Rallye Mascarun ends on Reunion Island as participants return home to France

The twenty participants, drawn from travel agencies in France, flew back on Air Austral to Paris yesterday after successfully completing the multiple tasks expected of them as participants in the inaugural “Rallye Mascarun.”

The tour, organized by the island’s tourism office, Reunion Island Tourism (IRT), saw the 20 divided in to 5 groups of 4 each, given a self-drive car and instructions, like in a treasure hunt, to discover Reunion Island’s attractions, meet tourism industry stakeholders, and file a daily log of their trip and experiences.

The Chouchou, Piton des Neiges, and Vacoas teams discovered the landscapes of Reunion Island from the sky, thanks to a helicopter flight with the company Reef Helicopter. The Curtain teams and Paille-en-Queue, which already had the chance to fly across the island’s interior on Tuesday, May 27, had the opportunity to wander around the hotel Alamanda and indulge in a little shopping before resuming their program in the afternoon.

From 2 p.m. onwards, challengers were judged by the five members of the jury, determining which of the five competing teams would be the overall winner of the 2014 Rallye Mascarun. The judges were Patrick Serveaux , President, Reunion Island Tourism (IRT); Isabelle Nativel, Chief Information and Marketing Division, IRT; Patrick Betty, Regional Manager, Enterprise; Olivier Riviere, representing GDF Meeting; and Caroline Bulbul, Commercial Air Austral, who then listened to the views presented by the teams of the destination presented in two parts: first, through a presentation of the island (five minutes) based on their impressions, and a second time through a formal theatrical scene of what they believe Reunion Island was like.

With great originality and ingenuity, all the teams rose to these challenges, leaving the jury with the difficult task of deciding the winner. The results were announced in the gardens of the Alamanda where lunch was offered by Gites de France. Each participant was given a certificate of participation along with a bertel garni. The first prize was awarded to the Piton des Neiges team that won first place in the Rally Mascarun! Congratulations to Nathalie Trichard, Sylvie, Cron, Alice, and Sophie Denis Durand, who each won a stay of eight nights for two people on Reunion Island, plus a lunch and a leisure activity!

Reunion Island Tourism and the participants then expressed their sincere thanks to the partners:

B & B Le Ruisseau
Hotel Alamanda, Exsel group
Gite du Volcan AGGM
Cottage Belouve AGGM
Cottage The candlenut
Atmosphere Pei
Restaurant Chez Moustache
Bed and Breakfast Balcony Creole
B & B Rosier
Cottage Chez Ms. Gauvin
Hotel Blue Beach, group Exsel
La Ferme Auberge Cascade Bottle
Bed and Breakfast Le Relais Governors
B & B Rosier
Hotel Floralys, Exsel group
Heva Hotel & Spa Gardens
Bed and Breakfast Fleur de Vanille
The Escape Guest House Beautiful
Hotel Alamanda, Exsel Group
Restaurant K’Banon