So much has already happened within our tourism industry this year as we arrive at the halfway point of 2007.

Announcements of new hotels to be built, exciting air and sea transport developments for both the international and domestic arenas, and awards and accolades for our destination and some of its best properties, have all come in the midst of what is sure to be another record year for tourism arrivals.

With so much going on, it seems like ages ago since we at the Seychelles Tourism Board unveiled the destination’s new brand positioning: “The Seychelles Islands, Another World.”

The international launch of the new brand was only a few months ago in March at Germany’s ITB travel fair, but it appears the travel trade and civil society at large have already adopted the slogan as their own, and we could not be more excited about this.

One of the most important aspects of the new brand, and something that had been discussed at the very outset of the process, was the need for it to resonate among the Seychellois community. A destination brand is not simply meant for export to overseas audiences – it’s about a symbol of national pride that we can all be proud of, because it represents what’s ours as a people.

Of course, during the creative process of 2006, the same resonance that “Unique By A Thousand Miles” still had among Seychellois resulted in quite a few suggestions that we bring the old slogan back.

But here’s the thing: a brand is much more than just a slogan. And a logo does not come out of thin air just because it might look attractive. The entire process that eventually led to the final brand positioning was steered by the evidence and research at hand, and in the interest of portraying Seychelles in a way that would reflect how different and special it truly is.

The new positioning is actually quite similar to “Unique By A Thousand Miles.” Calling Seychelles “Another World” certainly says we’re unique, but it also takes it a step further to explain why we’re unique.

All of our new marketing materials, from the language we employ to the photography we use, tell a story of the magical beginnings of Seychelles dating back to Gondwanaland. It is from this story that we can reclaim our stake to being one of the most unique destinations in the world, on top of our stunning beaches.

Our beautiful beaches have long been, and will continue to be, our strongest asset to attract visi-tors. But for far too long, we have been lumped together with Mauritius, the Maldives and other countries as one-dimensional beach destinations offering little else besides sun, sand and sea. We all know, however, that we have so much more in store for our visi-tors, whether it’s the primal beauty of our mountains, the exci-ting thrills of hopping to various islands or the unique diving, sail-ing and fishing expe-riences to be had here.

We hope the new brand and its various components can be an educational tool that will fill in both consu-mers and the travel trade on all of these differentiating factors.

And we also hope that it can be a banner under which all Seychellois – and not just those working in the tourism industry – can be excited and proud to play a role in the experience that our visitors have in our islands.

(Maurice Lousteau-Lalanne is Chief Executive of the Seychelles Tourism Board)