Selling Réunion – advice for the travel agent
ASK travel industry
experts on how best
to position Réunion
as a holiday destination,
and you’ll get a variety
of answers. Romantic
getaway, family holiday,
adventure playground and
scenic wonderland. Each
description is as appropriate
as the next.
Perhaps the best
explanation comes from
Alexis Bekker, head of
sales and marketing,
South Africa & Africa for
LUX* Resorts & Hotels.
“We have dubbed Réunion
the bucket-list island in the
Indian Ocean. It is a mustsee,
must-do-all, adventure
island. While relatively
small in size, the terrain is
quite diverse in that it is
mountainous and not flat at
all, so it does take a while
to get from one end to the
other.”
There is, however, all-round
accord that self-drive is
the best way to see it all.
Thompsons Holidays’ PR and
media manager, John Ridler,
says this mode of travel
keeps costs down and, if
coupled with the use of
accommodation throughout
the island, is the path to a
true cultural experience. The
tour operator offers four-,
five- and seven-night selfdrive
packages.
Chantelle Pearson,
owner of Travel2Reunion,
says distances between
attractions are short, but
jam-packed with sightseeing
opportunities.
Driving is on the right but,
Alexis points out, “the road
infrastructure is better than
most of the roads we’ve
seen across Europe”.
Here follow some tips
when selling Réunion,
gleaned from experts
promoting the island.
Hélène Bezuidenhoudt, regional director
of Atout France (representing Réunion):
Réunion is a four-hour flight from
Johannesburg on Air Austral and
SA passport holders do not require a
visa for a stay of up to 90 days.
The island is blessed with natural
beauty and a tropical climate.
Accommodation ranges from B&Bs,
guesthouses and world-class hotels.
The island is a region of France and
therefore visitors get to sample French
infrastructure, cuisine and culture with
an Indian Ocean Island flavour.
Brenda Mitchell, director
of Sales at World Leisure
Holidays:
Réunion has a tropical
climate with year-
round sunny skies
and warm seas. There
is a hot and humid
season from November to April when
the temperature can reach up to 30C.
The cool and dry season is from May
to October. Bring light summer clothing
for the day, with warm layers for the
evening.
Roland Garros International Airport near
Saint-Denis is the main airport.
Isla Moffett, GSA: Sales and Marketing
Manager of Air Austral:
The best time to visit is the southern
winter, from May to October, because
it’s the coolest and driest, and falls
outside the cyclone season. The
temperature at the coast still hovers
around 25C, making it warm enough to
enjoy water sports. Inland, and in the
mountains, it can be surprisingly chilly
all year round, so pack warm clothing
and beach clothing. The west enjoys
excellent weather and is more sheltered
from the wind than the east coast.
Volcano heads the list of 'must-sees'
WHILE Réunion has some
great beaches on its west
coast, such as the 2km-long
Ermitage (or l’Hermitage as
the locals say) and Boucan
Canot off the resort village
of Saint-Gilles-les-Bains, it
is far more than a sun, sea
and sand destination.
It is Piton de la Fournaise
(peak of the furnace),
an active volcano in the
east, that is the jewel in
Réunion’s multi-faceted
tourism crown.
According to LUX* Resorts
& Hotels’ Alexis Bekker, it’s
a ‘friendly’ volcano, emitting
no ash or dangerous gases,
and even when it is in
flow, visitors can stand on
the side of its crater and
observe. “When not in flow,
you are able to walk on the
volcano surface, which can
be compared to the surface
of the moon,” she says.
A highlight of a Réunion
trip is to view the volcano
from the air, by helicopter
or microlight. “But the best
way to discover the volcano
is the hard way – trekking,”
comments Travel2Reunion’s
Chantelle Pearson.
The volcanic landscape
includes three calderas,
or cirques. Mafate, some
2 000m above sea level,
is “sort of incommunicado
with the rest of the world,”
says Chantelle. “No roads,
no chance to come across
a car or a bus, the only way
to visit Mafate is on foot.”
The starting point of many
hikes is the Maïdo, a peak
that, when summited, offers
spectacular views of the
island.
The second caldera,
Cilaos, is accessible by
road and is known for its
impressive canyons and
waterfalls, where extreme
sports like canyoning
and rock climbing can be
practised. “Here you will
also discover the small
village of Cilaos, well known
for traditional products
like lentils or its old-style
sugarcane rum,” she says.
The third caldera, Salazie,
contains Voile de la
Mariée (Veil of the Bride),
a waterfall famous for the
optical illusion it produces,
and the village of HellBourg
which World Leisure
Holidays’ Brenda Mitchell
describes as “fairytale”.
There’s also a dormant
volcano on the island, Piton
des Neiges, the island’s
highest point and best
visited early in the morning
before clouds envelop the
peak.
Our panel of experts
highlighted these attractions
too:
Saint-Denis, the capital of
Réunion, is on the north
and often referred to as
the old city. It is home to
Creole-style mansions,
museums and cultural
monuments.
Eden Garden, in the heart
of Saint-Gilles, a 2,5ha
botanical garden with over
700 species of plants.
In Saint-Gilles les Bains is
the Aquarium of Réunion
Island, showcasing 500
species of fish and natural
coral reefs.
Saint-Paul Market, open
on Fridays and Saturdays
on the waterfront of Saint
Paul, is the spot to explore
the island’s culinary
culture.
La Vanilleraie is a vanilla
plantation on the estate of
Le Grand Hazier in Sainte
Suzanne.
Saga du Rhum is a
museum in a family-owned
rum distillery in St Pierre.
The green Takamaka
Valley holds five waterfalls,
streams and rocky peaks.
Adventure above and below
HIKING got the thumbs-up
as a spectacular activity
from all the Réunion
specialists interviewed for
this feature.
Thompsons Holidays,
says John Ridler, offers
hiking trails from one day
to eight nights covering
the three calderas and the
volcano. Alexis Bekker of
LUX* Resorts & Hotels,
says hikers can camp along
the way or make use of
backpacker accommodation
for overnighting.
The activity can be
supplemented with
pursuits such as river
rafting, canyoning, caving,
mountain biking and
horseback riding. Down on
the coast one can snorkel,
paddle a glass-bottom
kayak, wakeboard and
whale watch.
“Scuba diving is also
a must-do activity as the
ocean is rich with marine
life and the reef formation
is very interesting,”
says Chantelle Pearson
of Travel2Reunion. Up
above, one can paraglide,
helicopter flip and fly a
microlight.
Airline and tourrist board offer trade support
IN LATE April, Air Austral,
the regional carrier that flies
between Johannesburg and
Réunion, moved one of its
twice-weekly services from
Wednesdays to Tuesdays.
The airline operates on
Tuesdays and Sundays, with
an additional frequency on
Fridays during high-season
periods, which this year are
from July 6-August 10 and
October 12-26 inclusive.
(There’s also a high season
in May, for future reference.)
A B737-800NG with a twoclass
configuration is used
on the four-hour flight.
Border Air is the local GSA
for Air Austral. Sales and
marketing manager, Isla
Moffett, says: “We have
a sales and reservations
office in Johannesburg
and sales executives in
Johannesburg, Durban and
Cape Town. Our marketing
efforts are supported by
the Réunion tourist bureau
in Southern Africa [Atout
France]. Air Austral also has
a resident country manager,
Lenel Vining, in South Africa
who is very active with the
trade.”
Isla says the airline offers
excellent fares throughout
the year, and tactical fares
over low-season periods.
According to Hélène
Bezuidenhoudt of Atout
France, which represents
Réunion Island as a
department of France,
workshops, training,
educationals, marketing
assistance and information
dissemination are support
services offered to the
trade.
Did you know?
Travel2Reunion has over 35 different itineraries, and can tailor
make more. A new morning beach excursion offered from
St Gilles is geared for kids – young ones get to draw what they
see underwater and then paint it.
Getting the incentive formula right
“PERSONALLY, I think
Réunion is one of the most
spectacular destinations for
group incentive travel,” says
Martine Sanderson, groups
manager for World Leisure
Holidays. “It has so much in
terms of teambuilding and
exploration and offers that
‘wow’ factor that our clients
are looking for.”
The island ticks many of
the boxes for incentive travel
success. It’s a short flight
away, has sophisticated
infrastructure and variety in
sights and activities. That it
is growing exponentially in
incentive travel, according
to Atout France’s Hélène
Bezuidenhoudt, is little
surprise.
“A perfect incentive should
include an immersion into
the culture and cuisine found
in some of the towns,” says
Hélène. “It should include
some time in the air –
helicopters – getting a feel of
all the delights of the island
and the volcano, which is
one of the most active in
the world and monitored
continuously.
“It could also include some
unique natural experiences
such as dinners in full view of
some of the many waterfalls
that grace the hills and
valleys, or experiences on
water – kayaking, paragliding,
paddle-boarding, or
waterskiing. There are some
great options for conferencing
too at some of the hotels.”
Martine points out that
while Réunion is not strong
on all-inclusive packages, as
most hotel guests are offsite
exploring during the day,
packages are well priced but
often misconceived as pricey.
“In some cases, Réunion
can come in cheaper than
Mauritius depending on the
time of year. On the average
five- and four-star packages
on half board, including air
plus taxes, land and transfers,
you are looking at around
R18 000 to R22 000pp for
seven nights,” she says.
“With groups we often cost
in the lunch and/or dinner
portion in euros, so the client
knows exactly what they are
spending. The same applies
for any offsite teambuilding
– it will be included in the
overall package, making it
easier for the group not to
spend too much offsite.”
Thompsons’ John Ridler
adds that eating at local
restaurants is very affordable.
LUX* Resorts & Hotels
has two properties on
Réunion – the five-star
LUX* Saint Gilles and the
three-star Hotel Le Recif,
both with beach positions.
Says the group’s Alexis
Bekker: “Being the only
five-star beach resort on
the island with conferencing
facilities, LUX* Saint Gilles
is extremely popular. We
have welcomed some bluechip
SA companies over the
last few years.”
