The Indian market has become increasingly important for Reunion Island Tourism’s hospitality and tourism businesses, and the lifting last year of a number of visa rules, amounting to a visa waiver for bona fide tourists, has immediately boosted visitor numbers. While still a small segment, many of the Indian visitors are high spending and Reunion Island Tourism (IRT) is targeting at least 4,000 visitors from India in 2015.

For that purpose, the IRT and eight private sector partners – the car rental company ITC Tropicar, Hotel Lux Island Resorts group, Cinnamon Cottage, incoming agencies Mille Tours, Tours and Papangue Vanilla Island Tours, Club of La Reunion Hotels (CHR) which represents 25 professionals, and last but not least the island’s home airline Air Austral, will participate in the SATTE tourism show in New Delhi which starts in two days’ time. For three days, the IRT and its partners will court the entire Indian tourism sector present at the show to promote the attractions of the destination.

With the support of the Association of Indian Tour Operators, professional meetings will be organized during the event. Appointments with the local press will also be provided.

Through future B2B meetings, the IRT intends to make a statement of branch networks of places that can commercialize or market the destination, and also develop new partnerships with tour operators on site. At the same time, the IRT and local professionals will promote themselves to a wider general public when on the last day of the exhibition the public will crowd the aisles of the exhibition halls.

The promotion of the island will be focused on two main areas: the advantages of Reunion Island and the relaxation of the visa for leisure tourism. Potential tourists will be directed towards the Indian tour operators which are currently marketing the destination and which play an important role in certifying bona fide tourists who are then exempt of prior visa requirements.

Post event marketing activities are already planned to capitalize on the reputation of the island gained during the tourism trade show and the other to take advantage of trade between Indian professionals and Reunion Island that may have been initiated:

• presence of ESRD continues in the Indian market, both B2B and B2C through targeted promotion measures;

• establishment of an Internet mini-site for the Indian market; and

• preparation of an eductour with Indian tour operators.

With 11,529 professional visitors in 2014, SATTE was the largest B2B event in travel and tourism in India. Indian travel agencies, hotels, airlines, and also policy makers visit the show every year to discover the products and services of over 600 exhibitors from around the globe.

This year’s event takes place at Pragati Maidan Exhibition Complex, located in the heart of the Indian capital, New Delhi. Spread over 17,500 square meters, SATTE expects nearly 12,000 visitors for the 2015 edition.

For added information about Destination Reunion Island click on www.reunion.fr