Supporting the narrative of a “rare, curated paradise” rather than a volume-driven destination, Seychelles deliberately limits mass tourism. With just under 400,000 visitors in 2025, this restraint is not incidental, but a core part of its luxury positioning and national policy.

With that in mind, it comes as no surprise that Israeli travelers are among the most welcomed to this blissfully secluded archipelago in the Indian Ocean. Seychelles clearly identifies Israel as a strategic tourism market. Its hospitality leaders seem to have understood us with remarkable precision. Israelis travel often and spontaneously, spend generously on boutique luxury, and favor short, direct access to true “escape destinations.” For a small, high-value destination like Seychelles, this is pure gold.

And yet, one cannot ignore the contrast. How many global travelers are willing to pay a fare comparable to a long-haul journey to New York or Bangkok, only to find themselves on a six-and-a-half-hour narrow-body flight, far from the comfort typically associated with such distances? I know I did, alongside Israeli families on a full night flight operated by a wet-leased Smartwings aircraft, a Czech carrier, on behalf of the national airline Air Seychelles, which currently offers one direct weekly flight from Israel.

We landed at first light in Mahé, Seychelles’ largest island. In its capital, Victoria, morning breaks over the Fish Market in salt and sunlight. Here, the ocean’s quiet generosity gleams on crushed ice, while the air carries stories of tides before the city fully wakes. It didn’t take us long to embrace the tropical weather and become acquainted with the magical atmosphere that enveloped us.

In the heart of Victoria, the Seychelles National Botanical Gardens bloom in quiet tropical grace, where tall palms sway and the Coco de Mer trees scent the air. At the garden’s edge, giant tortoises move slowly through the shade – ancient, gentle, and unhurried, reflecting the island’s rhythm.

A boat tour to Sainte Anne Marine National Park, with its six islands close to Mahé, including the small, marvelous Moyenne Island,  is an enjoyable experience. Diving........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)