Alan Lam reporting from Hamburg

The group of islands in the Indian Ocean, comprised of Seychelles, Madagascar, Réunion, Mauritius, Comoros, and Mayotte are collectively making their cruise business voices heard through the Vanilla Islands brand at the bi-annual Seatrade Europe 2019 Cruise & River Cruise Convention. Vanilla Island is an official sponsor of the event.

Much of the cruise activities in these territories are centred on the island state of Mauritius, where 43 cruise calls were recorded in 2018 and around 50 are expected this year. Other islands are equally within the radar of the cruise lines and their passengers.

The Indian Ocean islands are still minor league players in the cruise world and they are likely to remain so for the foreseeable future, though steady year-on-year traffic growths are envisaged. “At the moment, Asia is sucking away all the available capacities. We are still trying to find our niche in the industry,” Pascal Viroleau, CEO of Vanilla Islands, told CruiseBusiness.com Magazine.

Having said that, the islands are far from being undiscovered or neglected by the cruise world. Several mainly Europe-based cruise lines have been their regular callers for years; among them are the likes of AIDA Cruises, Costa Crociere, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, and Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten. As the industry’s capacity continues to expand, these islands can expect to see more and more cruise ships come calling.

In preparation for future demands, the island of Mauritius has a substantial dedicated cruise terminal under construction. When completed in 2020, the facility will have a 300-metre berthing line and capable of processing up to 4,000 passengers a day. That’s not all. “We will be launching a new marketing strategy this month, aiming at finding a way forward,” said Viroleau. “We need to decide what kind of business model we want to pursuit, what type of ships to attract, where do we go from here, and what will be our objectives.”

These tropical mountainous islands are wooing potential cruise visitors with their white sandy beaches, creole culture, blue lagoons, rain forests, spices, and much more. They are making their voices heard.