(Seychelles News Agency) - Holiday makers had an opportunity to gain more information about Seychelles at a Seychellois tourism stand at FITUR, an international trade fair, in Madrid recently.

The Seychelles' team led by the director general for destination marketing, Bernadette Willemin, together with the marketing executive for Tourism Seychelles for Spain and Portugal, Monica Gonzalez Llinas, met with travel trade professionals and local media from January 19-21.  

In a press statement on Wednesday, Willemin said that the Iberian Peninsula occupied by Spain and Portugal fits well with the tourism development policy of Seychelles as visitors from the region are known to be very jovial people and good spenders.

"The business is supported by both the Spanish and Portuguese trade, as well as the local travel trade in the Seychelles and Spain contributes the lion's share of the business," she said.

According to the tourism department, 3,137 Spanish visitors travelled to Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, from January to December last year despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The current outlook for the Spanish market, in particular, looks positive and should this trend continue, it will help in further developing our business together with the support of Seychelles trade partners, both locally and in the marketplace," added Willemin.

Andre Butler Payette, general manager of the 7° South travel agency, said it was a privilege to join Tourism Seychelles in Madrid for FITUR.

"After many months of virtual meetings this event has come at an opportune moment allowing us to physically showcase all that we have to offer in Seychelles. FITUR was a resounding success which permitted us to reconnect with old partners as well as engage with new ones, as we look to further develop this growing market filled with potential for the future," Butler Payette

FITUR is a meeting point for tourism professionals around the globe and is considered the leading trade fair for the Latin American market.