Four countries, 4 days, 1 destination:
The event lasted for 4 days during which representatives
of hotels and DMC companies from the Seychelles Islands had an opportunity to
meet potential trade partners in 4 countries including Poland (Warsaw), Czech
Republic (Prague), Slovakia (Bratislava), and Hungary (Budapest).
The events organized by the STB aimed at
reinforcing the presence and image of the destination as well as providing a refined
business platform for partners to meet with the leading tour operators and
agents in these four countries.
Ms. Karen Confait, Director Scandinavia,
Russia /CIS & Eastern Europe and Ingrid Laurencine, Marketing Executive
from Headquarters represented STB, during this intensive Seychelles promotion.
A group of eight partners representing the
Destination Management Companies and hotel establishments accompanied them.
DMC partners on the Eastern Europe roadshow
included Creole Travel Services represented by Eric Renard, 7° South represented
by Marta Kalarus (Warsaw, Prague and Bratislava) and Krisztina Miklos
(Budapest) and Mason’s Travel represented by Gerhard Bartsch.
On the hotel establishment sides, Marie
Kremer represented Four Seasons Resorts Seychelles, Hilton Hotels &
Resorts, was represented by Maria Eremina, Agata Sobczak was present on behalf
of Kempinski Resort Baie Lazare, Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort & Casino
& Berjaya Praslin Resort, represented by Wendy Tan and finally representing
Savoy Resort & Spa and Coral Strand Hotel, was Svetlana Davydkina.
In Warsaw, the evening took place at the
newly opened and stylish luxury Raffles Europejski Warsaw that opened its doors
with brand new conference facilities.
While in Prague, the well-known luxury
Alchymist Grand Hotel & Spa was chosen to host the event, in Bratislava the
dinner was hosted on a Danube River in the picturesque River’s Club venue with
the beautiful view over the Bratislava Castle. The final stop of the Roadshow
was celebrated in the Corinthia Hotel Budapest in a historic Grand Ball room.
In the four cities, the STB team opted for
the train and dine format, which included a welcome mingle, followed by B2B
meetings-during which all partners had a chance to present their products and
discuss business opportunities with the tour operators and agents. Events in all four cities were attended by
over 200 agents, most of which specialises in leisure and some on in MICE
travel. The dinners ended with a raffle, where guests had a chance to win prizes
from the partners. The prizes included stays in the various hotels in
Seychelles, transfer and excursion as well as memorable gifts from the
Seychelles Islands.
The workshop format, which was added last
year in addition to the presentations, has proved to be ideal as it provides
partners more time for in-depth one to one discussion.
Speaking about the Seychelles dedicated
roadshow, STB Director Scandinavia, Russia /CIS & Eastern Europe, Ms. Karen
Confait, stated her satisfaction to see new partners attending every year.
She added that the event is also the
perfect platform to catch up with current partners and to refresh their minds
about the destination but also motivate them to sell. Through the various presentations,
STB and the Seychelles partners are able to showcase the immense diversity and
variety the islands have go offer, in terms of its people, culture, islands and
properties and services available.
“Eastern Europe is a growing market for
Seychelles and our dedicated roadshow over the past 5 years has been key in
growing Seychelles share of the business. The two largest market in the region,
Czech & Poland has shown a significant increase of 45% & 19%
respectively for Jan to April 2019 compared to the same period last year. So
far, the figures are very encouraging, and I believe that together with the
local partners, STB can further develop this region, which has immense
potential for Seychelles. Furthermore, the roadshow’ success could not have
been possible without the support of the hotels and DMCS,” said the Director of
Scandinavian, CIS & Eastern European Markets.
On their part, the travel trade in the four
countries confirmed that the destination is growing, with the economy doing
well people are looking for destinations like Seychelles for their holidays.
The Seychelles dedicated roadshow, a well-established
event since its start over five years ago is now a highlight on the Central and
Eastern European market.
