Meeting tourism stakeholders
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Published on July 22, 2024 at 09:35
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Updated July 22, 2024 at 09:40
The President of the Region, Huguette Bello went to Sainte-Marie Island to meet the leaders and stakeholders of tourism and the population of this authentic pearl of Madagascar. On the agenda for this official visit, cooperation between the two neighboring islands on several axes and interconnectivity projects. We publish the press release below.
It is with the whale festival in the background that the President of the Réunion Region spoke at length with Joël Randiamandranto, Minister of Tourism and Crafts of Madagascar, Berthy Ramdoo, president of the Tourist Office and the hoteliers of the charming island. Objective of this official visit? Strengthen the links of cooperation between Reunion Island and Nosy Boraha, Malagasy name for Sainte-Marie Island, historically attached to France.
“In Madagascar, as in Reunion Island, there is inestimable cultural and human capital. This is what I came to say to the Sainte-Mariens: let us assume with loyalty and pride the heritage of our civilizations and our histories. Let us combine our geniuses and our aspirations and let’s put them at the service of our people” underlined Huguette Bello, President of the Réunion Region.
– A cooperation program for the Indian Ocean region –
Reunion, designated as the management authority of the Interreg VI program, co-financed by the European Union, works to forge links with neighboring countries in a logic of co-development. Interreg plans actions to respond to the global challenges of the environment and climate, health, research development, the economy, training and professional integration of young people, as well as the valorization of our cultural heritage.
Pirates in particular are part of the common heritage of the two islands and the project of a piracy festival jointly organized in Saint-Paul and Nosy Boraha is being studied to highlight this original part of shared history. A good thousand sea skiers such as the famous La Buse took shelter alternately between the two lands. The president of the Réunion Region discovered the remains and last residences of these bandits. This year on Sainte-Marie Island, the first three days of November will be devoted to a special bandits festival, combining shows, games and treasure hunts.
– Sustainable tourism for the preservation of exceptional biodiversity –
The Minister of Tourism and Crafts and the chairman of the board of directors of the Tourist Office were able to discuss the assets of the authentic island. Sainte-Marie is home to 4,200 hectares of humid forest and remarkable marine ecosystems. A breeding ground for humpback whales, it has been classified as a priority site to be protected by the Malagasy state. And the 27,000 Sainte-Mariens have committed to a program to preserve their essential resources by getting involved with NGOs, in the creation of a terrestrial and marine protected area.
The islanders are engaged in participatory ecological monitoring and contribute to replanting the mangroves, monitoring the state of the lagoon and developing ecotourism.
– A direct airline line Réunion – Sainte-Marie, in question –
Of all the cooperation subjects discussed, between training in the tourism sector, cultural exchanges and environmental protection, the return to a direct air link between the two islands proves to be the major concern of those involved in the development of Nosy Boraha.
“Authentic, safe, the natural island multiplies the assets to attract our neighbors in Reunion who find here the atmosphere of La Reunion long combined with a high-quality tourist welcome”, explains Berthy Ramdoo, president of the Board of Directors of the Office of Tourism of Sainte-Marie Island.
“The Sainte-Marienne population, hotel structures and the Tourist Office are enthusiastic about the return of these travelers who represented 50% of visitors before the Covid period,” underlines the ambassador for the resumption of direct flights from Reunion.
Although no formal response could be given, the stated desire for cooperation should help open the way to a sunny future in the skies of the pirate island…