Visitor arrivals up by 15% |25 May 2015

Seychelles recorded in March and April 2015 its highest ever monthly tourism arrivals, with a 15% increase compared to the same period in 2014.

For the period of January 2009 to April 2015, the months of March and April of this year recorded the highest number of visitors with 25,129 and 25,038 respectively.
The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) has been attentive to the trend as the arrivals for the two consecutive months is a record.E
STB’s chief executive Sherin Naiken said the board’s marketing strategy is bearing fruits.

“The figure is a positive sign for the STB and for our country because it represents the fruits of our concerted hard work,” Ms Naiken said.
She added that the increase in flight capacity among other factors is catalyst to the record high figure.

In January 2015, Seychelles saw a 1% growth in tourism arrivals compared to the same period in 2014. A total of 16,521 visitors came to Seychelles in January 2014 compared to 17,521 in January 2015.

The January 2015 figure set the ground for Seychelles to confirm that for the week ending Sunday May 17, a remarkable 15% growth over the same period in 2014 had been recorded.
 "This is a remarkable achievement for Seychelles which started the year climbing for the first time to this new height," said Ms Naiken.

This year to date figure for 2015 shows that 103,258 visitors arrived in Seychelles, or a 15% increase above that of 2014 (89,580). This figure is very good for a country with just 90,000 inhabitants.

France, Germany, Italy, United Arab Emirates, China and Russia remain Seychelles’ leading markets.
The STB has said France (with 16,330 visitors) and Germany (12,746) remain in the lead as Seychelles’ top two core markets because of airline seats availability and option for visitors to fly direct or through hubs.

Italy, taking third position on the podium remains, according to the STB, a resilience market which despite global and domestic economic crisis bounced back with an 8% increase compared to 4% decrease recorded over the same period in 2014.

The previous highest number of visitors who came to Seychelles in one month was 23,312 and this was registered in October 2014 and it represented a modest 1% increase in tourism arrivals compared to the same period in 2013.

Congratulating the STB chief executive and her team for this achievement, Tourism and Culture Minister Alain St Ange said Seychelles is doing what many see as plain impossible.

“The private sector trade is working with the tourism board in what is seen as an example of public-private sector partnership. The government is working closely with the private sector trade who remains willing and determined to work in that established partnership for the good of the country, its tourism industry and for its people. These private sector establishments and businesses are zooming ahead and are today enjoying record occupancy levels,” said Minister St Ange.

He also addressed the question of yield from the country's tourism industry and said the dumping of rates by some of the larger establishments remains a challenge for the country and this remains a real problem for the smaller Seychellois home-grown establishments.

"This is why the country has now moved its focus from marketing, because this was working, and looking at the product as a whole and addressing a hotel classification and grading system. Yield from our tourism industry will not just increase by itself, we must as an industry work together to ensure Seychelles gets its due returns from the industry that remains the pillar of its economy. As the government will continue to address, as serious facilitators, issues placed on its doorstep by the trade, the same trade must also look at the yield they are delivering for the country as they work as an industry through the avenues provided by the public-private sector partnership that exists," Minister St Ange said.