Seychelles Tourism Board team brainstorms with key members of the local trade on solutions to issues affecting tourism

(Forimmediaterelease.net) Senior members of the Seychelles Tourism Board team led by the Minister for Tourism and Culture, Alain St.Ange; the CEO of the Tourism Board, Elsia Grandcourt; the Tourism Board’s overseas-based representatives and their local counterparts; and members of the local trade used the 2013 Strategic Marketing Meeting at the Hilton Seychelles La Briz Resort&Spa on Silhouette Island to deliberate and brainstorm to help determine the way forward for the marketing and promotion of Seychelles as a tourism destination in 2013.

The Tourism Board and the Tourism Industry’s Association Trade were joined by the Seychelles Hospitality and Tourism Association (SHTA), represented by Alan Mason; and Eddie D’Offay of Mason's Travel; Eric Renard of Creole Travel Services; Daniella Payet-Alis of Connect Seychelles&SeyResa; Jean-Paul Barallon of Denis Private Island; Ahmed Kamal of Le Meridien Resorts; Ken Choo of the Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort&Casino; and Paul Hodoul from Austral Car Hire.

Emirates and Air Seychelles addressed the tourism trade and private sector representatives with presentations aimed at informing the industry on the way forward from the airlines’ point of view. The concerns and the status of Seychelles’ various tourism markets across the globe was then discussed as well as possible threats to the perception of the Seychelles islands as the enticing tourism destination while breakaway discussion groups debated specific topics of importance to the state of Seychelles tourism.

“These meetings are very important for our industry as they allow all players to get together, to network together, and to synergize together, which is in itself crucial to identifying and in deciding upon future strategies for our tourism industry,” said Minister St.Ange.

The 3-day meeting on Silhouette will be followed by two further days of deliberations on Mahe which will include the rolling out of the 2013 Seychelles Tourism Marketing Plan.

Mr. Paul Hodoul, a private sector representative, in his capacity as a Seychelles Tourism Board member, and member of the Executive Committee of the Seychelles Hospitality &Tourism Association commented on the meeting as follows: “This is a useful initiative by the Tourism Board to bring tourism strategists, stakeholders, and the Seychelles foreign representatives together to exchange ideas, identify opportunities and threats, and formulate the appropriate plans to take our tourism industry forward.”

Mrs. Elsia Grandcourt, the CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board, will address the local tourism industry at large and present the Board’s 2013 Marketing Plan for the country at 3:00 pm on Thursday, December 13 at the ICCS Conference Centre in Victoria.

“We have met as government and the private sector in our public private sector partnership drive as we do every year, and together we have mapped out our plan of action for 2013. This is the most important meeting we host annually, and we are thankful to everyone who has dedicated time to be with us and to work with us in this strategic marketing meeting. In working alongside us, you are helping us to help you and in so doing, the destination, as this Marketing Plan will be our plan of action for the coming year, and it is this document that will guide the work of the Tourism Board and all its overseas offices,” Elsia Grandcourt said.

Sourced: forimmediaterelease