The Seychelles tourism industry, serious in their effort to work with the island’s Tourism Board to consolidate the French market, are all in Paris this week for the annual Tourism Trade Fair – Top Resa.

The Seychelles delegation is headed by Alain St.Ange, the island’s Minister of Tourism and Culture, and by Bernadette Willemin, the Paris-based Tourism Board’s European Director.

“France remains the main tourist market for Seychelles. This is why it was my duty to join those members of the island’s private sector committed to the French market. We know that working as we are in unity at this trade fair can only yield success for our industry. At this trade fair, I have taken time to encourage French tour operators to relook at Seychelles with a new eye and to work with our hotels and DMCs who want the business from France,” Minister Alain St.Ange said in Paris.

The Seychelles private sector, who is working with the Tourism Board to help consolidate the French market and who are at the 2012 IFTM, the Top Resa French Tourism Trade Fair are:

Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort & Casino represented by their Area Director of Sales Johnette Labiche, Creole Travel Services represented by their Sales & Marketing Manager Eric Renard, Desroches Island Resort represented by their Sales & Marketing Manager Sarah Jensen, the Kempinski Seychelles Resort represented by their Director of Sales & Marketing Sanjay Nair, Le Meridien Seychelles (Fisherman’s Cove & Barbarons Beach Hotels) represented by Le Meridien Fisherman’s Cove General Manager Mathieu De Tonnac and the Sales & Promotion Manager Starwood Indian Ocean William Vincent, Mason’s Travel represented by their Sales Manager Paul Lebon, the Sainte Anne Beachcomber Resort & Spa represented by their General Manager Norbert Couvreur, the Round Island Mahe Jebel Ali represented by their Director of Sales Clare Thompson, the Coral Strand Smart Choice Hotel represented by their General Manager Denis Verkhorubov their General Manager and their Director of Sales & Marketing Evgenia Boyankova, Select Seychelles represented by their French Representative Isabelle Turon-Lagau, Cindy Vidot the Head of Sales for Air Seychelles, and Maryline Gallois a Sales Representative of Etihad Airways.

At the close of the second day of business at the IFTM, the Top Resa French Tourism Trade Fair 2012 , the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture said that it has been a fruitful tourism fair with many positive exchanges between trade partners and interest from press as never seen before.