The singer made the appearance from his home during a training session on Tuscany arranged by DUCO, the annual high-end Italian trade fair which had to be cancelled this year. 

The 57-year-old is a keen cyclist and told viewers that while out riding recently he had met someone who connected him to Andy Levine, the founder of DuVine, a cycling and adventure travel business which offers tours in Tuscany and elsewhere; the next day Seal was playing a starring role in the webinar with Levine. 

Seal said: “Italy is the most beautiful country in the world and I’m looking forward to getting back there; I only just met Andy through a video call myself yesterday, and here I am – I wanted to say hello to you all and say that these are difficult times and everybody is hurting, and it’s especially difficult in Italy.

"Ultimately, we have been here before as a species and I know that if we come together, we will not only be OK, but we will come out of this stronger and more beautiful than ever before,” the singer went on to add.

“It was the best webinar I have ever watched,” travel designer Janet Mactavish told TTG.

Based in West Sussex, with a focus on high-end travel and retreats, which she often organises in Italy, Mactavish is a frequent attendee at DUCO Travel Summit, usually held annually in Florence, and attracting around 400 global agents. 

In the absence of its usual event, the Italian organisation has launched a series of webinars, DUCO Parla, which hope to bring “inspiring, fun and cultural themes about Italy” into the laptops of travel agents worldwide; around 455 guests accessed the last webinar with the Seal appearance.

Seal was on-screen as part of the “Ride in Tuscany” session, co-hosted by Levine and many local hoteliers. 

“When all this is over – I would love to take Seal on a tour around Tuscany to meet everybody on this webinar,” Levine said.

Tuscan hotels also starring in the webinar included Lupaia, Hotel Borgo San Felice, Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco, Castello di Velona, Como Castello del Nero, Castel Monastero, La Bandita Townhouse, Castello di Vicarello, Belmond Castello di Casole, Relais & Chateaux Il Falconiere, L’Andana and Borgo Santo Pietro. 

DUCO’s current webinars are open to everyone to register – Sicily is the topic of this week’s (7 May).