Seychelles enjoys a busy summer

Flat-out in the Seychelles.

The Seychelles has enjoyed a busy summer, welcoming more than 80,000 holidaymakers in August.

The Indian Ocean nation welcomed back visitors quarantine-free earlier this year in March, albeit with social distancing requirements such as mask wearing.

According to reports released by Tourism Seychelles, in just one week in August it received 9,000 visitors, just 1,000 fewer than the same week in 2019.

According to the principal secretary for Tourism, Sherin Francis, the current numbers are “very encouraging” and they reflect the predictions made by Tourism Seychelles made at the beginning of the year. It was hoped that Seychelles would receive between 111,000 and 189,000 visitors in 2021.

“Demand for travel remains high, although travellers are still faced with plenty of uncertainty,” she said. “(In August) we have reached approximately 700 visitors per day and the numbers remain steady… We are on track to achieve our 2021 tourism targets.”

The sunshine destination is currently served with regular flights by nine airlines, including Emirates, Qatar Airways, Aeroflot, Etihad Airways, Edelweiss, Ethiopian Airlines, Turkish Airline, Kenya Airways and national carrier Air Seychelles.

In the spring, Emirates announced it would be increasing its service between Dubai and the Seychelles with seven flights a week.

The Seychelles boasts pristine beaches and a well-conserved biodiversity. The country has never promoted mass-tourism and enjoys year-round warm temperatures. Some of the best diving can be found at this time of year (October onwards).

Find out when Mauritius will be opening quarantine-free.

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