The Formica Leo is a volcanic cone on the side of the
active volcano Piton de la Fournaise (Peak of the Furnace),
on the island of Reunion. Photo by Reunion Tourism Board.
Reunion is a small piece of tropical France lying off the
coast of Africa. James Lane, of AAP, pays a visit.
For a tiny speck of an island, Reunion rises impressively out
of the Indian Ocean with a rugged grandeur that makes an
immediate impact upon arrival.
Shaped by one of the world's most active volcanoes, Piton de
la Fournaise, this remote piece of "Europe" is pitching for
an equally seismic shift in widening its tourism appeal.
Long overshadowed by neighbours Madagascar and Mauritius,
Reunion has remained something of a "secret" destination,
packaged almost exclusively for French travellers.
The good news for Australians and New Zealanders is that this
unique island has been opened up by the national carrier Air
Austral, which flies twice weekly from Sydney to the capital
St Denis.
The attraction for it is twofold.
Reunion is a diverse shard of tropical France lying off the
coast of Africa and the island's proximity to Europe means it
is a 10-hour hop to Paris from the capital St Denis.
In short, there is now another route available to Europe from
Australasia.
Why is it unique?For a start, Reunion is regarded as an
offshore region (or department) of France and is part of the
European Union with full voting rights for the French and EU
parliaments.
It's also the outermost part of the Eurozone, meaning the
euro is the currency.
Ethnically, Reunion's mix of cultures is just as interesting
with Africans, Afro-French, Indians, Chinese and Malagasy
making up the majority of the 800,000-plus population.
Our guide, Sully, explains that Creole is the uniting thread
for Reunion, a term which also refers to the island's
cooking, architecture and lifestyle.
"Creole really means to be one of the people," he says.
"I guess one way to define Creole could be that it's an
integration of peoples or that it's the common bond - a
reunion of cultures."
Reunion became a French department in 1946 after being
initially visited by the Portuguese, then being colonised by
the French in the mid-17th century before a brief period of
British rule.
The Reunionese are clear on where their loyalties lie despite
their proximity to Africa.
"We are French," Sully says without hesitation.
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