(Seychelles News Agency) - Emirates Airline will boost services to Seychelles by offering twice-daily flights from December 24 to January 9 to meet market demand during the holiday season.

The airline announced on Friday that a second daily service will boost tourism to Seychelles this winter holiday, especially from popular inbound markets including France, Germany, United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, United States, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

The added flight from Dubai to Mahe will operate as Emirates flight EK707 departing Dubai at 10.20 am and arriving at the Seychelles' international airport at 2.55 pm local time. The added flight from Mahe to Dubai will operate as Emirates flight EK706, departing at 8.35 am and arriving in Dubai at 1.10 pm.

Tickets can be purchased on emirates.com, at an Emirates sales office, or via travel agents

The director general for Destination Planning and Development in the Tourism Department, Bernadette Willemin, told SNA that "this decision comes as a blessing to us, especially during the festive season when the demand to visit our paradise is quite high. Emirates has been a loyal airline partner, with international connections all over the globe, which means more seat capacity and frequency from numerous destinations, contributing to the Seychelles tourism industry."

Tourism is the top contributor to the economy of Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean. 

The Dubai-based airline currently operates a daily flight to Seychelles utilising its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. From January 10 next year, the airline will offer 10 weekly flights to Seychelles including a double daily service on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Earlier this year, Emirates renewed its commitment to Seychelles by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Seychelles Tourism Department at the Dubai Expo 2020 in October. The agreement reaffirmed the airline's commitment to the island nation and outlines various initiatives to promote trade and tourism to the country.