The Seychelles tourism industry is well on the road to recovery, according to Tourism Seychelles, after the 182 850th traveller for the year to date, landed in the island nation last Wednesday (July 27).
The figure for the first seven months of the year was higher than the full January 1 to December 21, 2021 period, which recorded a total of 182 849 visitors to the 115-island archipelago.
According to the latest figures from the National Bureau of Statistics Europe remains Seychelles' top source market, with France coming first, followed by Germany and Russia. The UK and Northern Ireland source market is also significant.
South Africa is the third largest African source market for the islands. Of the 12 191 visitors from Africa (including Réunion and Mauritius) for the first seven months of the year, 4 799 travellers were from South Africa.
Tourism Seychelles Director General for Destination Marketing, Bernadette Willemin, said:
“Reaching the 2021 figures in only seven months is an achievement that would not have been possible without the collaborative effort of the government and private sector. We are keeping our eyes on making yet another hit in our 2022 arrival numbers," she said.
To remain competitive as a destination, the Seychelles Tourism team has focused on reinforcing its marketing strategies and intensifying its online presence.
"As a destination, we are striving to remain diligent and continue to maintain a strong presence in all our markets, through our participation in the various trade and consumer events.
“However,” Willemin cautioned, “we also bear in mind that, like the COVID-19 pandemic and recently, the Russia-Ukraine unrest, including other global situations, things can quickly change, which in turn, could affect the progress that we have made.”
Tourism Seychelles expects to reach over 250 000 visitors by the end of 2022, which would mean reaching about two-thirds of the 2019 number, of 428 000 visitors.
