News
Sustainable Blue Tourism in Sainte Marie Island, Madagascar
April 2025
The Blue Tourism Initiative is advancing blue tourism in Sainte Marie Island, Madagascar, leveraging its unique identity and history to develop a thriving tourism sector. The informal tourism sector plays a significant role in Sainte Marie. It would benefit from a targeted training program to ensure safe, high-quality services, helping preserve the destination’s strong reputation. Through the Blue Tourism Initiative, CORDIO East Africa and the Office Du Tourisme de Sainte Marie (OTSM) (Tourism Office of Sainte Marie Island) will strengthen collaboration within the existing tourism offer of the island and support the implementation of sustainable blue tourism practice.
Sainte Marie Island, Madagascar
Grantee: CORDIO East Africa
Project Title: Develop sustainable practices in the existing tourism offer in Ste. Marie by developing public-private cooperation
Duration: April 2025 – April 2026
The Sainte Marie Archipelago is a tropical paradise renowned for its diverse landscapes. With a rich history and unique islands, the archipelago has long been a top beach destination in Eastern Madagascar and, in recent decades, a global hub for whale watching. Despite its beauty, Sainte Marie faces environmental and tourism challenges. The Blue Tourism Initiative, through the Office Du Tourisme Sainte Marie (OTSM), the local implementation partner, will work to address these challenges by fostering public-private partnerships, promoting sustainable tourism practices, and developing a certification for local pirogues, hotels and restaurants. The goal is to position Sainte Marie as a leading sustainable blue tourism destination in the Western Indian Ocean region.
Project Objectives
- Strengthen Public-Private Collaboration: Foster partnerships between local government, private sector, and community stakeholders on sustainable tourism planning and implementation.
- Enhance Local Economic Benefits: Support local businesses in adopting sustainable tourism practices.
- Promote Sustainable Tourism Development: Integrate eco-friendly and socially responsible practices into existing tourism activities.
- Improve Destination Competitiveness and Branding: Develop certification labels for businesses adhering to sustainability standards and further position Sainte-Marie as a sustainable blue tourism destination.
Key activities
- Establishment of blue tourism platform meetings to strengthen collaboration and information sharing between the public and private tourism actors.
- Participatory development of sustainable island blue tourism certification criteria for businesses (hotels/restaurants/pirogues) to improve branding.
- Conducting training for operators for sustainable management based on the developed certification criteria.
- Production and promotion of Sainte Marie sales manual as a sustainable blue tourism destination.
Expected results
- Improved collaboration and information exchange between public authorities, private tourism operators, and local communities on sustainable tourism challenges and opportunities.
- Clear and adapted sustainability standards for hotels, restaurants and boat (pirogue) operators, including a recognized eco-label that differentiates Sainte-Marie as a sustainable blue tourism destination.
- Enhanced capacity of tourism businesses (hotels, restaurants, pirogues) to implement sustainable practices.
Impacts
The Blue Tourism Initiative will transform Sainte Marie into a benchmark for sustainable tourism in the Western Indian Ocean. By building strong public-private partnerships and introducing sustainability certifications for local businesses, the initiative will raise service standards, support community livelihoods, and protect the island’s natural and cultural assets. This integrated approach will boost the island’s competitiveness while ensuring tourism growth aligns with long-term environmental and social goals.