COMESA 2018 | Page 41

SPECIAL REPORT S eychelles is one of the world’s most beautiful tropical island destinations. The archipelago consists of 11 islands spread out over a 1 million km 2 area of the western Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar, with a total land area of 444 km 2 . Boasting year-round warm weather, Seychelles is surrounded by picturesque mountains, spectacular rock formations, world-class beaches, and lapped by clear, azure waters. The islands’ unique and rich biodiversity, ranging from giant land tortoises and the endemic Coco de Mer - the biggest nut in the world, to virgin fi shing grounds and spectacular diving sites, provide the perfect setting for a tropical getaway. It is no surprise that those breathtaking picture-postcard features keep attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors every year – from those seeking to vacation at an exotic beach destination to those looking for the perfect beach wedding and honeymoon spot. And, as an added bonus, Seychelles is in perfect proximity to the African continent allowing visitors to pair up their beach holiday with a safari in Kenya or South Africa. Capitalising on the nation's natural beauty Seychelles’ economy is highly dependent on tourism and has been witnessing a year-on-year increase in arrival numbers in recent years. After passing the 300,000 mark in 2016, the small archipelago with a population of around 93,000 people welcomed 340,347 visitors in 2017, representing a 16 percent increase over the previous year. Europe has always been the traditional market sending the most visitors to Seychelles, with Germany, France, Italy, United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, and Russia being among the top contributors. In recent years, other emerging markets have also shown their interest which include the United Arab Emirates (UAE), South Africa and China. Tapping into new emerging markets is a strategy adopted by the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) – the body responsible for promoting the destination internationally, with the aim of diversifying the island’s tourism markets. Although Seychelles competes with neighbouring islands in the region that are also offering beach holidays, the country is keen on promoting joint travel options for holidaymakers visiting the Indian Ocean region through the Vanilla Islands brand initiated in 2010. The aviation industry The aviation industry of Seychelles is fi ercely competitive and will become even more so in 2018 as some of the largest carriers begin fl ying to Seychelles. Presently, 11 airlines are serving the Seychelles route and making it more accessible to visitors from across the globe. British Airways, Air France – through its sister airline ‘Joon’ – and Edelweiss Air will be making their way to Seychelles in 2018. They will be joining Austrian Airlines, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airline, SriLankan Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Emirates Airline, Air Seychelles, Condor, Air Austral, Kenya Airways and Etihad Airways. British Airways is soon launching direct fl ights which will operate twice a week. Air France’s sister airline ‘Joon’ will join in with its thrice-weekly fl ights from May 2018 onwards, while Edelweiss Air will be fl ying from Zurich to Seychelles as from September 2018. The once-a-week service by Edelweiss will connect Seychelles to three German-speaking countries – Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Ethiopian Airlines, which added a sixth weekly fl ight on the Seychelles route in 2017, has also announced plans to start fl ying daily to Seychelles in 2018. COMESA• 2018 • 41