Maldives is no longer a member after a decision taken at the recent Vanilla Islands ministerial meeting. The ‘Vanilla Islands’ group is made up of Seychelles, Madagascar, Reunion, Mauritius and the Comoros in the Indian Ocean and is aimed at promoting joint marketing strategies.
Vanilla Islands is an affiliation of the island nations Seychelles, Madagascar, La Réunion, Mauritius, Comoros,Mayotte and Maldives in the Indian Ocean to form a new travel destination brand. Aim of the co-operation that has been founded on August 4, 2010 at La Réunion is to pool forces and jointly market the region compared to the solely individual marketing of each island in the past. The Vanilla Islands Organisation’s prime objective is to position the Indian Ocean region as a quality world-class holiday destination that offers unparalleled diversity and one of the last frontiers of sustainable tourism.
The Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands has as its mission to contribute to the development of tourism in the Indian Ocean region, with a special effort in this current year to grow cruise ship business. This mission was revisited in the Region’s Ministerial Meeting held last week in St. Denis on Reunion Island under the chairmanship of Hon. Xavier-Luc Duval, the Deputy Prime Minister of Mauritius, and current President of the Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands.
