"Chinese Tourist Flocking To Seychelles During New Year"

Jan 30, 2014

A Chinese delegation from the Shanghai Jinshai District is in Seychelles for the first edition of the Seychelles-China Day Celebrations. The delegation headed by Mr. Du Zhizhong, Director of Standing Committee of Jinshai District People’s Congress, met with Anne Lafortune, the Principal Secretary for Tourism, and Sherin Naiken, Chief Executive Officer of Seychelles Tourism Board, to discuss pertinent issues relating to tourism.
Sherin Naiken of the Seychelles Tourism Board said in 2013 Seychelles set up tourism offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong as part of its marketing strategy to open the destination to the Chinese tourism market. Ms. Naiken said these offices are doing remarkably well to maintain a good flow of tourists from China and to ensure that Seychelles remains visible in China and Hong Kong.
“We’ve made great strides in opening up the Chinese market. Our objective set by our tourism offices in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Beijing has been attained. Today we’ve recorded more than ten thousand tourists coming from China, a large majority from Guangzhou province.”
Ms. Naiken said that despite this growth there is more to be done in Seychelles for the Chinese market.
“We need new investments in services in Seychelles to meet the expectations and needs of the Chinese holiday makers,” Ms. Naiken said.
The meeting with the delegation of the Shanghai Jinshai District was an eye-opener for the Seychelles Tourism Board and the Tourism Department, because they learned more about the expectations of the Chinese holidaymakers when choosing Seychelles as their holiday destination.
Mr. Du Zhizhong said that Chinese holidaymakers are “big spenders.” He explained that Seychelles is a high-end tourism destination for honeymooners, divers, and photographers. Both Ms. Naiken and Mrs. Lafortune talked about their desire to explore more tourism exchanges between Seychelles and the Shanghai Jinshai District.
For this first edition of the Seychelles-China Day Celebrations, the Shanghai Jinshai Art Group will showcase a spectacular performance at the official opening on January 31 at Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay.
Seychelles is a founding member of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP) http://www.tourismpartners.org/

Source: Seychelles Ministry of Tourism and Culture

"Presale on Savoy Hotel"... Look out for bargains from Praslin to experience the real Seychelles

New Hotel on the Seychelles: Pre-Sale for Five-Star Hotel Savoy Resort & Spa has Started Successfully

Jan 30, 2014 (Menafn - M2 PRESSWIRE via COMTEX) --Tourism on the Seychelles continues to boom. The dream destination has just earned the seal of approval from Lonely Planet Guides and was listed as one of their Top Ten destinations for 2014. Lonely Planet also bestowed the Seychelles with their top accolades for the best beaches and best small island destination. A perfect time for a new five-star hotel! On 18th February the Savoy Resort & Spa (http://www.savoy.sc) will open the doors to its 163 modern rooms located directly on the dream beach of Beau Vallon, on the Seychelles' island, Mahe. B2B partners and private travellers will receive up to a 35 per cent rebate on a stay until the grand opening in early summer. The pre-sale phase has begun successfully. Among the booking partners are the travel agencies Dertour, Directours or Gulliver's Travel, as well as the booking platforms hotel.de and agoda.com.

Mahe, Seychelles -- The Savoy Resort & Spa is located on the famous Beau Vallon Beach, the longest and most beautiful stretch of beach on the Seychelles' island, Mahe. The five-star hotel has a total of 163 modern and roomy double accommodations, including 18 junior and nine regular suites, as well as a penthouse. The size of the rooms and suites range from 40 to 80 m and the penthouse measures 190 m. During the pre-sale, a stay in a double room, including breakfast, starts at 278 Sterling per person. Starting with the grand opening in early summer, the price starts at 428 Sterling per person. The Savoy and its generous 355 m large conference centre also covers the MICE- and business-travel area. The conference centre altogether has three conference rooms that can fit up to 300 participants.

The Savoy also features a generous spa and wellness area. A team of highly qualified therapists and wellness experts are available in the six individual suites, three double suites for couple's treatment, two Thai / Shiatsu rooms and a Russian steam sauna. In addition to various classic and ayurvedic massages, energetic and traditional Asian massages are also offered. With 700 m the pool of the resort is the largest on the Seychelles. A 24-hour fitness centre is open daily for other sports activities.

Two restaurants and a bar serve high-quality food and drinks. The restaurant, Grand Savoy, offers local and international cuisine. The Pescado offers culinary delicacies, such as shellfish, fondue and extraordinary desserts, all with a view of the outdoor pool. Tropical smoothies, a huge selection of long drinks and cocktails, and homemade sangria are served at the Gecko Beach Bar.

Furthermore, the Savoy Resort & Spa is set in a unique dream location: It sits on the longest and widest stretch of beach on the Seychelles, the famous Beau Vallon Beach on Mahe, one of the most beautiful beaches in the whole world. This makes it a perfect vacation destination for families because there are no dangerous currents, no sharp corals and no steep drop-offs at this fine, white-sand beach. There are diverse water sport and diving centres nearby for visitors who want to do more than just lie in the sun.

About Savoy Resort & Spa

The five-star Savoy Resort & Spa is located on the famous Beau Vallon Beach on the Seychelles' island, Mahe. Altogether, the guests have their choice of 163 modern and comfortable rooms and suites on five floors, as well as a modern conference centre. What makes the Savoy Resort & Spa special is the unique location directly on the white-sand beach with a breathtaking view of the Indian Ocean. For further information, please visit www.savoy.sc

http://www.menafn.com/

 

Iles Des Palmes resort

 

Iles Des Palmes Eco Resort Offers Savoy Presale Special

 Iles Des Palmes Eco Resort congratulates the SAVOY on its February opening based in Mahe.

Any traveler booking a SAVOY-Seychelles room and then flying onwards to Praslin for a fantastic Seychelles experience will be entitled to One (1)  free night  courtesy of Iles Des Palmes Eco Resort for any booking of 4 nights, stay One (1) extra night free.

Bookings can be made directly to reservations desk: islands@seychelles.net.

Take advantage of this presale offer, and see the Best Island in Seychelles, with the Best Beach in The World: Anse Lazio!

Seychelles’ Ultimate Island Paradise: Praslin Island

The Seychelles are known to be the most beautiful islands in the World by discerning travelers who know the best when they see it. In the Seychelles group, the best of these islands for an unforgettable holiday, is undoubtedly Praslin Island. Wow! This island is gorgeous at her best, and beautiful even in her worse moments.

Experienced holiday makers spend most of their days on Praslin, hubbing to different islands and it is now trending that the main Island, Mahe, is a transit base from international flight inbound and outbound and for business. For holiday, rest, chilling, biking, casual hiking, kayaking coasts , fishing, diving and ballads in a tropical forest, it is Praslin.

The glory of Praslin is a cart full of “Best this and Best that”.

The Best Beach in The World- Anse Lazio.

The Second Best Beach in The World- Anse Georgette

The Best Five Star Hotel in The Indian Ocean- Raffles-Praslin

Best Leading Hotels of the World- Lemuria

Best Small Hotel named by the Seychelles Chamber of Commerce, is on Praslin: “Le Duc”.

Best Golf Course in Seychelles- Praslin Lemuria, with all its 18 holes. Mahe until today, has managed only 9 holes.

Best Airport- Praslin no doubt, from ease at check in to boarding your flight.

Best Taxi Service- Praslin no doubt. Our taxi drivers are famous for their honesty.

Best island hopping base in Seychelles- Praslin

Best School in Seychelles for Primary and Secondary School- Praslin

Best League Football team in Seychelles: Cote D’or Sa!

Best Value For Money Eco Resort, Iles Des Palmes.

Unemployment- 0%.

Mahe – 4%

La Digue- 3%

Diving – The Best

Snorkeling- you will tire from the numerous sites.

Game Fishing- 15 minutes off Praslin.

Fly Fishing- avoid spending huge money for packages to Desroches Island, the flats around Praslin offer excellent fly fishing that has been untouched until today.

Seychelles only Pearl Farm hatchery and Jewelry Shop is based on Praslin, the Pearl Farm.

Seychelles has Two (2) UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One is Aldabra and the other the Vallai De Mai, home of the Coco De Mer, the largest and most rare seed in the World.

The writing is on the wall. If you have a 14 day 10  in the Seychelles, book listen to experienced travelers and those who really know Seychelles inside out. Book 10 nights in Praslin, 2 nights in La Digue, and 2 nights in Mahe. You will not regret it.

Happy Island Hopping In the Seychelles! 

"Praslin Offers Crazy Golf For Adults"

Throughout my first round at Constance Lemuria in the Seychelles I was fighting more than a duck hook - I was also scratching an itch, a mental itch.

It pestered me as I wound my way between huge ancient boulders, bright flowers and lush rainforest. It played in the back of my head as I hit balls across mangrove swamps and lakes. It was a playful itch and it nagged away because of, rather than in spite of, the backdrop of blue sky, sandy beaches and crystal clear sea.
Finally, I got it.
"I know what this place reminds me of," I smiled to myself, a satisfying wave of relief sweeping over me. "Birmingham."
Crazy
Okay, so I'm not mad. I was thinking specifically of Star City, a shopping mall in Birmingham which has two jungle-themed courses at Adventure Island Mini Golf.
And that is what Constance Lemuria is like - it's like crazy golf for grown ups.
If that sounds a little bewildering it's not remotely out of kilter with my entire visit to the Seychelles, which was one remarkable, unanticipated experience after another.
Within minutes of my arrival on the islands I had decided that I felt a bit like a 16th century explorer, one of those daring characters who set sail from Europe, didn't see dry land for six months and then finally bumped into a paradise island.
Bumped might not be the technical term (I suspect seafaring skills had something to do with it), but their endeavour had a sense of stepping, or at least sailing, towards the unexpected.
And that's what had happened to me.
These days discovering something unexpected when you travel isn't easy because we're inundated with information and images, so you're more or less prepared for everything.
But the Seychelles was different.
I knew it would be nice, but I didn't expect it to be so colourful, so vivid, so dramatic. I wasn't prepared for the beaches to be so white, the sea so blue, the trees so green, the flowers so bright, the fruit so sweet and the mountains so steep.
Most of all I was completely unprepared to find such a dramatic golf course smack bang in the middle of it all.
That's not entirely true, of course. Golf was the reason I went in the first place. But the reality of what I found there was very definitely a shock. My mind was ready for something resembling a Spanish resort layout so my eyes got a shock to discover a crazy golf course that was 6,113 yards long.
Dramatic
The full effect hit me when I walked onto the 15th tee.
Once again, I was prepared in theory: I knew this was the signature hole because I'd been on the website, I'd looked at photographs and I'd been told this was the key experience at Lemuria.
But when I stood on the tee and took in the view ... I laughed.
I literally burst out laughing because the dramatic reality of the situation was beyond anything I had expected.
I knew it was a par-three. I knew there was an elevated tee box. I knew there was a 90-yard drop to the putting surface. I knew the green was surrounded by rainforest and that 70-yards left of it was a beautiful beach.
And yet I still laughed because everything was magnified: the drop was steeper and longer, the rainforest was lusher and more colourful, the sand was whiter and the sea was bluer.
Astonished (and slightly hysterical) laughter seemed to be the only option.

Hawaii
But the Lemuria course has more to offer than just one hole and if I had to describe it, I would reference the Hawaiian swing on the PGA Tour because the first 12 holes closely resemble Waialae, venue for the Sony Open, then the final six holes make you think of Plantation, home to the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.
Those early holes are flat and call for tight control of the ball. It's a beautiful stretch of golf, with your attention always alert to water hazards, tree-lined fairways and the risk of losing concentration with so much wildlife and plant-life to gawp at.
Before you know it (that's one of the great things about this course - the pace of play is not just swift, it's electric; you just zoom round at your own speed) you're on the 13th and 14th holes, two of the steepest uphill par-fours I've ever played. As with Plantation in Hawaii, yardages are suddenly less important than imagination.

And then to the 15th tee. Just remembering it brings a smile to my face. 165 yards from the back tee, my ball soared into the air and then dropped.
And dropped.
And dropped.
And when I joined it at the green, having completed my par, there was a bonus.
At Nefyn GC in North Wales you can leave the 12th green, walk down to the beach, have a drink (or two) at the pub and return to the 13th tee without losing the honour.
Lemuria has no pub, but it does have the stunning Anse Georgette - a beach which, unlike cold North Welsh beaches, invites you to pull off your shirt and jump in the water. But as with Nefyn, local rules say you can swim and retain the honour.
You need to recover concentration quickly however, because the 16th hole might be the tightest I have ever played. Miss the fairway, lose a ball. But who cares? It's beautiful.
The 17th is a deceptive par-three before the final hole calls for a drive from the top of a hill to a fairway protected by jungle on the left and lake-swamp on the right. As if that weren't distraction enough, the far horizon is dotted with sand-fringed islands.
Need refreshment for the test? Poke a mango from a tree with a 7-iron, peel it and taste the sweetest mango you ever ate. Or try the local prunes (kind of like marshmallows with a mini coconut inside). They don't need halfway huts on this course - nature provides the refreshment.
Experience
Golf at Lemuria is a unique combination of dramatic golf and stunning views. It is also unusual in yet another, unexpected, way: because it's millionaire's golf so you've more or less got the course to yourself.
That factor makes it popular with couples and all ranges of players. Those afraid of an audience needn't be because they can play their own game. Better players who want a quick round will find it easy to do so (I completed both rounds in under three hours).
It means you get plenty of golf, but lots of time to enjoy the rest of the resort too; the golf is a wonderful part of the experience rather than the only experience. A round won't take a big chunk out of the day.
International flights arrive on the main island of Mahe and it is common to spend the first night (or maybe more) at another Constance resort - Ephelia - prior to catching either the 15 minute flight or one hour ferry to Praslin. That in itself only adds to the experience because Ephelia is another stunning hotel, with two magnificent beaches overlooked by rainforest which you can fly across on a zip line.
This might not be how 16th century visitors explored paradise islands, but it proved just as surprising for me. Crazy maybe, but in a very good way.
Matt Cooper was a guest of Constance Lemuria and travelled with Air Seychelles.
http://www1.skysports.com/golf/news/12177/9135410/paradise-found