The Seychelles Tourism Board, which strongly believes that the continuous training of travel agents working to sell the destination is a key and more cost-effective marketing tool has once again taken part in the Travel Trade Roadshow (TTR) Baltic.The roadshow took place in each of the three Baltic countries – Lithuania, Latvia, and  Estonia.

The 2017 edition of TTR Baltic was held from November 14 to 16, 2017, in the capital cities of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn. The Seychelles Tourism Board was represented by Senior Marketing Executive, Amia Jovanovic-Desir. Over the three days travel agents were invited to meet with representatives of tourism boards, airlines, destinations among others. Through workshops conducted in each country, the participants were able to obtain valuable information and they also had the opportunity to establish new contacts and business opportunities through business to business meetings.

Travel Agents in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia confirmed that there is great interest to push and feature Seychelles as a holiday destination. However, they highlighted a lack of knowledge about the destination and its products as one of the constraints, which makes it hard to better sell Seychelles to potential holidaymakers.

The Seychelles Tourism Board’s Senior Executive, Amia Jovanovic-Desir, said: “This showcases the need for us to conduct more training for trade agents, particularly in places where we do not have an office or representation, with the aim of broadening their knowledge and creating more demand to sell Seychelles.”

“It is worth mentioning, however, that there is a strong pool of agents who are creating awareness and promoting the various range of accommodations, ranging from small hotels and guesthouses to large hotels, which creates a perfect balance of what Seychelles has to offer,” she added.

Air connectivity remains the key to ensure the sustainability of the tourism industry. The TTR Baltic was hence an opportunity for the Seychelles Tourism Board to promote recently introduced flights and upcoming flights to the destination in 2018. While the news of more airlines serving the destination, especially from Europe in 2018, was very much welcomed, the majority of travel agents who attended the three city roadshow confirmed that Turkish Airlines was their clients’ preferred choice of airline.

Some of the travel agents conveyed their words of appreciation for having received ample knowledge about Seychelles, adding that they were enticed to visit the destination and were now more confident to promote the destination.

“Through her presentation, Amia brought me to Seychelles and I had the feeling that I was there for a while,” said Ortygia of Vanilla Travel. The travel agents were able to take part in a lucky draw, standing the chance to win exciting prizes, and the Seychelles Tourism Board also awarded a prize to a couple in Estonia who had shown great interest in the destination.

Seychelles Tourism Board  www.seychellestourismboard.travel

Silvija Travel Tips  www.silvijatraveltips.com