• GDP: US$4.57 billion.
• Main exports: Sugar, rum and molasses, perfume essences and lobster.
• Main imports: Manufactured goods, food, tobacco, machinery and equipment, raw materials and petroleum products.
• Main trade partners: France, Japan, Comoros Islands, Germany and Italy.

Sugar cane is the principal crop and export earner in this mainly agricultural economy. Other crops include vanilla, tobacco, and plants such as vétiver and ylang-ylang, used in tropical essences. Sugar and rum production are the principal industries; others include the manufacture of construction materials, metal goods, textiles and electronics. The service sector, including transport, telecommunications, finance and tourism, provides three-quarters of the country’s economic output. Tourism has grown particularly rapidly in recent years, and is now worth about US$300 million annually to the island’s economy. However, the Réunion economy is far from self-sustaining and relies on large injections of aid from France and, more recently, the European Union, to cover its trade and budgetary deficits (as an integral part of France, Réunion belongs to the EU). The most pressing problem for the Government is a very high level of unemployment, which has been around 35 to 40 per cent for the last decade.

The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly; suits will only be required for the most formal of meetings. A sound knowledge of the French language will be useful, since there are no formal interpreter services available. Prices should be quoted in Euros, and all trade literature should be in French. Office hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1200 and 1400-1800.

Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie de la Réunion
5 bis rue de Paris, BP 120, 97463 Saint-Denis, Réunion
Tel: 942 000.
Website: www.reunion.cci.fr

Délégation Régionale au Commerce, à l’Artisanat et au Tourisme
Préfecture de la Réunion, Avenue de la Victoire, 97400 Saint-Denis, Réunion
Tel: 407 758.