(Seychelles News Agency) - With the aim to reconnect, network and build further business ties with various travel industry entities, a team from Tourism Seychelles – the marketing arm of the Tourism Department – attended the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), a global event held at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

In a press statement on Tuesday, Tourism Seychelles said that after a two-year absence, the team met with several participants representing various sectors in the industry in the event which took place from May 9 - 12.

The director general of Tourism Seychelles, Bernadette Willemin, said that Tourism Seychelles was truly delighted to have been part of this year's ATM.

"The past few years have been tough for the tourism and hospitality industry which is why this event is something that all of us were looking forward to as it is the first big event since the pandemic. We are, indeed, positive that the travel and tourism sector will go back to its normalcy and the ATM is just the start of it," she said.

Tourism Seychelles' participation is also in line with the destination's vision to bring further awareness to the island nation's latest sustainable efforts as the industry is recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, Tourism Seychelles' regional representative in the Middle East, Ahmed Fathallah, said that "it was great being able to meet with existing partners and clients, and all the more grateful that we were able to connect and build a network with new potential clients. Events like these are great reminders that our industries may have suffered a while back but this event is proof that the confidence of people to travel is slowly going back."

Arab airlines such as Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways connect Seychelles to the Middle East and the rest of the world, providing the largest number of flights combined to the island state.

Seychelles closed its borders in December 2020 after a spike in cases and after recording its first COVID-19-related death. The island nation reopened its borders in March 2021 to relaunch its tourism industry, the top pillar of its economy.