Among the newbies in destinations that perceive India as a strong potential market is Reunion Island. The destination already has direct connectivity with Chennai, serviced by Air Austral, making Chennai a very potential market, revealed Alefiya Singh, Director, Iris Reps, India representative for Reunion Island. “India is considered as an emerging and potential market for Reunion Island. Hence, all the tourism efforts are concentrated in creating awareness to the trade as well as to the consumer.
Speaking about the growing strength of the Indian market, Singh opined that it is a matter of time whereby the footfall from India to Reunion Island will increase. “Chennai is also a very potential market since there has been VFR traffic. However, I cannot deny Delhi and Mumbai since they are the main markets,” she added.
When asked about the impact of the declining currency strength, Singh stated that, given the scenario, Indians might compromise in the category of resorts and the number of nights. “Of what I understand of the Indian consumer, the moment you show them the quality and value of the product, they will definitely put their money on the destination. Reunion Island has both the features which will appeal the Indian tourist,” she said.
Highlighting their efforts in India, Singh revealed that Reunion Island is currently doing media promotions with Thomas Cook. “We have always believed in our travel trade partners and hence we have done trade promotions with online portals and NTO. There are more trade promotions to follow,” she concluded.
