Ethiopian Airlines is anticipating a second daily flight to Seychelles with the aim to boost the visibility of the island nation as a destination, Tourism Seychelles - the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism - said on Tuesday.

The new local head of the airlines, Kassahun Terefa, met with Seychelles' principal secretary for tourism, Sherin Francis, and the director general for destination marketing, Bernadette Willemin last week.

The meeting follows a recent visit made by Francis and Willemin to the airline's headquarters in Addis Ababa in March to discuss areas of cooperation and the signing of a potential memorandum of understanding.    

During the meeting, Francis stressed the importance of the two parties joining forces to make Seychelles visible and enhance sales for the airline that began its flight to the island nation in 2013. Ethiopian Airlines is currently making daily flights to Seychelles. 

"We have had several successful collaborations with Ethiopian Airlines, and they have proven to be extremely reliable and service-oriented. Ethiopia is an important hub with excellent connections, and we look forward to expanding our relationship with the airline," said Francis.    

Willemin expressed her satisfaction with the visit and highlighted the importance of making Seychelles more accessible to potential visitors worldwide.

"This meeting cements what was discussed in Addis. We are now signing an MOU with Ethiopian Airlines to advance to the next level," she said.

On his part, Terefa expressed his dedication to promoting Seychelles as a critical market for their network and said: "We are pleased to cooperate with our local partners and continue to promote Seychelles."

Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, relies heavily on tourism, the top pillar of its economy.