Seychelles has taken a step forward inviting guests for a safe travel experience as travel slowly takes a fresh start in many countries around the world.

After several months of absence at the Seychelles International airport of Pointe Larue, Emirates Airlines is the first commercial airline to land at the paradise holiday destination on August 1.

Etihad Airways and Ethiopian Airlines are listed as the two other airlines to have confirmed the start of their operations to Seychelles in the coming week.

The Emirates flight, carrying on its board 167 passengers received a warm welcome with a symbolic water cannon salute upon its arrival.

Present at the airport to ensure the smooth running of the operations for the occasion was the Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Didier Dogley; the Principal Secretary for Tourism, Anne Lafortune; CEO of the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority, Mr Garry Albert, Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) Chief Executive Officer, Sherin Francis.

Dogley mentioned that the day crowns long weeks of intensive planning by the Ministry for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, its affiliated agencies, other government departments and tourism stakeholders in the private sector for effective safe practices.

The standard procedures endorsed by the local Public Health Authority and adopted by the local tourism industry are setting the seal on the destination’s preparedness to welcome visitors.

“It is a great moment for us today given there has been a lot of work done in preparation for the first commercial flight landing again on our shore after months of absence,” said Dogley.

“The smooth but slightly altered operations today at the airport represents what we have been advocating, that is safe tourism for Seychelles, which also means that all of us will have to be even more vigilant in our work. Our approach has been one of prudence through the selection of visitors from lower-risk countries with additional safeguards in place to ensure we rebuild better and stronger.”

Anne Lafortune said: “This is the necessary first step for Seychelles towards recovery. We are happy to see that tourists have responded positively and are as enthusiastic as we are to restart tourism."
Reiterating the destination’s commitment to safe tourism, Mrs Sherin Francis mentioned that Seychelles has been very proactive on various international forums in advocating the concept.

“As a tourism board, we have been promoting safe tourism and have been advocating for standardized practices throughout the travel industry. With the restart of international tourism, new travel trends and terminologies are emerging such as revenge travel. Given it is summer in most of our prominent markets we hope to see people eager to experience the world again,” said Sherin Francis.

Tourists coming from the list of ‘permitted’ countries will be allowed to enter Seychelles for a holiday to enjoy activities such as sightseeing and tours, island hopping and excursions. Seychelles is one amongst the first destinations to open for tourism in the Indian Ocean with a promise of safe tourism within a flexible environment. – TradeArabia News Service