Tourism Seychelles and Club Med partner to present the destination across Italy |21 October 2021
A presentation during the final event that took place at the NYX Hotel in Milan on September 28
The Tourism Seychelles representative office in Italy has partnered with Club Med, holding a series of events to promote Seychelles across Italy just ahead of the announcement that the Indian Ocean paradise islands are one of six destinations and three countries outside of Europe Italian citizens could travel to.
The first trade event was held in Rome at Hotel Metropole on September 22, in the city centre, followed by one in Naples on September 24 at Club Rosolino. The final event took place at the NYX Hotel in Milan on September 28.
Hosted by the Tourism Seychelles marketing representative in Italy, Danielle Di Gianvito, and Club Med’s commercial director B2B and M&E Italy Anne-Laure Redon, the 30 travel agents for each event, selected among Club Med best partners, were transported over a lunch slide and video presentation into the atmosphere of the destination. This was followed by networking sessions.
A consumer event in Milan followed on October 5 held in collaboration with Gattinoni agency network, at its office in central Milan. The event included dinner and presentation and was attended by high-spending clients of the travel agency, and other members of the travel network.
Interest in the destination is very high since the opening by the Italian government of the tourist corridor to Seychelles and this series of in-person events was the perfect occasion to boost awareness of the islands as the perfect holiday destination and push holiday sales.
Club Med has also confirmed a spike in bookings for the last trimester of 2021 and the first semester of 2022.
“Given the current trend, Club Med expects to increase volumes compared with the pre-Covid era as early as the first half of 2022. This is also thanks to a series of innovations that Club Med is preparing to launch on the market and to the investments in the Club Med Exclusive Collection, which includes Seychelles. The importance of the Club Med Exclusive Collection range grew by 15% compared to two years ago and now accounts for 30% of total sales. As Covid-19 has changed travel habits, clients are now looking for privacy and for facilities with large spaces where they can breathe the freedom of the outdoors,” Anne-Laure Redon said.
Italy has long been one of Seychelles’ leading tourist markets and was the destination’s fourth top source market, generating 27,289 arrivals in 2019 prior to the onset of Covid, but dropping to 2,884 in 2020 as Covid and travel restrictions gripped Italy. As at October 10, 2021, one thousand and twenty-nine (1,029) visitors had travelled to Seychelles from Italy.
Contributed