(Seychelles News Agency) - Seychelles tourism is getting a helping hand from Emirates airline, one of the largest airlines in the world, to increase its visibility as a holiday destination.

Dubai-based Emirates airline has renewed its commitment to work with the Seychelles Tourism Board to market and promote the Indian Ocean island nation’s tourism products, STB has announced in a statement posted on its Facebook page.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the two sides this week in the margin of the Arabian Travel Market Tourism Trade Fair in Dubai.

Orhan Abbas, Emirates' Senior Vice President for Commercial Operations for Latin America, Central and Southern Africa signed the agreement together with STB’s Director for Marketting Rosemary Hoareau.

STB says the partnership means Emirates has pledged to use its agents, customers and the media to increase Seychelles’ visibility as well as to work with STB by supporting the tourism body’s promotional campaigns and events.

“Our partnership so far with the archipelago has been fruitful to both parties. Our hard work, hand in hand with the Ministry of Tourism and the Seychelles Tourism Board, has been mutually beneficial,” said Emirates Orhan Abbas, according to the statement.

“We will continue to jointly explore new opportunities with an aligned vision and I remain confident that further positive results will be achieved in the coming years and months,” he added.

Emirates started operations to the Seychelles in 2005.

Presently the airline operates 12 flights a week to the Indian Ocean archipelago.

“We are very pleased and feel privileged to have the continuous support of Emirates in the marketing of Seychelles. We hope that this relationship for the coming year will be strengthened and together we can achieve even more”, said STB’s Rosemary Hoareau.

Hoareau is leading the Seychelles delegation at the Arabian Travel Market Tourism Trade Fair in Dubai which started on Monday 05 and is ending today, where Seychelles is sharing a stand with neighbouring Indian Ocean Island of Reunion.

Several tourism related businesses have joined the STB team at the fair to aid efforts to develop the ATM market comprising of Middle Eastern and Gulf Council Countries which have now become important markets for Seychelles with the availability of frequent connecting flights.

Apart from Emirates which flies to Seychelles from Dubai, the national airline Air Seychelles, and Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways operate between Seychelles and Abu Dhabi.

In 2013, Seychelles saw a record number of visitors coming primarily on holiday to the islands, with a total of 230,272 tourists.

Top 8 countries- NSB Statistics- 2013

                Country                           Visitor Arrivals
              1. France                                 35,698
              2. Germany                              33,424
              3. Italy                                      21,662
              4. Russia                                  14,125
              5. UAE                                      13,836
              6. South Africa                           13,212
              7. UK & Eire                              12,514
              8. China                                      7,714