Passengers travelling from Israel disembarked to the joyous beats of the local moutya drums and to the sight of traditional dancers on Sunday September 19, 2021 in the afternoon as the destination records over 100,000 visitors on this day.
As part of the special welcome to celebrate this important milestone for 2021, disembarking passengers from El Al flight LY055 from Tel Aviv were treated to a taste of the island’s Creole hospitality, as well as receiving a token of appreciation from the country’s Tourism Department.
Speaking from the Seychelles International Airport of Pointe Larue, Mrs. Bernadette Willemin, Director General for Destination Marketing stated that this milestone is an important one for the destination as the numbers show that the efforts invested by the government and the partners are bearing fruits.
“Today marks the beginning of an important chapter in the recovery of our tourism industry. Seychelles is on the right path to meet the forecasts made by the Tourism Department in January 2021. Recording over 100,000 visitors this weekend reassures us in the good work all partners are doing to help with the recovery. I applaud the resilience of our industry partners and the other organisations who have contributed to the success of this day.” Said Mrs. Willemin.
One of the first destinations to open up to tourism irrespective of visitors’ vaccination status after a robust nationwide vaccination campaign of its citizens and residents, training of tourism industry operators in health and safety protocols, and its strategy of opening up to alternative source markets, arrivals to the Seychelles are expected to keep rising.
The return of small cruise ships in October and the relaxation of measures around the world, not least in its traditional markets in Western Europe, are expected to boost tourism arrivals further.
The leading six markets in 2021 as per the data provided by the National Bureau of Statistics include Russia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Israel, Germany, France and Saudi Arabia.
Currently, the destination is being served by 10 commercial airlines including Air Seychelles its national airline which will be resuming its flights to South Africa as from September 26, 2021.
