Seychelles Brings 12 Named Partners to WTM London 2026

By Elena Vasquez

From November 3 to 5, 2026, Seychelles will send a delegation representing 12 named industry partners to the World Travel Market (WTM) London, led by Tourism and Culture Minister Amanda Bernstein.

Meetings will run throughout the event at the Seychelles Stand, No. 11-520 in Hall 11.

The delegation also includes Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) Chief Executive Officer Vesna Rakić, STB Manager for the UK and Nordics Karen Confait, and STB Senior Marketing Executive Myra Fanchette. Representatives from local destination management companies (DMCs) and hotels will join them, although the announcement identifies no individual local representatives or organizations.

What is Seychelles bringing to London?

The announcement names these 12 industry partners:

• 7° South
• Mason’s Travel
• Creole Travel Services
• Anantara Maia Seychelles
• Avani+ Barbarons Seychelles
• Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort & Spa
• DoubleTree by Hilton Seychelles Allamanda Resort & Spa
• Mango House Seychelles
• Canopy by Hilton Seychelles
• Kempinski Seychelles Resort
• Meliá Seychelles
• Niva Labriz Seychelles

The announcement calls WTM London one of the world’s leading travel trade events and says it brings destinations, tour operators, airlines and accommodation providers together. It provides no 2026 attendance forecast and names no UK tour operator or agency, leaving the immediate distribution pipeline unspecified.

Seychelles expects the stand to showcase the breadth of its tourism offering while letting its trade engage directly with international partners. For UK-facing sellers, those meetings can widen referral routes to local hotels and services, potentially supporting booking revenue and market share.

The announcement discloses no new distribution contract, deal value, commission change or revenue target tied to the stand.

How is the UK demand push being run?

STB says air-travel disruptions earlier this year affected visitor arrivals from the UK. It does not identify the affected routes, airlines, travel dates or size of the change, so the release cannot quantify lost bookings, traveler spending or recoverable revenue.

To support demand, STB is running advertising on buses across Central London, with branded taxis set to follow shortly. The placements can raise destination visibility among travelers who may buy through UK travel sellers, but the announcement supplies no campaign budget, impressions or conversion data.

STB presents London media activity and trade engagement as demand support, not evidence of a completed recovery. The taxi phase and scheduled meetings remain forward-looking; the bus campaign is the only disclosed activity already under way.

What will prove the campaign worked?

STB Chief Executive Officer Vesna Rakić said: “The UK remains an important traditional market for Seychelles, with long-standing ties to our destination. WTM London provides a valuable opportunity to reinforce established partnerships, explore new opportunities and respond to evolving traveller needs.”

She added: “Through close collaboration with our local industry and UK travel trade partners, we remain committed to strengthening Seychelles’ position in the market.”

Rakić frames the objective as partnership development rather than a quantified growth forecast. The UK is described as a traditional market with long-standing ties, but the announcement provides no baseline arrivals, market share, booking value or comparison with rival destinations.

It also cites no STB financial filing, independent market sizing or forecast for arrivals generated by the promotion. Those omissions limit any assessment of revenue recovery, seller commissions or the cost of acquiring each incremental booking.

For UK sellers, the Nov. 3-5 meetings will test conversion rather than reach: whether London advertising produces additional UK arrivals and whether the 12 named partners can turn discussions into bookable hotel and service contracts. Until STB reports booking, revenue and commission outcomes, the initiative remains a distribution pitch with measurable execution still ahead.