Seychelles hotel joins Oetker Collection

Dubai: The Oetker Collection, a luxury hotel group, signed a management contract on Tuesday with the owners of the Fregate Island Private hotel in Seychelles to promote the property as of July 2013. The luxury retreat in Seychelles, owned by a consortium of German investors, will be the eighth addition to Oetker Collection’s hotels, which include getaways in France, Germany, and Morocco.

The UAE is the fifth-largest provider of tourists to the Seychelles islands, where tourism accounts for more than 60 per cent of the annual GDP. Over 12,800 visitors travelled to the Seychelles in 2012 from the UAE, according to the Seychelles National Statistics Bureau.

“More than 6 per cent of the visitors to the Seychelles are from the UAE. Interestingly, this figure has increased by 150 per cent in the last three years,” said Alain Briere, vice president sales and marketing of the Oetker Collection. “The target for 2013 was to reach more than 22,000 visitors, and the likelihood is that it’s going to reach 25,000.”

Visitors from the UAE comprise both Emiratis and expatriates, Briere told Gulf News. The main attractions for UAE visitors in the Seychelles are the privacy and seclusion the islands offer, in addition to the greenery and ecology. Another key incentive for Seychelles-bound tourists from the UAE is that they do not need a visa to enter the country, Briere added.

The retreat occupies a private island in the Indian Ocean, with 16 residences ranging from 400 to 700 sq. meters. On the island, guests also have access to seven beaches with the possibility to “privatise” their own, or occupy the beach privately. Guests would not have to pay an additional cost for privatising beaches as it is included in the price of staying at the hotel, Briere said.

Furthermore, the hotel is doing its bit to promote sustainability by preserving wildlife found on the island, which contains many endangered species. In addition, organic vegetables and fruits are grown on the island’s plantation for hotel guests.

The writer is an intern at Gulf News