Idyllic Backdrop for Routes Africa 2012

The Seychelles Tourism Board in partnership with the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority will host this year’s Routes Africa event which will be held in Victoria, the Seychelles’ stunning capital.

The Republic of Seychelles comprises 115 islands occupying a land area of 455 km² and an Exclusive Economic Zone of 1.4 km² in the western Indian Ocean. Of these 115 islands, 41 constitute the oldest mid-oceanic granite islands on earth while a further 74 form the low-lying coral atolls and reef islands of the Outer Islands.

The granitic islands of the Seychelles archipelago cluster around the main island of Mahé, home to the international airport and the capital, Victoria, and its satellites Praslin and La Digue. Together, these Inner Islands form the cultural and economic hub of the nation and contain the majority of Seychelles’ tourism facilities as well as its most stunning beaches.

This year Seychelles International Airport (SEZ) will celebrate 40 years since it was officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 20th March 1972 seven months after the first commercial flight landed there. This anniversary also marks the beginning of aviation and tourism development in the Seychelles and, moving forward, it plans to develop and grow to become a hub in the Indian Ocean. Hosting Routes Africa in 2012 provides the perfect opportunity to show the region what the Seychelles has to offer as they aim to grow traffic and tourism numbers to their shores.

The Seychelles Tourism Board and the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority have confirmed that they are proud to have been successful in bringing Routes Africa 2012 to Seychelles and to the Indian Ocean. Speaking earlier this year when the Hosting agreement was signed, Elsia Grandcourt CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board commented: “This confirms that within the idyllic backdrop, the mid ocean islands of the Seychelles there is more to offer than just a holiday destination. The team at the Tourism Board and the Civil Aviation Authority is fully committed and they are convinced that this highly important conference comes at an opportune time when Seychelles is repositioning itself as being accessible as never before and pushing to establishing new air access opportunities to the destination.”

Richard Maslen

Richard Maslen has travelled across the globe to report on developments in the aviation sector as airlines and airports have continued to evolve and…