Seychelles Tourism Board Middle East hosts Gala Events in KSA

The Gala event in Riyadh Saudi Arabia was attended by 207 top producing agents from the Corporate and Banking sector, in addition to members of the Government, Diplomats and Ambassadors of Oman, Philippines and Malaysia. In Jeddah, 185 top producing agents from the Corporate and Banking sector attended in addition to members of the Government, Diplomats and Consul Generals of UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar & South Africa in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

STO Middle East Regional Manager, Ahmed Fathallah conducted a destination presentation to further increase the awareness of Seychelles in the region and differentiate Seychelles from other holiday destinations, highlighting the strength of the privacy and personalised levels of service offered to the Arab Market and the "no visa" policy for visitors coming to the islands.

"We were overwhelmed with the interest to the destination through the number and the profile of attendees for both events. We remain committed to the Saudi Market and will continue to raise the profile of Seychelles to the various segments within this lucrative market," says Ahmed Fathallah, Regional Manager, Seychelles Tourism Office, Middle East.

The visitor arrivals from Saudi Arabia have grown by over 39% year to date and with increased air access we look forward to seeing this market grow further.

Mr. Ali Murtada,Vice President for Middle East, Levant & Africa, Mr. Fareed Al- Alawai, Area General Manager & Mr. Shehab Turk, Manager - Business Development of Etihad Airways KSA were also present at the event.

"The ties between Etihad Airways and The Seychelles are stronger than ever thanks to our partnership with Seychelles Tourism Board Middle East. Together we can offer air travellers across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia more options to the paradise islands of The Seychelles and, at the same time, experience a superior award winning service for both airlines," says Fareed Al Alawi, Etihad Airways' Arabia Area General Manager Kingdom of Saudi.

Each gala dinner was concluded with hotel prizes sponsored by Banyan Tree Seychelles, Constance Lemuria, Desroches Island Resort, Kempinski Seychelles Resort and Raffles Praslin in addition to flight tickets from Etihad Airways to the Seychelles.