as important as our trade relationships.”
“In the case of UAE and the Middle East region, they are source markets with good air connectivity, ideal for both short and long weekend breaks, given that we are visa-free. I believe that as a destination we should be able to appeal to the travellers from there,” she added.
Aside of the UAE, other Middle Eastern countries are also performing well in spite of not sending impressive number of visitors to Seychelles.
Arrivals from Qatar have increased by 167 percent with 2,369 visitors having disembarked in Seychelles from January to July this year, compared to 886 during the same period in 2016.
As for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain the arrival numbers have increased by 12 percent and 22 percent respectively.
Saudi Arabia has sent 1,465 visitors to Seychelles from January to July compared to 1,313 during the same period in 2016, while visitor arrivals from Bahrain stands at 396 for the first seven months of the year, compared to only 324 during the same period in 2016.
Denis Private Island Seychelles & Banyan Tree Seychelles have welcomed new Managers
The Owners of Denis Island has announced the appointment of Werner du Preez as Resident Manager of Denis Private Island.
Mr. du Preez comes from a background of hotel management experience spanning over a period of 12 years with elevation to different managerial positions from Front Office Manager at The Beverly Hills Hotel; then as Rooms Division Manager at Suncoast Hotel and Towers (Acting General Manager in the absence of the General Manager) and eventually Deputy General Manager at Radisson Blu Gautrain in Sandton, Johannesburg.
Mr. du Preez is known for his ability to plan ahead, having innovative skills, being a strong leader with experience in staff management and maximising their potential towards quality standard of service. He is a confident public relations and customer services professional with extensive experience in Front Office and Rooms Division Departments. Mr. du Preez considers the basis to a growth is consistent review of daily sales record supported by strategic recommendations whilst building a rapport with return guests, clients and suppliers. In addition, he is well grounded and has gained valuable experience in the Food and Beverage and Spa operations.
In terms of academic and professional qualifications; Mr. du Preez attended UNISA and studied BCom Financial Management; obtained a Management Diploma at the International Hotel School with In-Service Training at Royal Hotel – Durban, City Centre; Emakhosini Boutique Hotel – Durban, Morningside; Riverside Hotel, – Durban North and at Beverly Hills Hotel, Umhlanga Rocks. He also attended the Gordon Institute of Business Science (University of Pretoria-Tsogo Sun Company specific Manager of Function- Diploma 2)(Management Specific)
As Resident Manager Mr. du Preez will be responsible for the management and operation of the Hotel of Denis Private Island. He will be based full time on the island.
Fabrice Collot steps up to lead Banyan Tree Seychelles
Banyan Tree Seychelles has announced the appointment of Fabrice Collot to the role of general manager.
Collot will be responsible for the overall running, administration and service standards at Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts.
He joined the Banyan Tree group in 2007 and has served at Banyan Tree Al Areen Spa & Resort in Bahrain as executive assistant manager before being promoted to hotel manager one year before being transferred to the Angsana Riads Collection in Marrakech, Morocco.
Fabrice has amassed a wealth of expertise in government administration and the hospitality industry, with over 27 years of experience in senior management roles across four continents, from working in the French Consulate General in Jerusalem and the French Embassy in Ukraine, to opening his own French restaurant and bakery in two US locations.
Banyan Tree Seychelles is widely regarded as one of the most luxurious hotels in the Seychelles successfully balanced with ecological sensitivity.
The resort’s 60 pool villas have been meticulously designed to blend seamlessly into the hilly terrain and lush tropical foliage down to one of the best beaches in the Indian Ocean.
Each of the villas features contemporary Créole architecture and indigenous artefacts offering guests a unique sense of place.
Saint Ange Tourism Report joins the Owners of Denis Island and the Management of Banyan Tree Seychelles to say welcome to Mr. Werner du Preez and Mr Fabrice Collot. We wish both of them all best in their new post.
