Published on : Friday, August 1, 2014
At the mid-year Marketing Meeting of the Seychelles Tourism Board some three weeks ago, Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture said in his address that the island’s culture remained the base for the Seychelles tourism industry.
“Without our culture our tourism industry would be on very shaky grounds” Minister St.Ange said as he appealed to the Hoteliers in Seychelles to embrace the Seychellois Creole Cuisine and to include these delicacies on their hotel and restaurants menu.
Le Duc de Praslin, a fast-evolving tourism establishment, which aims to be the top four-star hotel in the Seychelles, has now a plus with the initiative taken to put local knowledge in the forefront of its promotion of Seychellois culture.
This small ‘home-grown’ hotel is headed by Robert Payet, a reputed businessman of Praslin.
Le Duc de Praslin is situated in a prime location in the sub-district of Cote D’Or. Robert Payet today says openly that Le Duc de Praslin is the ideal place for a homely meal, a hearty breakfast to a fresh start of a day and to some freshly homemade pastries for a relaxing afternoon tea time.
Speaking to Mr Payet and resident manager of Le Duc de Praslin Gina Michaud-Payet on his arrival at the hotel on his series of door-to-door visits of tourism establishments, the Minister for Tourism and Culture Alain St.Ange commended Le Duc de Praslin’s management for putting forward Seychellois employees and their local knowledge.
Mr Payet said he believes in putting a strong Seychellois workforce in his establishment saying that this is his contribution for the betterment of the island’s tourism industry.
Le Duc de Praslin employs 70 workers out of which only two have been recruited from overseas.
Impressed with the taste and flavour of the truffles, Minister St.Ange and his ministerial team who accompanied him on the visit, commended the Le Duc de Praslin team for such mouth-watering locally made pastries.
The hotel’s pastry chef Nathasha Vidot, who has been working at Le Duc de Praslin for almost three years, made her own recipes for these delicious hot pastries dubbed chocolate truffles.
She was also the one who set the nourishing breakfast with locally found fruits such as jackfruit and coconut sprout, accompanied by a selection of vennoiserie, all freshly baked by chef Vidot.
Minister St.Ange’s last stop on Praslin last week during his door-to-door visit was at Le Domaine de La Reserve owned by well-established businessman Joe Albert.
A special welcoming ceremony had been organised for the ministerial delegation, who had the chance to taste somehome baked delicacies all made by chefs at the hotel using local products and their own imagination to turn them into highly tasty hors d’oeuvres, delicacies of Le Domaine de La Reserve.
The hotel not only promotes the Creole cuisine but also other aspects of the Creole culture such as its sounds and traditions, this is through entertainment by members of staff, who give an added touch by wearing traditional clothes used in the old days.
Such initiatives from both hotels are today recognised more than ever before by the Tourism Board and by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.
“These two hotels are part of a list on properties receiving our due recognition because they have heard our call to make the Seychellois Creole Culture the base of the attractions at their hotel.
They will be recognised by the Tourism Board in its promotional activities for not only responding to the call we have made to bringing forth the local culture, but through this approach of togetherness with the Tourism Board they are also taking the island’s industry forward” said Minister St.Ange.
Source:- Seychelles Tourism Board
Tags: Seychelles Tourism Board, Tourism News
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