STB and Visa sign MoU to accelerate growth of Seychelles tourism |13 August 2020
The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) and Visa, the world’s leader in digital payments, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to promote Seychelles as a destination of choice for tourists around the world.
The MoU is aimed at enabling the tourism board to strengthen its marketing strategy globally through the promotion of electronic payments technology and services in Seychelles.
The signing of the agreement, a significant step in the longstanding relationship between STB and Visa, is a testimony to the board’s continuous endeavour to explore the most effective ways to market the destination.
The MoU will support STB’s strategy of adopting a much more targeted approach when communicating with potential visitors and provide valuable feedback to local stakeholders including the Central Bank of Seychelles, which reports on tourism earnings in Seychelles.
As part of its engagement towards the MoU with Visa, the STB has made a commitment to continue to encourage local establishments to adopt electronic payments in line with the National Fintech Strategy of Seychelles.
Sherin Francis, STB’s chief executive, recognised the great opportunity that this agreement will provide to the tourism industry in Seychelles in terms of accurate client’s information regarding trends and preferences.
“It is vital that our local establishments, regardless of size, look towards being able to accept electronic payments as this will facilitate transactions for our visitors. This is also in line with the government of Seychelles’ call to citizens to embrace electronic payments to avoid unnecessary contact with cash as the country deals with the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Mrs Francis.
Visa’s mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive.
Visa’s vice-president for government engagement in Central Europe, Middle East and East Africa, Salvador Galindo Perez, said: “While the ongoing pandemic has caused significant upheaval in the global travel and tourism industry, we must recognise that we should be prepared to support the needs of consumers when things improve. We have seen that there is an increased demand for contactless and digital payments not just from a seamless payment perspective, but also because of the safety and hygiene factors they represent. We also know that accepting digital payment is beneficial to local merchants as visitors do spend more when they don’t have to only rely on cash. As Visa has always been a strong partner of the travel and tourism industry, we are looking forward to sharing our expertise in the hope that together we can support the local tourism economy in their recovery efforts, alongside providing inbound and local tourists with secure, faster and more convenient ways to pay.”
Boasting lush tropical vegetation, powder-white beaches and clear turquoise waters, Seychelles is well known for its paradise-like features. With tourism as the main pillar of its economy, the new partnership will complement the STB’s efforts in fine-tuning its targeted marketing strategies.
With the restart of tourism in Seychelles, the local stakeholders on the island are determined to make travel safe and seamless for all while retaining the Creole charm visitors desire.
Press release from STB News Bureau