Seychelles changes misperception of Chinese travelers on Ebola outbreak
Almasalla, ATP News- China s tourism industry says that it has surmounted many a sad chapter. Today, as the outbound Chinese operators are enjoying a boom in business since the last SARS epidemic, the tourism operators are faced with a new threat: Ebola in Africa.
Chinese travellers are well aware that the Ebola outbreak is in West African countries. It is true the disease is gaining speed on the continent, but Minister Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture said to the Chinese Tour Operators that it will be seen as a geographical mistake to position Seychelles on African continent. Yes, Seychelles has historical ties with African continent, but it sits in the middle of Indian Ocean, one thousand miles off east coast of Africa.
It was evident during the working visit being undertaken by the Seychelles Minister and his CEO of the Tourism Board accompanied by a strong delegation of the island’s private tourism players who are wanting to work with Chinese Tour Operators that Chinese travellers have not yet figured out this geographical detail and puts Seychelles in the same bag as other African countries. This wrong perception was not giving the Seychelles’ tourism industry good publicity, but like other African countries the Ebola threat has affected that Continent’s tourism industry. Seychelles has been registering cancellation in tourism bookings.
The Seychelles tourism industry believes that sitting back at home would not help much to change this misperception among Chinese travellers. Moving to China and disseminating the right information to travel agents and tour operators selling Seychelles was seen as the best strategy to put an end to this misperception.
It is with this in mind that Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister for Tourism and Culture and Sherin Naiken chief executive of the Seychelles Tourism are now in China with local trade partners for one to one meeting with travel agents and tour operators selling Seychelles as the new tourism destination for Chinese holiday makers.
From Beijing to Shanghai, the message could not have been better echoed- ‘Seychelles is Ebola free’ – and remains ‘safe for travellers’.
In a series of one to one meeting, started off in Beijing with CAISSA Travel Management Co. Ltd, Windy Feeling International Travel Service and Qunar. Com, Minister St.Ange came out with a much stronger argument about Africa being 54 countries and not villages and spelled out where Seychelles was safely situated in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
‘’Ebola is on the west coast of Africa, we sit off the east coast of Africa. Yes, Seychelles remains part of Africa, but we live our lives as a small island nation well outside all the difficulties that is ravaging this continent,” Minister St.Ange said.
Tour operators and travel agents in China are convinced that the Ebola threat in West African countries is a wake -up call for the continent, with past scars of economic turmoil. "China is still overcoming its SARS lesson and with the Ebola outbreak, travelers are conscious on their choice of holiday destinations" said CAISSA Travel Management Co.Ltd .
The Chinese tour operators and travel agents are saying that there needs to be continued management of the epidemic to ensure travellers’ behaviour is not to boycott the continent as a whole.
On a second phase of his visit in China Minister St.Ange and his delegation will move to Xiamen and Shanghai armed with his map of Africa showing clearly the position of affected countries and where Seychelles is situated and the same message will be echoed and re-echoed.
