“An act of extreme gravity.” The president of the Réunion regional council, Huguette Bello (left), weighed her words in condemning the sale by the State to the private Mauritian group IBL of a 6.8-hectare plot of land that houses one of the island’s beautiful hotels. Located on a white sandy beach and facing the translucent waters of the Hermitage lagoon, the five-star Lux Saint-Gilles has 174 rooms and employs more than 250 people.
In a motion voted on September 6, the community chaired by Mme Bello believes that the transfer of a “A territory so strategic for an external actor turns its back on the interests of Reunion Island and, therefore, of France.” METROme Bello announces that the community will take legal action to prevent this transfer to a “foreign country” of a “Strategic and emblematic location for the tourist offer” for an estimated amount of 28 million euros.
This is not the first time that the elected representative of Reunion, whose name was mentioned in July as a candidate of the New Popular Front for the post of Prime Minister, has passed himself off as a defender of “Economic Patriotism of the Meeting”. Huguette Bello had already used this issue to oppose the merger between the French airlines Air Austral – based on Reunion Island – and Corsair. An option preferred by the State in 2022 to save the two entities that are in great financial difficulties. The regional president then highlighted the challenges posed by opening up the island by air.
A “narrow view of the economy”
Returning to this theme, he also wishes to point out that other large Réunion companies in the retail, construction and water sectors have fallen into the hands of investors from Mauritius, the neighbouring island more than 200 kilometres away. The local sugar group Quartier Français has been taken over by the French giant Tereos. In addition, many local brands are owned by the Antillean group Hayot. “The centre of gravity of local economic decisions is increasingly moving away from Reunion Island, says an M advisorme Beautiful. Profits go abroad. »
Applied to the hotel sector, the notions of “Economic Patriotism of the Meeting” and of “protection of strategic interests” Locals, however, seem to have a hard time convincing the island’s business circles, which remain cautious on the matter. Especially since some of M’s opponentsme Bello accuses him of having autonomist intentions, with the risk of the Reunion closing in on itself.
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