REUNION RETURNS TO SOUTH AFRICA FOR RENEWED MARKETING CAMPAIGN
(Posted 02nd October 2014)
Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, three of South Africa’s key market places to promote holidays on Reunion island, are targeted once again by IRT to attract yet more South Africans to visit the island.
With an effective Visa waiver in place is it now easy to fly from Jo’burg on Air Austral to Reunion and the tourism office is pulling out all the stops, on the back of a very successful GoToReunion blog campaign and the recent MascaRun South Africa.
A large delegation of tourism stakeholders has again joined hands with IRT to promote their own businesses on the island.
Led by the IRT representative in South Africa, Helena Bezuidenhoudt did company representatives from the Exsel group Tropicar ITC, Le Boucan Canoe, Hotels Co CHALLENGE Association Meeting, The Nautilus, The Juliette Plump, Saint Alexis Hotel & Spa, Roche Tamarin Lodges & Spa, Papangue Tours, Diana Sea Lodge & Spa, Ashdod Tours, Creoles, Lux * Reunion Island, The Reef, Vanilla Islands Connections Meeting, Best Western Le Saint Denis and of course Air Austral travel to Durban on Monday 29th September before moving on to Cape Town on Tuesday. Yesterday, 01st of October it was the turn of travel agents, tour operators and journalists from Johannesburg to meet the island’s professionals and increase their knowledge of La Reunion. These three cities were not selected by chance. In 2013, during a previous roadshow, the same route was taken and as a result 234 journalists, travel agents and tour operators responded to meet the island’s delegation. A large attendance which reflected the growing interest among the travel trade and the general public in South Africa for the destination, especially since the launch of Visa waivers for these travelers. The B2B sessions were an opportunity for Reunion’s service providers to meet the network of South African professionals (travel agents, tour operators and journalists) and work the market through direct contacts, so that their South African colleagues can sell the destination to their customers with greater ease. Special promotions on air transport, as well as a number of prizes were offered during the roadshow. For the IRT, which seeks to fully exploit this market’s potential, this sales and marketing mission was crucial to establish a better image of the island in South Africa through closer trade ties with key tour operators as well as travel agencies.
In a related development on the island was the 5th anniversary of the recognition by UNESCO of Maloya as a Cultural World Heritage commemorated on Reunion.
On the fifth anniversary of the inscription of Maloya Intangible Cultural Heritage, cultural, artistic and educational activities are offered in the Museum of Villèle on the 02nd and 03rd of October, and for the general public on 02nd, 03rd and 04th of October, the latter of which is Maloya Day, at the Town Hall Square of St. Paul.
Passed on from generation to generation, the Maloya took the form of a dialogue between a soloist and choir, accompanied by percussion. Maloya is at the heart of the traditions of the island.
Visit Reunion allows tourists to discove this moving and meaningful art, of which the islanders are immensely proud. Maloya is part of the cultural and social identity of Reunion.
To play, Maloya uses traditional instruments like the roulèr (bass drum), the kayamb (rattle raft), the Piker (a bamboo cylinder struck with two sticks), sati (a metal case hit with sticks) and the triangle, neglected by Sega for the benefit of strings and winds.
Long confined to the sugar estates, Maloya today takes forms more variety both texts as instruments with the introduction of the djembe, the synthesizer or the battery.
For added information on Destination Reunion click on www.reunion.fr
