Seychelles among the Lonely Planet’s top ten for 2014

The Seychelles, for long a dream destination and associated with the rich and famous and the who is who in sports, show biz and politics, has just earned the seal of approval from the Lonely Planet Guides, when it was listed as one of their top ten destinations for the current year.

In addition did Lonely Planet hand the Seychelles their top accolades as having the best beaches and as best small islands destination, catapulting the archipelago into the ‘must visit’ category of their destinations.

With multiple daily connections from the UK, and in fact from across much of the world, operated by Emirates – which flies 12 times a week from Dubai to Mahe, offering the most convenient of connections – and by Etihad, Air Seychelles equity partner, has the Seychelles come within reach of a new pool of potential visitors. Whether they come to the islands to trace the footsteps of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who enjoyed their holiday in the intimate solitude of luxurious North Island, one of the world’s most expensive resorts, or opt to stay at one of the locally owned B&B’s like the Bord Mer at Beau Vallon Bay, holiday apartments like the Pied dans L’Eau or self catering establishments like the Chalets d’ Anse Forban the latter two set right on the beach, the Seychelles are today offering a vacation of a lifetime to visitors from all walks of life, the proverbial rich and famous but also the average Tom, Shah and Kamau, as we here in East Africa altered the British saying of Tom, Dick and Harry.

The Seychelles are notably the only Indian Ocean destination named by Lonely Planet for 2014 and this will no doubt be a boost for the marketing gurus in Victoria who are presently preparing for their first calendar event of the year, the Seychelles – China Day celebrations which take place between January 31st and February 02nd.

These 115 divine islands strewn across the peacock-blue Indian Ocean have all the key ingredients for a once-in-a-lifetime holiday, but their reputation as a millionaire’s playground may have kept you away. Good news: on top of exclusive island hideaways and elegant eco-villas, you can benefit from the wallet-friendlier B&Bs, picturesque Creole guesthouses and self-catering apartments that have sprung up over the past decade. And if expensive air tickets deterred you from visiting, rejoice! Increased competition has dramatically changed the situation over the past few years. And there’s much more to do than sipping cocktails on the beach. Hiking, diving, snorkelling, boat tours and other adventure options are all readily available, with the added appeal of grandiose scenery. Wildlife lovers will get a buzz too – the Seychelles is not dubbed ‘The Galápagos of the Indian Ocean’ for nothing’ says the review by Lonely Planet.

The other countries voted in the Top 10 are Brazil, Antartica, Scotland, Sweden, Malawi, Mexico, Belgium, Macedonia and Malaysia.

The Lonely Planet awards were presented to the Seychelles Tourist Office in the UK and upon receiving them, the Regional Manager for UK and Ireland, Tinaz Wadia, said it was satisfying to see the destination doing so well on the market and that more people will undoubtedly visit the islands this year as a result of the magazine’s high recommendation. ‘Lonely Planet covers over 8,000 destinations around the world and to learn that Seychelles has been chosen amongst the Top 10 for 2014 is absolutely amazing. We will continue to push the destination on the market and hope to hear even more good news as the year progresses’.

The PR Manager for UK and Europe, Lena Hoareau, has also welcomed the good news, saying that the high recommendation by Lonely Planet has been helped by the 12-page feature which appeared in the May issue of the magazine. The feature offered insights into the destination with best recommendations so that readers could make the most of their trip.

It was a pleasure to work with Lonely Planet and the coverage as a result of the press trip was one of the best we’ve had for the destination. The accurate and detailed reporting has and will continue to help the guide’s readers to plan, book and live their dream holiday’.

The chief Executive of the Seychelles Tourism Board, Sherin Renaud, also spoke of the awards when she added:

It is good news for the destination as it shows that our work is bringing in results and people are recognising that Seychelles is not only a destination worth visiting but also one highly recommended on the tourist market’.

The representative of the Lonely Planet magazine, Stuart Morgan, said upon presenting the awards that it had been a pleasure to work with the Seychelles Tourist Office over the years and they hoped to encourage more of their fantastic audience of travellers to visit the islands in 2014.

The Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture, Mr Alain St.Ange added his own voice when he reportedly said: ‘The exceptional beauty of the Seychelles is today being appreciated and noticed because we have attained global visibility and we are a relevant tourism destination. We thank our Tour Operators partners for their continued support and assure them all that what they are promoting today will be their for them to sell tomorrow because as a country we are set to remain good custodians of what we have been blessed with as a great country’.

Seychelles, truly Another World – now reaffirmed by the Lonely Planet.

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