Kenya Airways and Seychelles Team Up to Sell Safari-and-Islands Combos in North America
A fresh partnership between the Seychelles Tourism Board and Kenya Airways is set to reshape how North American travellers experience Africa, with a joint campaign designed to promote twin-centre holidays that combine Kenya's world-famous safaris with the pristine beaches and unique biodiversity of the Seychelles Islands.
The initiative leans on Kenya Airways' non-stop service between New York and Nairobi, together with the carrier's onward flights to Seychelles, offering North American holidaymakers a smooth and appealing routing across two of Africa's most iconic tourism experiences. For the African travel trade, this collaboration signals a broader trend, one where source-market growth increasingly depends on smart partnerships between airlines and destinations, rather than isolated marketing efforts.
Recent discussions were held between David Germain, the Seychelles Tourism Board's dedicated representative for the Americas, and Anthony Brinn, Kenya Airways' commercial manager for the United States. Their talks focused on joint campaigns that will drive additional business for both partners while encouraging travellers already planning a Kenyan safari to extend their journey with time in Seychelles.
Twin-centre travel has long held strong potential for Seychelles in the North American market. Over the years, Mr Germain has worked closely with tour operators across the region to promote safari-and-islands packages, and the newly strengthened partnership will build on those established relationships. For African tour operators watching from Nairobi, Cape Town, Kigali or Windhoek, the model offers a useful template of how neighbouring destinations can join forces rather than compete for the same visitor.
The conversation also touched on shifting global travel patterns, particularly the impact of recent disruptions in the Middle East. These developments have prompted North American travellers and their agents to look more closely at alternative routes and hubs, and East Africa is emerging as a strong option. Nairobi's positioning as an efficient gateway to both mainland safari experiences and Indian Ocean island holidays gives Kenya Airways a real competitive edge in this evolving landscape.
"An African safari in Kenya followed by a holiday in Seychelles brings together some of the best that Africa has to offer, from exceptional wildlife to iconic beaches and the remarkable natural beauty of the Seychelles Islands," Mr Germain said. He added that Kenya Airways' non-stop New York to Nairobi service, combined with its onward flight to Seychelles, provides a powerful foundation for expanding Seychelles' share of the North American market.
Seychelles Tourism Board Chief Executive Vesna Rakić welcomed the joint promotion, stressing that the organisation greatly values its long-standing relationship with Kenya Airways. She noted that strengthening twin-centre travel between Kenya and Seychelles is fully aligned with the destination's wider strategy of diversifying access and building resilience across source markets. That message will resonate across the continent, as many African destinations continue to explore ways of reducing overreliance on any single origin country or airline.
Kenya Airways currently flies four times a week between Nairobi and Seychelles, with additional frequency planned from September 2026. This capacity boost comes at a strategic moment, giving the two partners more inventory to sell into the North American market and greater flexibility for tour operators building itineraries. For travel professionals across sub-Saharan Africa, the added frequency also opens fresh opportunities to sell island add-ons to visiting family, friends and diaspora travellers arriving via Nairobi.
Looking to the years ahead, this campaign reflects a growing recognition that African destinations gain more when they are packaged together than when they are sold in isolation. As long-haul travellers increasingly seek richer, more meaningful holiday experiences, combining Kenya's savannah landscapes with Seychelles' turquoise waters could well become a signature African product line, one that industry professionals across the continent should be ready to embrace.
