By Rafiq Vayani
DUBAI: Emirates has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Seychelles Tourism Board at Expo 2020. The agreement reaffirms the airline’s commitment to the island-nation and outlines joint initiatives to promote trade and tourism to the country.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Ahmed Khoory, Emirates’ SVP Commercial West Asia & Indian Ocean, and Sherin Francis, Principal Secretary Tourism Department, Tourism Seychelles. The agreement was signed in the presence of H.E. Mr Sylvestre Radegonde, Minister for Foreign Affairs & Tourism and Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer.
The ceremony was also attended by Emirates executives: Orhan Abbas, SVP Commercial Operations Far East; Abdulla Al Olama, Regional Manager Commercial Operations Far East, West Asia & Indian Ocean; Oomar Ramtoola, Manager Indian Ocean Islands; Silvy Sebastian, Business Analysis Manager West Asia & Indian Ocean; and executives of Tourism Seychelles: Bernadette Willemin, Director General Destination Marketing Tourism Seychelles; and Noor Al Geziry, Tourism Seychelles Middle East Office.
Ahmed Khoory, SVP Commercial West Asia & Indian Ocean at Emirates, said: “Emirates has shared strong ties with Seychelles since 2005 and the island nation remains a very important market for us. The agreement signed today is a strong testament to our commitment and support to the island-nation. We thank our partners for their ongoing support and we look forward to continue growing our successful partnership.”
H.E. Mr Sylvestre Radegonde, Minister for Foreign Affairs & Tourism, said: “Emirates airline has been constant and steadfast with their support towards Seychelles and we are indeed grateful for that. Therefore, we would like to express our support for the coming year with the hope that it will be a better year for both Seychelles and the airline.”
The agreement outlines mutually beneficial activities to boost trade and tourism to the country, including trade shows, trade familiarisation trips, exhibitions, and workshops.
Emirates launched operations to Seychelles in 2005 and the airline currently operates daily flights to the island-nation, utilising its wide-body Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. Emirates was the first international airline to resume passenger services to Seychelles in August 2020, coinciding with the country’s re-opening to international tourists. Since January 2021, Emirates has carried close to 43,500 passengers to the island-nation, from more than 90 destinations, including top markets, United Arab Emirates, Germany, France, Poland, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Russia, Belgium and the United States of America.
Emirates has safely restarted operations to more than 120 destinations within its global network, via Dubai. The airline has led the industry with its innovative products and services, including a comprehensive set of health and safety measures at every step of the journey, contactless technology at Dubai Airport, generous and flexible booking policies, and an industry-first multi-risk insurance cover.
