Dream now, experience Seychelles later: New tourism campaign aims to fill beaches post-COVID-19

"Dream Now, Experience Seychelles Later" is a new digital campaign designed to keep the islands high in people's must-visit lists. (Seychelles Tourism Board)

(Seychelles News Agency) - The planes have stopped flying. The tourists have stopped coming, but the Seychelles Tourism Board hopes to keep the island nation at top of mind for when the world turns back on after COVID-19.

"Dream Now, Experience Seychelles Later" is a new digital campaign designed to keep the islands high in people's must-visit lists.

Phase one of the campaign kicked off on April 7 when STB published the first message: "The world may be at a standstill, but your dreams don't have to be. Always remember that a dream postponed is one that is enriched" - on numerous digital platforms.

This was accompanied by a series of photos relaying the beauty of Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, and what it has to offer. On April 15, the tourism board rolled out a video further emphasising the island nation's uniqueness, all the time echoing a message of hope and a brighter tomorrow. The tourism board said that the video was shared over 300 times over Facebook in less than 24 hours of its release.

The second phase, soon to be initiated, aims at actively engaging the tourism trade to join STB in the campaign in promoting the destination.

Sherin Francis, STB's chief executive, on Friday in a press release, that working side by side with the board's partners is a priority at all times.

"Through this campaign, I am again emphasising on the increasing need for us as an industry to come together and work collectively as a team and use the following message and hashtags on our different social media channels, in order to increase our reach globally. This is also to ensure that Seychelles as a destination keeps a universal presence online," said Francis.

The public is being also urged to be a part of this campaign. They can do so by sharing their experiences in the Seychelles on various social media platforms while using the hashtags #staysafe #dreamnow #experienceseychelleslater.

The campaign also strives to share positive posts to inspire audiences during this difficult time while the pandemic continues to cause havoc globally.

Tourism is the top contributor to the Seychelles' economy and the sector the most affected with a travel ban on visitors worldwide because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A three-day survey carried out in Seychelles shows that at least 2,367 bookings worth $3.8 million were cancelled between February 25 and March 23 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the finance minister, Maurice Loustau-Lalanne, told the National Assembly last month.

Overall, the Finance Ministry is projecting a 64 percent drop in tourist arrivals in 2020.