Seychelles captivates audiences at wedding and honeymoon exhibition in Sri Lanka |04 November 2023
The Seychelles stand
A Tourism Seychelles team composed of Amia Jovanovic-Desir, the director for Israel, Turkey, Australia, and Southeast Asia, and Selma Magnan, the director for Customer Services, represented the destination at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (B MICH) from October 6 to 8, 2023.
As part of ongoing efforts to boost Seychelles’ presence in Sri Lanka, the team seized this opportunity to reinforce the country’s standing as one of the most renowned wedding and honeymoon destinations during their scheduled Sri Lankan marketing trip.
The Seychelles Islands’ display was the sole international exhibitor among over 80 local wedding-related partners showcasing their different products and services, including wedding planners, hotels, florists, seamstresses, jewellers and caterers.
This year, the exhibition supported the Cancer Concern Association under the theme ‘Unveil-Weddings unbridled by cancer’, spearheaded by Indira Jayasuriya, a resilient cancer survivor.
The event drew the attention of young couples planning to marry in 2024 or in the near future.
Likewise, the agents and direct consumers who visited the Seychelles stand expressed a strong interest to discover more about the destination.
The team also received many inquiries from couples planning their next honeymoon in Seychelles.
Commenting on the event, Mrs Jovanovic-Desir expressed her satisfaction to have participated in the event.
“A wedding is a wonderful celebration in Sri Lanka. Overall, it was a fantastic opportunity for us to establish a presence on the Sri Lankan market, in addition to the earlier promotional initiatives we had conducted before to the pandemic. Our goal is to revitalise and reposition Seychelles in the minds of potential Sri Lankan visitors. We are confident that Seychelles can tap into a profitable market area. However, we must continue to train and invite agents to visit the location, and we must engage with those partners that believe in this market to generate interest and stimulate demand,” said Mrs Jovanovic-Desir.
She also thanked the general manager and Air Seychelles GSA, R. Dougie Douglas, based in Colombo and Kathleen Payet from Silver Pearl Tours & Travel, for their valuable contribution in making the event a success.
The Seychelles stand also gained significant coverage from Sirasa TV, a private television network.
Mrs Jovanovic-Desir was interviewed, wherein she elaborated on why Seychelles remains an ideal leisure and honeymoon destination for the Sri Lankan audience. Following that, the interview was shared on their social media platforms.
With two weekly direct flights from Colombo to Seychelles, as well as the new connections formed during the recent mission and market promotion, an increase in business from this region is anticipated.
Contributed