Where and What Are the “Vanilla Islands?”

The exotic Seychelles of the Indian Ocean. Photo from Seychelles.org

I’m going to hazard a guess that most readers will not know where the Vanilla Islands are or what they are. At least not under that name.

The “Vanilla Islands” is actually a brand name used for marketing tourism to the seven Indian Ocean island countries of the Seychelles, Madagascar, Mauritius, Maldives, Mayotte, Reunion, and the Comoros. Most baby boomers will certainly be familiar with the Seychelles, Madagascar, Maldives, and Mauritius, though they may know less about Mayotte, Reunion and the Comoros.

I think it’s a wonderful idea for island countries spread widely across the Indian Ocean to join together for marketing purposes. (The brand name was established in 2010 and the grouping has since grown from four to seven.)

One of their goals is to reduce paperwork and join together in other ways to make it easier to visit… Continue reading →