Official Name: Réunion
int'l long form: Department of Reunion
formerly: Île Bonaparte, Bourbon island (until 1848)
Capital City: Saint-Denis
Government:
French overseas department (département d'outre-mer, or
DOM).
Geography:
Location: West of southern Africa, island in the Indian
Ocean, east of Madagascar.
Area: 2 512 sq. km. (969 sq. mi.)
Terrain: Mostly mountainous; fertile lowlands along the
coast.
Highest point: Piton des Neiges 3 069 m
Climate: Tropical, but temperature moderates with
elevation; hot and rainy from November to April, cool and
dry from May to November.
People:
Nationality: Reunionese
Population: 777 000
Ethnic Groups: French, African, Malagasy, Chinese,
Pakistani, Indian.
Religions: Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist.
Languages: French (official), Creole widely used.
Literacy: 90%
Natural resources: Fish, arable land, hydropower.
Agriculture products: Sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco,
tropical fruits, vegetables, corn.
Industries: Sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items,
flower oil extraction; tourism.
Exports partners: France 74%, Japan 6%,Comoros 4%
(2004)
Imports partners: France 64%, Bahrain 3%,Germany 3%, Italy 3%
(2004)
Currency: Euro (EU
Reunion Island Travel Guide
An island of true contrasts, the French department of
Reunion is unknown to many of the world's travelers. That's
unfortunate! This unique island in the middle of the Indian
Ocean is simply one of the most intriguing spots on earth.
Not as well-known as nearby Mauritius or the not-so-far-away
British Seychelles, little Reunion seems but a speck in the
vast ocean, dwarfed by Madagascar, located 500 miles to the
west. The French know the island well but only the very
well-traveled have ever stepped foot on Reunion's varied and
enticing terrain.
With an active
volcano on its south coast, 17 miles of warm, welcoming beaches in
the west, and lots of mountains and
forests in between, Reunion Island offers vacation
opportunities ranging from relaxing to truly insane. If
you're looking for a place to "chill out", you'll find it
here. But if you're the kind of vacationer who prefers an
adrenaline rush over a sunburn, the possibilities are
endless. From hiking Reunion's
unique "cirques"
or canyoning the island's many waterfalls to scuba diving or
surfing in the clear waters that surround this tiny
30-mile-wide island, adventure
activities abound for vacationers hoping to do something
a little daring while on their Reunion holiday.
TRANSAT HOLIDAYS MAKE A
RETURN TO REUNION ISLAND AFTER NEARLY A DECADE
Thirty travel agents and Transat officials just
concluded an extensive fact-finding mission on the
French Indian Ocean island of Reunion, after the tour
operators signaled their return to market Reunion after
an absence of 9 years.
Transat is a subsidiary of a Canadian company and offers
some 50 destinations world-wide. The company this year
put a special offer named “Eden Island” on the market,
under which it will specifically promote Reunion Island
alongside two other Vanilla Islands.
Much has changed on the island since Transat last
offered holidays to Reunion Island in 2006 and company
officials and travel agents were taken across the island
to see the attractions and inspect hotels.
Welcomed by the incoming agency, Anthurium, the group
visited the hotel establishments along the west coast of
the island, namely the Reef, The Saint Alexis, the
Residence Archipelago, the Alamanda, The Hermitage
Relais, and the LUX Reunion Island. The last stop of the
day allowed them to experience a treasure hunt in the
hotel gardens before returning to the Reef for dinner
and overnight.
The following day everyone needed to be up at dawn for a
discovery tour of the island from the sky.
Overflight “magic” was performed by the company
Helilagon Helicopter, which allowed the group to
appreciate the sheer magnificence of Reunion Island
while overflying the rugged interior and UNESCO World
Heritage site, and, of course, the famous Iron Hole.
After returning to the ground, the participants headed
to the Hermitage, where a breakfast was waiting at Le
Nautile, before returning to Saint-Leu to visit the
hotel Iloha. By late morning, the tour moved to the
“Wild South.” After a stop in the colorful alleys of the
market of Saint-Pierre, the professionals were able to
try out a traditional style picnic in Arabic Well (St.
Philip). A cultural walk along the cliffs of the south
of the island was also in the afternoon program,
followed by a visit to the Palm Hotel & Spa where they
could enjoy an exotic cocktail facing the sunset of the
Indian Ocean.
After a last night at Lux Island of Reunion, the group
then left Reunion Island, having come as strangers but
leaving as friends and tourism ambassadors.
There was broad agreement among the participants who
found the Reunion Island magic, with a warm welcome and
with excellent hotels and resorts, each with their
unique selling points.
During the days of the fam trip, the smiles never left
the faces of participating professionals. Clearly this
first trip to Reunion Island by Transat Holidays is not
going to be the last one.
Source: Reunion Island Tourism (IRT)
Mar 28, 2015
REUNION ISLAND WINS ITS THIRD TRAVEL
D'OR TROPHY
From January 26 to March 02 inclusive, nearly 15
million Internet users were invited to vote for
their favorite travel site on the occasion of the
seventh edition of D'Or Travel. Nominated alongside
49 other destinations, Reunion Island won the 2015
trophy in the category “Tourist Offices.” After two
Golden Travel awards were already scooped up in 2012
and 2014, Reunion Island has now won this coveted
trophy for the third time.
Reunion Island was awarded their Gold Travel trophy
during the gala evening held at the Pavillon
Gabriel, situated in the 8th arrondissement of
Paris, a few steps from the Place de la Concorde.
Nominated as favorite travel website of Internet
users in its class, the new public web site of
reunion.fr competed
alongside over 300 other websites in all categories.
Launched on January 9 as a state-of-the-art
pro-active website for Reunion Island, the site
highlights the major tourism attractions of the
island. The ease of use and incorporating the latest
website technology made the difference when
Reunion’s website was selected as the winner.
This is a great reward for Reunion Island, which
intends to develop its tourism economy with a strong
innovative spirit. The new technologies of
information and communication (ICT) are at the heart
of the target policy, particularly through the
development of several interactive and fun features.
Reunion Island won the 2012 Golden Travel Innovation
in the “applications and tablets” category for their
3600 implementation and the 2014 Golden Travel as
the most preferred Internet travel website in the
“tourist offices” category. These previous victories
have given it its status as "the geekiest
destination" by Frédéric Vanhoutte, President of
Eventiz and creator of the Golden Travel Award
scheme.
Source: Reunion Island Tourism (IRT)
---------
TRAVEL D'OR 2015 : TROISIEME TROPHEE POUR LA REUNION
Ce jeudi 26
mars 2015, l’île de La Réunion a remporté un Travel d’Or,
dans la catégorie "offices de tourisme". Nominé aux
côtés de 49 autres destinations internationales, le site
Internet du Comité Régional de Tourisme de La Réunion a
été plébiscité par les internautes.
Du 26 janvier au 2
mars 2015, près de 15 millions d’internautes ont été
invités à voter pour leur site de voyage préféré, à
l’occasion de la septième édition des Travel D’Or.
Retenue aux côtés de 49 autres destinations, l’île de La
Réunion a remporté le trophée 2015, dans la catégorie
"offices de tourisme". Après deux Travel d’Or raflés en
2012 et 2014, La Réunion vient de remporter le Travel
d’Or 2015 pour la troisième fois !
L’île de La Réunion
s’est vue décerner un Travel d’Or lors de la soirée de
gala, qui s’est déroulée au Pavillon Gabriel, situé dans
le 8e arrondissement de Paris, à quelques pas de la
place de la Concorde. Elu site Internet de voyage
préféré des internautes dans sa catégorie, le nouveau
site grand public reunion.fr
était en compétition aux côtés de plus de 300 autres
sites Internet, toutes catégories confondues. Inauguré
le 9 janvier dernier, le site de la destination Réunion,
qui met en avant les atouts majeurs de l’île, tout en
renforçant l’attractivité avec les internautes et
mobinautes, a permis d’assurer la victoire de La Réunion.
Il s’agit d’une
formidable récompense pour l’île de La Réunion qui
entend développer son économie touristique avec un
esprit novateur fort. Les nouvelles technologies de
l’information et de la communication (TIC) sont au cœur
de la stratégie de la destination, notamment à travers
le développement de plusieurs fonctionnalités
interactives et ludiques.
Rappelons que l’île
de La Réunion a décroché le Travel d’Or 2012 de
l’innovation dans la catégorie "applications et
tablettes" pour l’application 360°, ainsi que le Travel
d’Or 2014 pour le site Internet de voyages préféré des
internautes dans la catégorie "offices de tourisme". Ces
victoires précédentes lui ont conféré son statut de
"destination la plus geek en usage de communication",
par Frédéric Vanhoutte, président d’Eventiz et créateur
des Travel d’Or.
NEW PARTNERS JOIN ILE DE LA
REUNION TOURISM
07th
February 2014
The Reunion Tourism Office central reservation
department has yesterday welcomed new service providers
to their extensive list of existing partners, affirming
that tourism remains a growth sector on this French
Indian Ocean island.
New are the Villa Oté, a
colonial style guest house situated in the Entre-Deux.
Three bedrooms open onto a living library where a
reading area and a coffee corner is available to
visitors. Vacationers can enjoy breakfast served outside
on the terrace at the floor or in the exotic garden of
the house. Villa Oté also offers a table d'hôte evening
meal which gives guests the opportunity to enjoy a tasty
and creative cuisine, home cooking style. Oté The Villa
has an infinity pool and a spa, offering a Hikers
relaxing excursion parties on the many trails in the
village.
Also new is the Domaine de Café Grille, located in
Saint-Pierre which offers guided tours of the botanical
garde. This is taking visitors back in time to trace the
history of the great culture that has made La Réunion.
At the heart of a garden of four acres, visitors will
discover shrubs rich in colors that bloom extends
throughout the year. Flowering vines, bamboo and palms,
walkers will appreciate the biodiversity which can be
found here. For those peckish or outright hungry, the
Domaine de Café Grille offers tasty local dishes and of
course coffee and croissants.
Reunion, one of France’s regions in the Indian Ocean –
Mayotte is the other one – has over the past years made
determined efforts to move its tourism industry away
from the past nearly total reliance of the French
domestic market, from where home airline Air Austral
connects 12 times a week from Charles De Gaulle in Paris
to the island’s main airport Roland Garros in the
capital St. Denis. Agreements with South Africa for a
Visa Waiver Programme have born fruits and seen visitor
numbers from there increase in leaps and bounds and a
similar deal is in the making now for China and
reportedly some other countries too.
Reunion’s attractions, from the sandy beaches to the
rugged interior and active volcano Piton de la Fournaise,
can be accessed via
www.reunion.fr
and the various links to service providers found
there.
Unparalled Adventure Awaits the Reunion
Island Explorer
July 31, 2014
Seasoned explorers and adventurous travellers have long
known that Reunion Island, in the Indian Ocean Islands, is
the go-to spot when looking for an authentic mix of Creole
culture, beautiful beach lifestyle and extraordinary
adventure.
With no less than 42% of the island declared a UNESCO
Natural Heritage Site; exotic, lush plant life contrasts
with the dusty lunar landscapes of the volcanic regions as
visitors travel through over 200 micro-climates to discover
this extraordinary place.
More accessible to South African’s than ever before, Reunion
Island is a mere four hour flight from Johannesburg and
South African passport holders do not require visas or
inoculations to visit this malaria-free paradise.
The “cirques” Piton des Neiges and Piton de la Fournaise in
the most remote part of the island are still navigable by
road, whereas the incredible Mafate cirque is only
accessible to hikers and is best enjoyed through the
hospitality of the island’s inhabitants when staying
overnight at hiking ‘gites’ or huts.
The world’s most active volcano; Piton de la Fournaise,
erupted recently without any threat to life and was a treat
to visitors who happened to be on the island. At all times,
a flyover of the Piton de la Fournaise is a spectacular,
other-worldly experience and will also likely take you
across some of the islands diverse regions, as well as the
turquoise coastline.
Canyonning and rafting is another must in Reunion, with
numerous companies taking visitors into the river systems
and ancient lava flows for an adrenalin-pumping adventure.
To the sea, the West and South boast the best beaches and
swimming, along with the tranquil waters of the lagoon. With
everything on offer from translucent kayaks and glass bottom
boat trips to dolphin and whale charters, scuba dives and
boat trips, as well as stand up paddling and simply swimming
in the warm water, Reunion is an aquatic playground with
plenty of relaxation in between.
To find the wilderness at its purest, the East coast with
its cooler, wetter climate brings its own adventure as
visitors meet the local people and enjoy the abundant fruit
and dense vegetation of this region.
Source:- Reunion Tourism
5-STAR REUNION ISLAND HOTEL WINS WORLD TRAVEL
AWARD
LUX ILE DE LA
REUNION TAKES LEADING ISLAND HOTEL AWARD AT WTA
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May 12, 2013
LUX Ile de La Reunion won the Leading Island Hotel award
tonight at the World Travel Awards (WTA) being held in the
Maldives. The award was accepted at the WTA Indian Ocean
gala dinner this evening.
Located on the lush volcanic island of Reunion, LUX Ile de
La Reunion presents a glistening beach by day and the
shimmering Saint-Gilles lagoon by night. Gardens scattered
with charming Creole villas, coconut palms, and filao trees
provide the perfect setting for this unique beach hotel in
Reunion, with exclusive views of the coral-sheltered lagoon
at L'Hermitage. The only 5-star hotel on Reunion Island,
this stunning property balances a unique fusion of Creole
energy and colonial elegance.
The hotel offers tennis and volleyball courts in the
gardens, a spacious swimming pool, yoga in the gardens, and
private in-room spa treatments. Fresh, locally-sourced
seafood is on offer at the beach resort's various
restaurants and bars.
On the island of Reunion, the World Heritage sites of the
Pitons, Cirques, and Ramparts, showcase the island’s rugged
beauty, dramatic volcanic peaks, and tumbling waterfalls.
For more information about LUX Ile de la Reunion, visit:http://www.luxresorts.com/en/reunion-island/lux-ile-de-la-reunion/welcom...
CONGRATULATIONS TO DIDIER ROBERT AS THE NEWLY ELECTED
VANILLA ISLAND PRESIDENT
16th
May 2014
When the ballots were cast and the
votes counted there was relief among most in the room as Didier
Robert, President of the Regional Council of Reunion, was declared
the newly elected head of the Indian Ocean Vanilla Island
organization, a position he will now hold for one year.
Three weeks earlier did an attempt to choose the new man at the helm
fail in Victoria as a deadlock arose when other candidates were put
forward as candidates.
Didier Robert is known to be a
staunch supporter of the Vanilla Island concept and has defended
Reunion’s membership and contributions repeatedly in the past,
pointing to a significant rise in arrival numbers. Didier Robert has
left no doubt that this came as a result of a close cooperation with
key partner islands as well as the joint promotion the Vanilla
Island Organization undertakes at the leading tourism trade shows.
He was the first to throw his personal support behind the
Seychelles’ Carnival International de Victoria when making Reunion
the co-host for the event and staying the course.
Like former Vanilla Island
Organization president Alain St. Ange, Minister for Tourism and
Culture in the Seychelles’ government, it takes a person who is 100
percent behind the concept to lead the young organization onwards,
someone who has practiced what he preached and Didier Robert is
exactly the man the Vanilla Islands needed to solidify past gains
and prosper some more in the future. Congratulations to Didier
Robert on his election and a vote of thanks to Alain St. Ange who
served for the past two years and made the Vanilla Islands visible
to the world as a new tourism region in the Indian Ocean.
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