According to Tourism Seychelles - the marketing arm of the
Tourism Department- this was the first group of Chinese travel agents to come
to Seychelles since China reopened its borders in early January after they were
closed down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Chinese wedding planners present provide Chinese clients
with premium planning and execution services for overseas destination wedding
ceremonies for young couples who accept new concepts and are loyal to
high-quality brands and services focusing on eco-tourism.
Jean-Luc Lai-Lam, the director for China, Tourism Seychelles,
said that "the wedding planners were able to meet with different service
providers from properties and locations, flower providers, local photographers
and more."
He added that "being able to be in the destination to
understand what is physically possible and to draw up different business
opportunities for the destination targeting the demanding Chinese wedding and
honeymoon market is a very important step in developing this segment."
The agents' and media's focus also looked at the eco-tourism
and cultural aspects of Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean.
"Seychelles is an amazing destination that has more to
offer than just sun, sea and sand. The group was amazed by the pristine natural
environment of our granitic and coralline islands and the high quality of our
products and services of our different properties on offer," said Lai-Lam.
The director for China for Tourism Seychelles added that
together with the combination of the historical and cultural aspects of the
destination, the agents concluded that Seychelles is a world apart from it's
competitors.
The agents started receiving Chinese bookings to Seychelles
well before the end of the visit.
Lai-Lam expressed his satisfaction with completing this
first mission with the Chinese trade since 2020 and said that the reconnection
with Seychelles would not have been possible without the support of the
different local partners.