Tourism Seychelles Paris attends Les Rencontres de la Presse |11 August 2021

After over a year of virtual activities, the Tourism Seychelles Paris office attended its first in person face-to-face event on July 2, 2021, at the 32nd "Les Rencontres de la Presse", the first major press event of the year.

Uniting 37 destinations in the Nework - Yachts de Paris lounges along the banks of the Seine, the workshop created the ideal platform for journalists, bloggers and tourism influencers to connect with Foreign Tourist Offices.

Organised annually by Adonet (Association des Offices Nationaux Etrangers de Tourisme en France i.e. Association of National Foreign Tourist Offices in France), the event gave the Tourism Seychelles Paris Office the opportunity to engage with the media, showcasing the pristine beauty of the Seychelles islands to attendees, as well as to highlight the main events, and press trips for this year and the next.

Aside from the attendance of popular international media, the Paris office took full advantage of blogger and influencer presence at the event as the significance of these partners have become central to ensuring the destination’s visibility on the global market during the pandemic. These bloggers and influencers inspire their followers through their accounts of their holidays to the point that many followers end up mirroring their journey.

Famed for its unspoiled, authentic features, its stunning biodiversity and welcoming inhabitants, it is no surprise that the desire to discover Seychelles’ diverse offerings is still present amongst potential visitors. As conditions for travel evolve, many travellers including press and media partners eagerly wait for the chance to experience the charms of island living in the Indian Ocean archipelago.

A number of media articles and interviews are already in the works through the Tourism Seychelles Paris office; these will focus on the various activities including cultural events, hiking, cruising, water-related activities and local encounters to truly uncover the character of the islands. Preservation of the environment will also be addressed as well as the COVID-19 situation in the country and the facilitation for entry for all travellers vaccinated or not.

Speaking about the importance of the event, Tourism Seychelles’ newly-appointed director general for destination marketing, Bernadette Willemin, commented, "‘Les Rencontres de la Presse’ remains an excellent opportunity to discuss the Seychelles destination and to prepare for the second semester as well as the coming year because many journalists commit to more than six months in advance for travel and to ensuing media coverage. We have to think beyond the summer holidays and Tourism Seychelles Paris hopes that those who will not have the chance to travel this summer will want to do so at the end of the year."

France has long been one of the island archipelago’s key source markets, with 43,297 visitors travelling to the Seychelles islands in 2019.

Air France is set to commence direct flights to the Seychelles in October 2021, while the destination remains accessible by other carriers through their respective hubs.

Press release from Tourism Seychelles