Britain’s Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts, a sitting member of the United Kingdom’s House of Lords, and Lady Fiona Hodgson, President of the National Conservative Convention for the British ruling Conservative Party, joined Alain St.Ange, CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board, at the official opening ceremony of “La Gigolette” restaurant at L’Archipel Hotel on the island of Praslin in the Seychelles.

Praslin remains a favorite highlight for visitors to Seychelles, and a new speciality seafood a-la-carte restaurant right on the beach at Cote D’Or is seen as a positive addition to the island’s infrastructure. Louis D’Offay, the owner of L’Archipel Hotel and promoter of the new “La Gigolette” speciality seafood restaurant, said, as he welcomed the guests and diners on the opening night of his new establishment, that his new restaurant was setup after all the demands and suggestions received from both the Praslinois and many visitors.

Louis D’Offay, who is also the Chairman of the Seychelles Hospitality&Tourism Association (SHTA), was surrounded by his children and had many of Praslin island hoteliers as diners on his restaurant’s opening night. Louis D’Offay’s “La Gigolette” restaurant boasts a menu with a selection of the creole island-styled French specialities such as a chilled and warm pumpkin veloute, stuffed mussel with parsley, butter and tomato caviar, fresh mini fish tartar from our fishermen, pan-fried fillet of red snapper with gratinated herbs mousseline crust and ivory sauce, casserol prawns curry, and coconut blanc-manger served with its pineapple soup.

Alain St.Ange said, when he addressed the gathered diners, that the new “La Gigolette” seafood speciality restaurant was a welcome addition to the Praslin island tourism infrastructure. “When President James Michel tabled his vision for the Seychelles tourism industry, he also launched the Seychelles brand of tourism, and he said that it was time for Seychelles to claim back its tourism industry. This call to action can and will only be achieved when more Seychellois get implicated in the island’s tourism industry. Today, on behalf of the Seychelles Tourism Board, I need to congratulate Louis D’Offay for investing even more than he was already doing to help in the consolidation of the Seychelles tourism industry. You are doing Seychelles and Praslin proud,” Said Alain St.Ange.

The CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board also said that he wanted to acknowledge the presence of Lord&Lady Hodgson at the opening of Louis D’Offay’s new restaurant. “We are happy to use this occasion to welcome you and your family to Seychelles and to the island of Praslin. We are also happy to have you on Praslin Island even after write-ups in the sensational press in the UK that resulted from the recent accidents involving the shark. We are honored you have looked at our track record as remaining a safe tourism destination, and we are happy to hear that you have enjoyed not only our perpetual summer climate, but also our clean and powdry white sandy beaches and note that you have been swimming in our clean and clear turquoise blue seas,” said Alain St.Ange.

The CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board was accompanied to the opening of the new “La Gigolette” at Praslin by Elsia Grandcourt, the Deputy CEO of the island’s Tourism Board and by members of the press fraternity.