The international tourism industry is recording but slight increases (+ 4.4 percent in 2011), in visitor arrival numbers, the simple barometer used today by all countries as the measure of their tourism growth. The same barometer is used by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to measure world tourism movements.
La Reunion island has moved ahead against normal trends and recorded increases in their visitor arrival numbers that are new records for the Indian Ocean island.
In 2011, 471,268 tourists landed in La Reunion, an increase of 12.1 percent when compared to 2010.
Mainland France brought 34,343 more tourists to their Indian Ocean island, recording a 10 percent increase or 380,619 tourists.
The rest of Europe also recorded an increase of 12.6 percent. Tourism receipts also grew by 18.3 percent when compared with 2010, to reach 388.7 million euros.
La Reunion island has firmly established itself as the exotic destination for mainland France and European holidaymakers. Fifty-nine percent chose La Reunion in a snap survey, with 15 percent choosing La Reunion as their first choice.
