Blog
Ludo’s Weekend in Mallorca
Boutique Luxury & Island Charm
News Article
In Conversation with Karen Confait from Seychelles Tourism
25 April 2025
Tourism Seychelles: A Peak Behind the Curtain
We talk to lots of people for this blog who work in hotels: GMs, chefs, spa-managers, marine biologists, even a farmer. They’re wonderful: they pull back the curtain to reveal hotel life and how their slice of it works. Often, they make you realise how tough it is to sustain the running of a resort: to attract guests, to keep operations working smoothly, to provide the best possible experience for people parting with their hard-earned cash to be there. What we haven’t done, though, is speak to someone who does that on a national scale, whose job it is to market an entire country to the rest of the world. Today, we’re sitting down with Karen Confait, who holds the enviable title of Marketing Director at Tourism Seychelles and who is running us through what that entails.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that the Seychelles don’t really need much marketing. 115 islands strung out across an idyllic stretch of the Indian Ocean about 1,500 kilometres east of mainland Africa, they hold a special place in our imagination as about as heavenly as heaven can get.
Of the 115, only 3 are home to people – Mahé, Praslin and La Digue – each of which mixes African, French, English and Asian heritage for a distinctly Seychellois cultural experience. ‘Because of the influence from the first settlers (African slaves and French landowners), we have a Creole culture that’s distinct from other neighbouring islands, which have a much more Indian origin,’ Karen tells me. ‘You see it in our local dances, our gastronomy, where there is also lots of Indian and Chinese influence.’
It’s this heady-sounding mix of equally different, yet equally lovely, cultures that makes the Seychelles the destination that it is. And it’s something that those at the top of the tourism tree are keen to preserve. ‘We have a Creole festival that takes place every October to safeguard the culture and the language. We know how important it is for us as a country and we must keep it safe.’ And it’s true, tourism is exceptionally important to this small nation of 100,000 people. ‘The majority of the population works in tourism, it’s the primary source of employment and, when it works, the benefits trickle all the way down the food chain.’
That explains another aspect to Seychellois travel: the positive reputation that tourism – and tourists – have amongst the local population. ‘We know that it’s vital for us as a country, but we also don’t have the massive problems that you’ve seen in bigger places.’ The image of tourists being sprayed by water-gun-toting locals whilst eating in Barcelona springs to mind. ‘Being small,’ Karen continues, ‘means we’re not about mass tourism as our bed stock is quite limited. The biggest resort in the country only has around 350 rooms and lots of other places are far smaller guest houses and self-caterings.’ There’s a system in place, too, to prevent anything more untoward taking place. In order to open any sort of tourist establishment, you must have been granted a license from the government, which also includes the Tourism Department– which means there’s no B&Bs opening up overnight to price locals out of the area.
All in all, it’s a slick operation, regulated by a government and a population that both know how critical tourism is – and how the model they have for it is working well. ‘We focus on quality over quantity, and on moving away from our perception.’ Is that, I wonder, that the Seychelles is only available to the rich and famous, that it’s where Will and Kate honeymooned and that, to visit there, you’ll need a bank loan? ‘Yes, people tend to think it’s unaffordable and it’s one of our main goals to show that local experiences and places to stay are much more achievable for all.’
Karen’s already mentioned the slew of guesthouses that are available to stay in, which, in August and July, are cheaper than Greece. But it’s also about changing perceptions around what it means to travel to the Seychelles. ‘We’re more than just a beach destination and to pigeon-hole as one, which so many people do, is wrong. There’s a huge amount of wildlife and nature, mountains, forests, nature reserves with amazing walks and trails.’ In fact, a staggering 50% of all of the Seychelles’ landmass is protected nature reserve, home to over 1000 species of flora and fauna and a Mecca for more active, less beach-loving visitors. Although there are, of course, some of the world’s best beaches which, due to regulation, have no resorts on.
It’s because of this variety, Karen says, that she always encourages visitors to island-hop. ‘Our hotels and places to stay are in the community. You can bike on La Digue, walk down the street into the local bar on Mahé and try the street food from the kiosks on Praslin. We’re blessed with amazing marine life everywhere and it’s brilliant that the modern traveller is so adventurous when it comes to visiting here.’ It’s also very easy to do: there are ferries between the islands and, for those who’d rather fly between Mahé and Praslin, that’ll take you 15 minutes.
What then, I wonder, is there left for Karen to do at work? ‘Lots,’ she says with a smile. She’s already been with Tourism Seychelles for 20 years so she knows her stuff. ‘We’re continuing our focus on growing the demand for higher value and low impact tourism, on encouraging people to engage with the islands in the way that we know they can.’ For someone who lives and works in London, she also knows how us Brits think about holidays, especially to sunnier climes. ‘I’ve never been somewhere people talk about holidays so much – and we want a piece of that market. It’s a very competitive environment here, so developing strategies to attract people, marketing our amazing islands, training agents on how to sell, it’s all key.’
There’s a gorgeous balance to the Seychelles, between nature and development, small but welcoming, European, Asian and African. And at Tourism Seychelles, there’s clearly a desire to maintain that equilibrium. So, when you do go there, don’t worry about it being crowded or built up or spoilt in any way; just worry about whether you’re going to get the ferry or the plane to Praslin.