The Prefet de La Reunion, Mr. Michel Lalande, and Alain St.Ange, the Minister for Tourism and Culture, used the opportunity of an airport meeting to discuss tourism and air access. The Prefet, Mr. Michel Lalande, was departing Seychelles after his working visit to the islands, which included a meeting with President James Michel.

Minister St.Ange and the Tourism Board CEO, Elsia Grandcourt, joined the French Ambassador to Seychelles, Mr. Philippe Delacroix, to farewell off the Prefet de La Reunion and his delegation. Discussions at the VIP Lounge at the airport centered on working to increase visitor arrival numbers from La Reunion, on the question of connectivity between Seychelles and La Reunion, and on the possibility of also developing La Reunion more as an Indian Ocean hub.

Seychelles and La Reunion have strengthened their cooperation in recent years with La Reunion’s Ile de La Reunion Tourisme (IRT) even participating in the 2011 Marketing Meeting with the Seychelles Tourism Board. This annual event is when the Tourism Board meets with their own marketing staff based at their Bel Ombre Office and those managing the Board’s Overseas Offices and the island’s private sector to plan the Tourism Board’s strategy for their following year’s operation. It is at this annual meeting that the Seychelles Tourism Board document their Marketing Plan for all the Tourism Board Overseas Offices and the Board’s Marketing Executives to follow. The involvement of La Reunion at the Tourism Board’s 2011 Marketing Meeting brought about a new dimension to the planning of marketing initiatives by the Tourism Board. The La Reunion delegation was headed by Mr. Didier Robert, the President de la region La Reunion, and by Pascal Viroleau, the Head of the IRT of La reunion.

The cooperation with La Reunion Island has also seen the island become co-host of this year’s Annual Carnaval International de Victoria.

The Prefet of La Reunion said on his departure from Seychelles that he was leaving happy with a positive and successful working visit in Seychelles.