INDIAN OCEAN

INDIAN OCEAN

The visitor numbers may be small but the Indian Ocean’s less visited islands are generating interest in the UKmarket.

Telling customers they could bump into Prince William on holiday is a sales pitch most agents would kill for. The prince spent last month conducting marine research on the Mascarene island of Rodrigues as part of his gap year.

But even before his visit, Rodrigues, part of Mauritius, was gaining coverage in the UK press as one of the few undiscovered gems left for tourists to explore.

Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority UK manager Toto Ghoorah said: “Tourism in Rodrigues has been identified by the government as a sector of the economy that can do well. It has some of the best diving in the world and has a simple, unspoiled life difficult to find anywhere else.”

Rainbow Tours marketing manager Judith De Witt agreed that Rodrigues’ major selling point is its unspoiled remoteness.

“It feels like Mauritius did in the 1950s. And, unlike Mauritius, it’s not a nation of cooks and waiters yet.”

Rainbow currently offers one week half-board packages at the Mourok Ebony from £995.

As the island is only 40sq miles, most operators offer extensions from Mauritius. Elite Vacations has offered three-night breaks for the past four years, with half-board accommodation and return flights from Mauritius for £289.

Managing director Peter Jackson said: “Every year we see a 10%-15% increase in UK tourists but we’re still talking very small numbers. It’s not a typical tropical island and it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. It’s very rugged and looks almost like the Scottish Hebrides or parts of Cornwall.”

Réunion is seen by many operators as a better option for visitors who want a twin-centre stay. It is just 110 miles from Mauritius, whereas Rodrigues is 344 miles. After spending time on the pristine beaches of Mauritius, visitors can enjoy adventure sports such as paragliding, volcano treks and water sports on Réunion.

Elite is adding Réunion as an extension to Mauritius for next year’s programme, with prices still to be confirmed. Abercrombie and Kent terminated its Réunion product in 1996, but is now considering launching a 2002 programme. Sunset Faraway sells a seven-night self-drive tour in Réunion as an extension from Mauritius from £1,064 including half-board accommodation, plus car hire.

But it is Madagascar that many trendspotters have earmarked for an upsurge in tourism. Tourists have nearly doubled in number in just four years to last year’s total of 138,000 (4,150 from the UK). Indian Ocean Commission European co-ordinator Maggie Bergsma said: “Because of its size and natural resources it represents the biggest growth area. It has huge potential but the economic and social situations are such that tourism development will take time.”

This year Madagascar has been ravaged by cyclones – although operators claim the major tourist destinations were relatively unscathed – and a cholera epidemic. Nevertheless, Air Madagascar’s sales development manager Carol Tumber said the airline has been “absolutely inundated” with demand for flights around the June 21 eclipse next year (see page 57).

“Demand has been strong all year but it is going through the roof for the eclipse,” she said.

Abercrombie and Kent is planning to increase its number of tours from the two it has offered since 1998. But planning manager Jayne Smith said the company has opted not to offer any one-off eclipse packages.

“The government advised us that there’s no accommodation near to the full eclipse that would be suitable for our market,” she said.

As for new development, IOC’s Bergsma said international companies such as Club Med and Nouvelles Frontiäres are trying to establish themselves there, but “not without difficulties” due to the natural disasters and poor infrastructure. Recent developments include The Island Dream on Nosy Be.

Cox and Kings offers a 13-day, full-board tour from £1,795. Marketing manager Philip Grierson said: “Madagascar is never going to be mainstream. Its poor infrastructure means it will never be able to sustain lots of people and it’s pretty wet for a lot of the year.

“But it has unique opportunities for natural history fans.”

Growth area: despite being ravaged by cyclones, Madagascar is seeing an increase in UKvisitors