The Vanilla Islands Organisation has obtained a contribution-to-carbon-neutrality certificate under France’s Label bas‑carbone scheme, which it presents as the first low‑carbon certification claimed by a tourism organisation in the Indian Ocean, embedding it in the sustainable strategy of …

The Vanilla Islands Organisation (Organisation des Îles Vanille, VIO), which brings together the tourism boards of Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, Mayotte, Seychelles and the Union of the Comoros, announced on 18 June 2026 that it had obtained a contribution-to-carbon-neutrality certificate under the Label bas‑carbone, the French government’s official low‑carbon scheme, for a joint sustainable tourism project which it presents as the first low‑carbon certification claimed by a tourism organisation in the Indian Ocean. The Vanilla Islands Organisation states that this contribution-to‑carbon‑neutrality certificate, obtained under the Label bas‑carbone, recognises a collective project to reduce and offset emissions linked to inter‑island tourism promotion.

For destinations in the zone – Madagascar (MG), Mauritius (MU), Seychelles (SC), Mayotte (YT) and Réunion (RE) – the recognition comes as environmental criteria gain weight in air travel and tourism distribution, and as the islands seek to defend tourism growth that is compatible with climate transition and coastal vulnerability. The announcement, relayed by tourism stakeholders in Mayotte, underlines that the low‑carbon certification comes as the Vanilla Islands destination works to structure a common offer of “low‑carbon experiences” in the Indian Ocean, with a focus on longer stays, inter‑island circuits and services that are certified as sustainable.

A state label that underpins the islands’ strategy

Created by decree in 2018 and updated in 2025, the Label bas‑carbone sets out methods for calculating and verifying greenhouse gas emission reductions in France, paving the way for the issuance of certificates to eligible projects, notably in agriculture, forestry, buildings and mobility.Decree no. 2018‑1043 of 28 November 2018, as amended by decree no. 2025‑917 of 5 September 2025, establishes the framework for the Label « Bas‑Carbone » and sets the conditions under which projects to reduce or sequester emissions on French territory, including overseas, can be validated.

By aligning with this state‑backed framework, the Vanilla Islands Organisation anchors its low‑carbon strategy in a tool recognised by institutional investors, airlines and major tour operators. This can make it easier to access climate finance and to integrate the destination into sustainable tourism portfolios. The VIO presents the certificate as a further step in its sustainable tourism policy, complementing its joint promotion of the Indian Ocean destination and the structuring of an inter‑island offer.

Regional governance already structured around the Vanilla Islands

The initiative builds on regional governance that has been in place for more than a decade. Tourism boards from the Indian Ocean islands decided in 2010 to create the joint brand “Les Îles Vanille” to strengthen the region’s international visibility and promote inter‑island combinations. Tourism representatives from Réunion, Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar, Comoros and Mayotte formalised the “Les Îles Vanille” brand at a meeting at the Réunion Chamber of Commerce and Industry on 4 August 2010, with the goal of gaining weight on source markets under a shared banner.

This institutional base has been fully mobilised to carry a low‑carbon project at the scale of the archipelago, as national and territorial climate strategies converge towards lower‑carbon trajectories. The “Vanilla Islands” affiliation today groups Seychelles, Madagascar, Réunion, Mauritius, Comoros and Mayotte under a joint destination brand for the Indian Ocean, enabling cross‑border initiatives, including on sustainability.

Economic stakes for Mayotte, Réunion, Mauritius, Madagascar and Seychelles

For local authorities, the certification is expected to serve as both a competitive positioning tool and a way to manage climate risk. In the French territories of Mayotte and Réunion, the low‑carbon transition is already identified as a central pillar of development strategies. The 2022‑2026 strategy of Agence française de développement for Mayotte stresses the need to accompany the territory towards a resilient, low‑carbon development path, notably through targeted investment in tourism, circular‑economy and energy sectors.

Beyond regulatory compliance, the challenge for tourism ministries and promotion agencies is to turn the certificate into concrete products for European and Asian markets: packages that include low‑impact mobility on site, longer stays that reduce the frequency of flights, or support for accommodation providers engaged in energy‑efficiency programmes. Leaders of the VIO highlight their intention to strengthen a sustainable tourism offer, together with private operators across the six member islands, so that the low‑carbon certification becomes a sales argument on international markets.

Next steps: sector methodologies and pilot projects

The issuance of the certificate opens a more technical phase: designing common methodologies for accommodation, marine excursions or events, aligning them with local climate plans and rolling out pilot projects capable of generating additional certificates. The Label bas‑carbone framework provides for the approval of methods by sector of activity, a prerequisite for any project seeking certificates attesting to genuinely measurable and verified emission reductions.

For financiers and tourism operators in the region, the trajectory will be assessed on the Vanilla Islands’ ability to aggregate further eligible projects (in accommodation infrastructure, tourist mobility and natural‑area management), and to embed this dynamic in the national low‑carbon strategies of Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles and the French overseas departments. Economic actors in Mayotte see this first certification as an opportunity to consolidate an ecological transition that also serves the island’s economic development, within a framework shared with the other Vanilla Islands members.