The recent fatal shark attacks in the Seychelles are unlikely to prove too damaging for the local tourism industry as holiday firms in the UK confirm that demand remains high. Honeymooner Ian Redmond was killed after being attacked while snorkelling off Anse Lazio beach. Earlier, a French tourist was killed off the same beach after being savaged by a shark in similar circumstances.

Alain St. Ange, director of the Seychelles Tourism Board, said that both attacks were freak incidents and that the waters around the archipelago remain some of the safest on the planet. Beaches close to where the attacks took place have now been closed off and shark experts have been flown in from South Africa.

St. Ange said that because shark attacks off the islands are so rare, the last fatal attack was in 1963, the authorities have no experience in dealing with the situation and so were taking advice from a foreign expert. He added that the attacks were probably by a rogue shark not usually found in the area.

The father of Nicolas Virolle, the 36-year-old French tourist killed a fortnight before Mr Redmond, has condemned the Seychelles’ authorities for not acting sooner to close the beaches. Alain Virolle described Mr Redmond’s death as a tragedy which could easily have been averted.

Although experts are still trying to confirm the breed of shark which killed the holidaymakers, the most likely suspect is a bull shark. The attacks have occurred just eight months after a string of shark attacks in the Red Sea close to Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh.