The Vanilla Islands Association has the purpose of developing the cruise liner sector in the Indian Ocean, and going from 14,000 passengers in 2014 to almost 50,000 cruise visitors in 2018, this mission has been a true success.
For this growth to become sustainable over time, the increase must be accompanied by an optimal quality of service at each port, whatever the island.
The Réunion Tourism Federation (RTF) is responsible for welcoming cruise ships to Réunion. This stopover has been recognized for the quality of its welcome by cruise operators.
The two organisations have therefore decided to sign a partnership agreement enabling RTF cruise ship protocol developed at Réunion to be applied to ports at the Seychelles, then to Madagascar.
Other islands are also involved in this initiative which aims to get the Indian Ocean recognized for the quality of its ports as well as the beauty of its landscapes.
Didier Dogley, Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports & Marine and President of the Vanilla Islands states: “This partnership ensures that all the islands offer the same level of service quality for cruise liners and their passengers. Cruise operators expect high-level services and we’re demonstrating that we have taken the future into our own hands.”
“We work in collaboration with tourism institutions from each island to support them in implementing a process that reassures companies. Réunion has been working on the operational management of docking cruise ships in collaboration with all concerned parties” states Azzedine Bouali, President of the Réunion Tourism Federation.
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