REUNION TOURISM STAKEHOLDERS MEET AIRLINES
(Posted 27th June 2014)
At the initiative of the President of the Reunion Island Tourism (IRT), Mr. Patrick Serveaux, was a meeting on the development and optimization of air transport for tourism in Reunion held on Wednesday this week. The meeting brought together for the first time airlines and all the actors of local tourism under one roof to discuss the state of the industry and the expectations and positions of both sides.
The development of air transport for tourism to the island of La Réunion was at the heart of the discussions. Amon the key players present were Patrick Serveaux, President of the IRT, the airlines flying to Reunion including home carrier Air Austral, representatives from the Directorate General Aviation Civil (DGAC), from Roland Garros International Airport, form the trade union for the hospitality industry in Reunion, the Hotelie Association of Reunion (UHR) but also a representative each from the Council for Culture, Education and the Environment Reunion (CCEE), the Regional Council of Reunion, and other tourism experts.
The work session began with the presentation of the parliamentary report commissioned by Victorin Lurel, former Minister responsible for overseas regions, concerning the composition of the cost of air fares in the overseas departments. The meeting was able to exchange and discuss actionable proposals for the development of tourism, such as:
· diversification of clients by strengthening the destination marketing including the easing of short-stay visas for nationals of China and India.
· seasonal adjustment of tourism in Reunion in order to encourage travelers to come throughout the year and allow Reunion, including accommodation providers, to achieve better annual occupancies
According to feedback received all stakeholders from Reunion tourism were satisfied with the meeting and decided to adopt a common position in the field of aviation and tourism, two closely related fields.
