SEYCHELLES TOURISM BOARD ATTENDS THE JAPAN ASSOCIATION OF TRAVEL AGENTS EXPO (JATA) 2016
THE JAPANESE MARKET FOR SEYCHELLES KEEPS GROWING YEAR ON YEAR.
aTP- Arab tourism portal News- The Seychelles Islands successfully made its appearance at the JATA Tourism Expo Japan 2016 under the banner of the Regional Tourism Organization for Southern Africa (RETOSA). The fair took place from 22nd – 25th September 2016 at the Tokyo Big Sight Venue.
It is the first time for Seychelles to be participating under the RETOSA booth alongside other Southern African countries such as South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia, Lesotho, Angola, Mozambique and several others. Having much focus on the Japanese market in recent years and following the first main Seychelles Tourism Board’s Roadshow conducted in Tokyo and Osaka earlier in March this year, to date the Seychelles has seen a significant 39% increase in the yearly Japanese tourist arrival.
“Japan is a potential tourism source market for Seychelles. The Japanese market is slowly gaining grounds and the foreseeable future looks very promising for the Seychelles” said Sherin Francis, CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board.
Seychelles was being represented this year by Jean Luc Lai Lam, Regional Manager for Japan and Winnie Elisa, Marketing Executive at the Seychelles Tourism Board. The delegation participated in several side meetings other than the fair, to market Seychelles as one of the most unique destination for the Japanese market.
As a result, the Seychelles Tourism Board also seized the opportunity to establish contact and meet with the Japanese representatives of both Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts and the new upcoming property of Six Senses Zil Pasyon in discussing new opportunities to promote those establishments as well as the destination within the Japanese market.
The Expo which spanned over 3 days focused on showcasing Seychelles products by introducing specific niches such as weddings and honeymoons, diving and fishing, events such as the Carnaval International de Victoria, as well as the vast culture and history of the country.
The Seychelles Tourism Board has expressed satisfaction with an increased number of visitors at the Seychelles stand throughout the event. These included more people with knowledge about Seychelles compared to those of previous years, people with confirmed future bookings and those that have previously visited the destination with intent of going back again as repeat clienteles.
