Tourism Seychelles launched “Sun, Sea & Spice”: a limited-edition cookbook taking Creole cuisine onto the global stage
In recent months, Seychelles’ tourism authorities have been increasingly pushing the message that the archipelago is not just a postcard of white beaches, but also a destination remembered for its flavour. The latest move in that direction is the cookbook
Sun, Sea & Spice: The Magic of Seychelles Creole Cuisine, presented as a premium, limited edition that—according to the organisers—should become a kind of “gastro-ambassador” of the country. It is a publication that brings together 50 recipes—from classic to contemporary interpretations—and is positioned as a marketing tool as much as a practical cooking guide.
Launch at the tourism department headquarters: a message that the destination brand is expanding beyond “sun and sea”
According to a Tourism Seychelles press release, the cookbook was officially launched on Friday, 27 February 2026, at the headquarters of the Tourism Department, in the presence of the Minister for Tourism and Culture Amanda Bernstein, the Principal Secretary for Tourism Sherin Francis, and project collaborators. The same release indicates that the event’s emphasis was on the broader framework: food is treated as part of identity and as a way to tell the story of Seychelles to a different, more demanding audience—those who travel for experiences, festivals, workshops, and local culture, and not exclusively for swimming.
In an official statement cited in the release, Minister Bernstein described the cookbook as an attempt to “place Creole cuisine where it deserves to be,” with the message that flavours reveal history, diversity, and the connection to land and sea. That sentence effectively summarises the strategy: promotion is not based only on scenery, but on a narrative about culture, people, and everyday life. This is also why, as Tourism Seychelles states, the cookbook text combines cultural insights with practical instructions for preparing dishes.
What the cookbook offers: 50 recipes, from starters to drinks, with an emphasis on “doability”
Tourism Seychelles emphasises in the release that the book covers a wide range of categories—starters, main dishes, soups, salads, sauces, chutneys, desserts, and drinks—and that it is structured to be understandable to both beginners and experienced cooks. At the level of reader experience, this is an important message: the cookbook is not presented as a collectible souvenir without practical value, but as material that should work in a home kitchen, far from island markets and freshly caught fish.
The same source indicates that the publication is intentionally designed as a “premium keepsake,” meaning a high-quality edition intended for long-term keeping, and that it will be sold on the local market. How many copies will be available and at what price has not been specified in the published information, so it is currently unclear whether the book will end up primarily in the hands of residents or become a popular souvenir for guests who want to take home something more tangible than photographs.
Who is behind the recipes: collaboration between official marketing and “grandma-mentorship” from Domaine Val de Pres
The project was, according to Tourism Seychelles, curated by the Content Creation Management Unit in collaboration with the
Grandma’s Savoir Faire initiative. This collaboration gives the cookbook additional weight because it ties it to living practice, not just an “editorial” selection of recipes. The release states that “renowned local cooks,” through workshops at Domaine Val de Pres, preserve tradition and pass it on to new generations and visitors, and that personal notes and stories that accompany the dishes were included alongside the recipes.
This approach is also interesting from a marketing perspective: instead of presenting Creole cuisine as an abstract set of “typical dishes,” it emphasises authorship, experience, and intergenerational transfer of knowledge. Tourism Seychelles describes this in the release as “collective knowledge” that authentically reflects the development of the islands’ culinary culture. Translated into the language of tourism, it is an attempt to present gastronomy as an experience with a face and a voice—an increasingly common model among destinations that want to attract higher-spending guests and longer stays.
For travellers planning culinary workshops or a tour of cultural locations on Mahé, it is practical to look in advance at options such as
accommodation on Mahé Island, especially if they want to be close to Victoria and the eastern part of the island where key cultural-offer points are located.
Domaine de Val des Près: “recreated” Creole heritage 16 kilometres from Victoria
Tourism Seychelles states in the release that Grandma’s Savoir Faire takes place twice a week at Domaine de Val des Près, about 16 kilometres from Victoria, and offers guests immersion in traditional cooking and crafts under the guidance of local “grandmas” who share techniques and knowledge. Additional context is provided by the Seychelles News Agency, which previously reported that activities take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays and that Domaine de Val des Près was opened on 24 October 1988, as a place where visitors can see a traditional plantation house, a craft village, and other elements of the cultural offer.
Seychelles-travel.org also describes Domaine de Val des Près as an attempt to recreate a traditional Creole village to promote cultural heritage, precisely at the St Roch location in Au Cap, highlighting the distance of 16 km from the capital. This means the cookbook is not an “isolated” product, but is anchored to a specific place and an existing programme, which gives it additional credibility. For a destination, that is an important difference: the publication then becomes an extension of an experience a guest can have on site, not just read about.
If the plan is to visit Au Cap and the cultural content at the Domaine, it is logical to consider
accommodation near the venue, especially in periods when demand on the island rises due to events and increased arrivals.
Why now: gastronomy as part of a broader destination-differentiation strategy
In the Tourism Seychelles release, the cookbook is explicitly described as a strategic destination-marketing tool, with the aim of positioning the Seychelles brand “beyond the well-known beaches and turquoise sea.” The same text emphasises that Seychellois flavours have been shaped by African, European, and Asian influences, which aligns with earlier messages Tourism Seychelles highlights at international events. In their 2025 release about participation in the UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Africa in Arusha, it is stated that the Director for Destination Marketing Bernadette Willemin emphasised at the time that Seychellois Creole cuisine is a “unique blend” of different cultural influences and part of identity and the visitor experience.
The global context is further provided by UN Tourism, which describes gastronomy as a field that can drive growth, job creation, and the preservation of cultural heritage, including in rural communities. UN Tourism, together with the Basque Culinary Center and the Government of Tanzania, organised the second regional forum in Arusha from 23 to 25 April 2025, precisely with the idea of exploring the “transformative potential” of gastronomy tourism. In such an environment, a cookbook from Seychelles is not just a charming publication, but a move that fits a broader trend: destinations are increasingly packaging “taste” as a product, with clear goals of increasing spending and extending stays.
Tourism as the backbone of the economy: the figures explain why investment goes into new niches
Seychelles is a small island state, but with tourism as a key economic pillar. The World Travel & Tourism Council, in its report
Travel & Tourism Economic Impact 2024, estimates that the direct contribution of travel and tourism to GDP in 2023 was 22.4% (about 6,105.8 million Seychellois rupees in constant 2023 prices), while the total contribution—including broader effects through investment, supply chains, and induced effects—was estimated at 52.1% of GDP. The same source also states that tourism directly generated 12,313 jobs in 2023 (22.5% of total employment), showing how deeply the sector is “rooted” in the archipelago’s everyday life.
The National Bureau of Statistics Seychelles (NBS) states that among the key statistics it collects and publishes are arrivals by country of residence, purpose of travel, average length of stay, and type of accommodation and location of stay. That data structure points to what tourism authorities and the industry need: precise understanding of guest profiles and where value can be added. Gastronomy is, in that sense, a typical candidate because it connects the hotel sector, restaurants, fishers, small producers, cultural institutions, and events.
For Croatian travellers considering a trip to Seychelles—especially if they want to combine the sea, markets, and culinary content in and around Victoria—it is useful to research in advance
accommodation offers in and around Victoria so logistics are simpler and time on the island is used for experiences, not transfers.
A blend of culture and sustainability: tourism policies that follow the “authentic experience” narrative
In practice, branding through gastronomy is hard to separate from the sustainability story, especially on island destinations with sensitive ecosystems. In December 2025, Tourism Seychelles published information about amendments to regulations related to the Tourism Environmental Sustainability Levy, announcing that the changes take effect on 1 January 2026, including changes to who is subject to the levy. Such decisions are part of a broader framework: how to balance tourism growth, pressure on resources, and expectations of guests who increasingly seek “responsible travel.”
In that context, the cookbook can also be read as an attempt to shift spending towards local value chains. Food in restaurants and workshops that relies on local ingredients, local cooks, and tradition leaves a larger share of money in the community than standardised import-oriented models. In its cookbook release, Tourism Seychelles emphasises collaboration among chefs, local cooks, and cultural advocates, suggesting a conscious “anchoring” of the product in the community, not only in hotel offerings.
What this project could bring to the local scene and how impact will be measured
The most concrete short-term effect is visibility: a cookbook is a format that is easy to carry to fairs, presentations, and B2B meetings, while also being “tactile” enough to remain in the hands of journalists, agents, and partners as a reminder of the destination. Tourism Seychelles concludes in the release that campaigns thereby gain a “taste,” inviting travellers not only to see Seychelles, but also to taste it. For local participants, there is also a benefit in formalising knowledge: when recipes and stories enter an edited publication, they are easier to transmit, teach, and interpret, which can be an important tool for workshops and cultural programmes.
But the long-term question will be how much such projects influence guest behaviour: will interest increase in cooking, guided market tours, festivals, and workshops in places like Au Cap. Tourism Seychelles already has an example to rely on—Grandma’s Savoir Faire as a programme that takes place twice a week and, according to descriptions in official materials and reports, blends cooking and crafts. If the cookbook is used as a “ticket” into that world, it could become a bridge between marketing and real on-the-ground spending.
In practical terms, this means that visitors who want to experience the “Creole side” of Seychelles will likely plan a stay with clear points: Victoria as a logistics hub, Mahé as a base, and excursions to cultural locations. In such a schedule,
accommodation for visitors to cultural content becomes more than a technical detail—it is a decision that directly affects whether a traveller will “catch” a workshop, a market, and an evening programme, or whether everything will remain at the level of an idea.
Key facts about the “Sun, Sea & Spice” project
- According to Tourism Seychelles, the cookbook contains 50 traditional and contemporary recipes, arranged across multiple categories, with practical cooking instructions.
- It was launched on 27 February 2026 at the headquarters of the Tourism Department, in the presence of the Minister for Tourism and Culture Amanda Bernstein and the Principal Secretary for Tourism Sherin Francis.
- The project was curated by Tourism Seychelles’ content-creation unit in collaboration with the Grandma’s Savoir Faire initiative, linked to workshops at Domaine de Val des Près on Mahé.
- The publication is described as a premium, limited edition and local-market sales were announced; details on price and print run have not been publicly disclosed.
On the level of symbolism, the cookbook’s message is clear: Seychelles wants to be seen not only as a “sun-and-sea” destination, but also as a place where you travel through flavours, stories, and the people who preserve those flavours. Whether
Sun, Sea & Spice becomes a sought-after souvenir, an educational tool, or a key element of international campaigns will depend on how successfully the book can be turned into concrete island experiences—from home kitchens and local markets to workshops at the Domaine and restaurants that offer Creole tradition as an experience, not just a menu.
Sources:- Tourism Seychelles – press release on the launch of the “Sun, Sea & Spice” cookbook and launch details ( link )
- Tourism Seychelles – press release on Seychelles’ participation at the UN Tourism forum on gastronomy tourism in Africa ( link )
- UN Tourism – page on gastronomy and the role of gastronomy tourism in development and heritage preservation ( link )
- UN Tourism – information about the 2nd regional forum on gastronomy tourism for Africa (Arusha, 23–25 April 2025) ( link )
- World Travel & Tourism Council – Travel & Tourism Economic Impact 2024, Seychelles profile ( link )
- National Bureau of Statistics Seychelles – overview of tourism statistics and methodology ( link )
- Seychelles News Agency – report on Grandma’s Savoir Faire and the Domaine de Val des Près context ( link )
- Seychelles-travel.org – description of Domaine de Val des Près (Craft Village) and its location in Au Cap ( link )
- Tourism Seychelles – information on amendments to the Tourism Environmental Sustainability Levy, effective 1 January 2026 ( link )
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