Baie Lazare [Seychelles], October 27 (ANI): Indian travellers will feel 'right at home' in Seychelles, said Principal Secretary for Tourism Sherin Francis on Monday, while noting that India surges into the top 10 source markets and emerges as a significant growth driver for the island nation's tourism sector.

Emphasising the shared historical and cultural ties that connect India and Seychelles, the Principal Secretary said, 'I would like to say that any Indian visitors choosing Seychelles as a holiday destination would be right at home here.'

'Many of the forefathers of people in Seychelles today came from India. Seychelles and India share the Indian Ocean,' she added.

Highlighting the growing importance of India for Seychelles' tourism sector, Francis noted India as an increasing market of the region with the direct flights now connecting the two nations.

'India for us is a very important market, in the sense that we share historical ties with India,' she said.

'Now that we have direct air connectivity to Mumbai and a good network in India, we see India developing as a very significant market for Seychelles. India is already on our list of the top ten markets,' the Principal Secretary of Tourism added.

In 2023, Indian travellers shared 2.2 per cent of the total visitors to the East African nation, with 7,602 visiting the country. Compared to 2022, this was a 53.4 per cent increase in the total number of Indian nationals visiting the country, as per data from the High Commission of India in Victoria-Mahe.

Meanwhile, Francis also stressed that sustainable tourism remains at the heart of Seychelles' development strategy.

'Sustainability is a key aspect of our tourism development... It is important that visitors respect the environment and appreciate the work we are doing to keep this place clean, green and pristine,' she added.

Discussing future opportunities, Francis said Seychelles is eager to strengthen its collaboration with India in creative and cultural fields, including filmmaking.

'With India and Seychelles coming closer, there are many areas where we can grow, and we can learn from India. In terms of cinematic development, we can find ways to work for India in areas of movies, film shootings and other artistic works,' she concluded.

Principal Secretary's remarks come at a time when Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan is on an official visit to the island nation, during which he attended the swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Patrick Herminie and addressed the Indian community there. (ANI)