The Seychelles Tourism Department took part in the 2nd UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism in Africa, held in Arusha, Tanzania, from April 23 to 25, 2025. This high-level event brought together tourism stakeholders, policymakers, and culinary innovators from across the continent to explore the growing significance of gastronomy as a driver of sustainable tourism, economic development, and cultural preservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Represented by Mrs. Bernadette Willemin, Director General for Destination Marketing, Seychelles showcased its strategic commitment to establishing gastronomy as a cornerstone of tourism product diversification and community-based tourism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the various panels she participated in, Mrs Willemin highlighted Seychelles\u2019 rich Creole culinary heritage\u2014a unique blend of African, French, Indian, and Chinese influences\u2014as a core component of the archipelago\u2019s cultural identity and visitor experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSeychelles is more than just a beach destination,\u201d said Mrs Willemin. \u201cOur rich and diverse Creole cuisine reflects our heritage and plays a central role in reimagining the visitor experience. Participating in this forum was a valuable opportunity to share our approach and learn from other destinations advancing culinary tourism across Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the forum, the Director General for Destination Marketing also took the opportunity to highlight the key initiatives aimed at enhancing the country\u2019s culinary tourism offerings\u2014from farm-to-table dining experiences and traditional Creole food festivals to community-based cooking workshops and partnerships with cultural institutions such as the Seychelles National Institute for Culture, Heritage, and the Arts. One such initiative, Grandma\u2019s Savoir Faire, celebrates intergenerational knowledge transfer through Creole home-cooking traditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These efforts align with Seychelles\u2019 broader vision of sustainable and inclusive tourism development, ensuring that local communities are engaged and empowered as direct beneficiaries of the tourism value chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seychelles further emphasised its ongoing collaboration with UN Tourism and regional partners to strengthen Africa\u2019s position as a leading gastronomy tourism destination. The forum underscored the power of food as a cultural connector and storytelling tool, capable of enriching visitor experiences and reinforcing national identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur participation in this forum reinforces our vision of positioning Seychelles not only as a place of natural beauty but also as a destination where food plays a central role in cultural exchange and sustainable growth,\u201d added Mrs Willemin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Seychelles Tourism Department extends its appreciation to UN Tourism, the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, and all organising partners for hosting this important platform and championing the future of African gastronomy tourism<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Seychelles Tourism Department took part in the 2nd UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism in Africa, held in Arusha, Tanzania, from April 23 to 25, 2025. This high-level event brought together tourism stakeholders, policymakers, and culinary innovators from across the continent to explore the growing significance of gastronomy as a driver of sustainable […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8549,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tourism.gov.sc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8550","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tourism.gov.sc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tourism.gov.sc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tourism.gov.sc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tourism.gov.sc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8550"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tourism.gov.sc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8550\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tourism.gov.sc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tourism.gov.sc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tourism.gov.sc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tourism.gov.sc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}