The meeting welcomed only 216,716 tourists in 2020, or 59,4% less compared to 2019, according to Reunion Island Tourism. A flashback of three decades ! After a satisfactory start to the year and progress in January and February, outdoor tourist numbers fell to zero during confinement, only to resume very timidly in July August. In the third trimester, the drop in arrivals reached 69% compared to 2019. Despite a marked recovery in arrivals from mainland France from mid-December, the decline approached 67% in the fourth quarter. Nearly 9 out of 10 tourists live in mainland France, the share of other Europeans reducing to 4%. The majority (50,7%) stayed with relatives or friends as their main mode of accommodation, 22,8% in seasonal rentals and 17,2% only in classified hotels. Tourism revenue for the year is estimated at 158 million euros, down 61% compared to 2018. Over the year, the share of business travelers has been reduced to 6,5%. Leisure tourists are the majority (56,4%) leisure tourists, 43,6% of affinity tourists, visiting family or friends. In this context of crisis, the average length of stay increased to reach 20 days, compared to 17 days in previous years. The reception of cruise passengers has also been violently impacted by the health crisis. Only 38,397 passengers were recorded at the start of the year, before the season is abruptly interrupted. Activity did not resume in the fourth quarter, as usual : no liner has entered the port for fourteen months now and the prospects for resuming cruises in the Indian Ocean remain very uncertain. The drop in the number of cruise passengers in 2020 exceeds 43%.
