The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) has entered into a collaboration with Ucruising – a major online cruising agency based in Guangzhou, China, that specialises in providing all-in-one cruise packages – as part of its strategy to tap into the Chinese cruise segment.

Forty Chinese visitors – the first batch of Asian passengers who made their booking through Ucruising – were welcomed on November 13, on-board the Costa Victoria. The return voyage on November 27 will host an even larger group of Chinese travellers – 250 in total. The cruise vessel, owned and operated by Italian cruise line Costa Crosiere, can carry up to 2 394 passengers.

As a result of the initiative, over 350 cruise travellers from China are expected to come to Seychelles during the 2018/2019 cruise ship season, which opened on October 10 this year.

STB’s Marketing Director for China and Japan, Jean-Luc Lai-Lam, said: “This collaboration with Ucruising and STB opens our islands to the Chinese market. We are working actively to increase the number of visitors this season.”