Ministry of Tourism and Culture appeals for the country to unite behind national events

(Forimmediaterelease.net) This week it was representatives of the Seychelles state-owned Trading Company – STC – which met with the Seychelles Minister for Tourism and Culture, Alain St.Ange, to discuss their future collaborative corporate partnership. The Seychelles Trading Company, represented by its General Manager for Sales and Marketing, Paula Andre; the Duty Free Product Manager, Mervin Vel; and Jeanine Baptiste, the Marketing Communication Officer have discussed the importance of building a co-branding partnership with the Ministry of Tourism and Culture. The Minister for Tourism and Culture, Alain St.Ange, said that his Ministry’s plan is to secure long-term event sponsorship with local companies. “We need to change the way we’ve worked before in regards to securing of event sponsorships. We’ve relied too much on short-term sponsorships. We need to start the ball rolling in the quest for long-term sponsorships. Our goal is to firstly identify, then commit and work with serious corporate sponsors. We want to negotiate and secure sponsorships early to help maximise the event’s total success.” Minister St.Ange has also thanked the Seychelles Trading Company representatives for making time to be present in the meeting. “The Ministry of Tourism and Culture explained that our country’s national events are avenues chosen not only to bring enjoyment for our people, but also to get press to our country and increase visibility for our tourism industry. World press are not traveling here just to write about our lovely beaches and warm turquoise blue seas. They have all done that before, but if we do not get them here, we shall have to pay for pages of advertorials at $50,000 to $100,000 per review, per Ministry or corporate body. This is beyond our means, but we still require the visibility, which is why our national events, today more than ever before, provide the necessary interest to attract press from our key tourism target markets to make the trip to Seychelles. “Our national budget for national events has in the past carted the press trips to Seychelles, and too often this has not been understood. With no visibility in the markets, the private sector and the Seychelles Tourism Board will spend even more than they are doing today to create awareness to generate bookings for Seychelles. I welcome Seychelles Trading Company’s decision to be considering to come on board as a co-branding company. They cannot be alone and will not be alone, but we have assured all our partners that we shall give then ongoing press coverage as our partners. We invite from airlines, DMCs, hotels and resorts, and the business community at large to work with us for the benefit of Seychelles. Our yearly cultural and tourism events remain the opportunity to brand your company and expand its visibility.” The General Manager of Sales and Marketing at the Seychelles Trading Company, Paula Andre, said that she will go back to her company to table the Ministry’s plan of seeking a co-branding partnership with the company and will get back to the Ministry with feedbacks. She also said that the corporate sponsorship plays a significant role in the planning and execution of community events. The Seychelles Trading Company corporate sponsorships are numerous in Seychelles. PHOTO (L to R): Minister St. Ange; Paula Andre, General Manager for Sales and Marketing; Mervin Vel, Duty Free Product Manager; Jeannine Baptiste, Communication Officer / Photo from Seychelles Ministry of Tourism&Culture Sourced:forimmediaterelease