News
Advancing Sustainable Blue Tourism in Sainte-Marie: ECO Label Implementation Workshop
October 2025 | St. Marie, Madagascar
The island of Sainte-Marie, Madagascar, has taken a meaningful step toward a more sustainable and inclusive tourism future. This October 2025 marks a key milestone in the Blue Tourism Initiative’s support for the Sainte-Marie ECO Label, a locally driven certification system designed to promote responsible practices among tourism operators — from hotels and restaurants to boat and excursion services.
The Sainte-Marie ECO Label was conceived as part of BTI’s broader commitment to empowering island communities to lead their own blue transition. Developed in partnership with the Office du Tourisme de Sainte-Marie (OTSM), CORDIO, IDDRI, and Eco-union, the initiative seeks to create a scalable, community-centred model that other island destinations across the Indian Ocean can replicate.
This label directly responds to local realities: limited infrastructure, dependence on borehole water systems, and persistent waste management challenges. Its ambition is not only environmental — it’s about creating a tourism system that is economically viable, socially inclusive, and environmentally sound.
To ensure the certification reflects the needs and capacities of local operators, a stakeholder workshop took place last October 11th, bringing together representatives from hotels, restaurants, boat operators, local authorities, Cetamada, and GRET.
The workshop focused on:
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Validating and refining the certification framework and criteria, ensuring they are realistic, measurable, and inclusive.
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Clarifying governance roles among partners — particularly OTSM, GRET, and municipal authorities — for long-term coordination.
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Addressing key challenges such as waste sorting, collection logistics, and the reduction of single-use plastics.
Stakeholders also reviewed a draft ECO Label framework that introduces a three-tiered certification pathway: ECO Friendly, ECO Committed, and ECO Excellence. These tiers guide operators through progressively ambitious actions, from implementing basic waste sorting and refillable product systems to achieving zero single-use plastics and adopting circular economy practices.
Waste management emerged as a central topic in recent consultations. Many operators raised concerns about limited infrastructure for sorting and collection — a legitimate barrier for island-based businesses striving for sustainability. In response, OTSM and GRET coordinate to design a dedicated waste collection system for tourism operators, ensuring feasibility and consistency with the ECO Label’s waste reduction goals.
Following the workshop, participating operators will complete a structured questionnaire to assess the practicality of the criteria, identify barriers (technical, financial, or operational), and prioritize areas requiring training or equipment support.
The feedback collected will shape the next version of the framework and inform a series of sustainability clinics — hands-on sessions focusing on waste, water, and energy management, led by local experts including GRET and Cetamada.
The Sainte-Marie ECO Label reflects what blue tourism truly stands for: collaboration, local leadership, and shared responsibility for the ocean and its people. As the island community moves toward the first pilot certifications, it also sends a clear message to other destinations — sustainable tourism is achievable when built from the ground up, together.
