A study by the Western Tourist Office has just examined tourist numbers in the micro-region, based on the regional study of local tourism demand, commissioned by Reunion Island Tourism (became CRT) and carried out by Kantar Analysis.
The OTI delved deeper into the results concerning the West in order to better understand the practices of local customers in the territory.
The analysis distinguishes two forms of attendance : stays including at least one night away from home ; and excursions, carried out during the day without overnight stays. It appears that the West attracts 31% of stays and excursions, just after the South (32 %). Saint-Paul establishes itself as the first town to stay for local customers (21 %), far ahead of Saint-Denis and Saint-Pierre. In the meeting, weekends and public holidays account for 56% of stays by local customers. The West leads during school holidays (36 %) and during the week (29 %), but ranks behind the South during weekends and public holidays. In terms of reasons for stay, the West comes in well ahead for leisure, vacations and relaxation, while the South dominates for visits to family or friends. The West also comes out on top for visitors looking for calm and rejuvenation, as well as contact with nature and landscapes. Activities offered on site, the prices, availability of accommodation, value for money and climate are other reasons that place the West in first position among microregions. Throughout the island, satisfaction with accommodation remains high. The West obtains an overall score of 81 out of 100, just behind the South, with a more favorable assessment of the ease of reservation and reception. On the other hand, the quality of accommodation and value for money are rated lower in the West than in the South.
