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The Seychelles is celebrating a fantastic start to the year after new statistics revealed its best ever February. The country recorded 16,116 travellers going on Seychelles holidays last month which is an eight per cent increase on the same month in 2011.

The Seychelles has celebrated its most successful February ever in terms of visitor arrivals with an eight per cent increase in the number of travellers compared to the same month in 2011.

Last month, 16,116 tourists took Seychelles holidays to relax on the nation’s unspoilt white sand beaches, swim in the turquoise ocean and party at the annual Carnival International de Victoria.

Alain St Ange, the Minister for Tourism and Culture in the Seychelles, explained that the carnival helped attract more visitors this year.
“This is a fact, and this is one of the reasons why the annual carnival is staged in Seychelles", he said.

“The carnival will bring in visitors, and they will stay in hotel accommodation in Seychelles. Some hotel entrepreneurs were on the ball and moved to attract the carnival delegations to their properties, and these hotels and guesthouses enjoyed a week of extremely high occupancy levels.”

Image by: IDEE_PER_VIAGGIARE, on Flickr

Several events have been added to the country’s calendar this year to encourage more tourists to book holidays in the Seychelles. These include SUBIOS, the Festival of the Sea; A Seychelles Ball; a Miss Seychelles pageant; a revamped La Digue Island annual 15th August Feast of the Virgin Mary; an Eco Healing Friendly Marathon; the Bashmet annual classical concert; and Marlin and Sailfish Competitions.

Mr St.Ange added: “We are a country with diversity and proud to be the melting pot of cultures. We have historical links with our past that need to be harnessed. We will now work to unlock all our cultural potentials and through our Celebrate Seychelles Events Department, bring our cultural assets to the front and make then truly unique selling points of our country.”

Image by: worldtraveller5, on Flickr

The Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands situated in the Indian Ocean, 900 miles east of Madagascar.

The island nation boasts stunning landscapes such as white sand, palm-fringed beaches, crystal-clear azure ocean waters and lagoons, and lush green forests. During holidays in the Seychelles, holidaymakers can discover the colourful coral reefs and underwater gardens beneath the surface of the ocean; go island-hopping on a boat; trek through thriving nature parks; explore historical sites and monuments; play golf; and indulge in luxury spas.

Tourists can choose from a wide range of Seychelles hotels including upscale beachfront resorts, beach bungalows, water villas, small B&Bs, exclusive island retreats and self-catering apartments and chalets.