Tourism in Reunion Island

Reunion Island is a volcanic island, mostly plateaus and mountains, with narrow plains along the coast. The upward movement of air currents on the island is extremely fierce and it is a heavy rain-prone area in the world. French immigrants and their slaves sold from Madagascar settled here in 1663. In the late 19th century, sugar cane became the island's main cash crop. Sugar cane planting occupied two-thirds of the arable land and most of the labor force. Food, vegetables, meat and milk were not self-sufficient. .

The reasons for heavy rains in Reunion Island are: low latitude, strong solar radiation, high temperature, strong atmospheric convection movement; mainly mountains and plateaus (mountains and plateaus in the central part), sufficient water vapor, affected by the terrain Lifting water vapor condenses and rains on various terrains.

Sugarcane producing areas are mostly located in the western and northeastern coastal areas. The island's advantageous natural conditions for growing sugar cane are: high temperature and rain all year round, sufficient water and heat; rich volcanic ash soil, fertile soil; plains along the coast, and a large area of ??cultivated land.

The adverse effects of Reunion Island’s sugarcane industry as its economic pillar: limited agricultural product deep processing industrial chain and single economic structure; large labor input and insufficient surplus labor, which is not conducive to the development of other industries; occupying a large amount of cultivated land , affecting the supply of other agricultural products; the planting industry is greatly affected by natural conditions, with unstable output and unstable economic income.

Propose rational suggestions for the sustainable economic development of Reunion Island: adjust the structure of the planting industry to develop a variety of tropical cash crops; adjust the industrial structure to develop tropical sightseeing and tourism; develop sugarcane deep processing and extend the production chain, Increase the added value of agricultural products.