The Vanilla Islands (Réunion, Seychelles, Mauritius, Madagascar, Mayotte, Comoros)have been awarded the Best Island Creative Tourism Strategy at the 13th World Creative Tourism Awards, recognizing their pioneering, inclusive, and culturally rooted approach to reimagining inter island travel in the Indian Ocean.
This international distinction comes in a record breaking year: the jury—composed of global experts in tourism marketing and the creative economy—selected the winners from 223 applications representing 28 countries, evaluating originality, the capacity to structure a local creative ecosystem, and the integration of sustainability principles.
A Global Context of Creative Tourism Expansion
The recognition of the Vanilla Islands is thus part of a broader global movement highlighted by the 13th World Creative Tourism Awards, which showcased destinations such as Barranquilla, Budapest, Cannes, Essaouira, Ljubljana, Bangkok, Turin, Barcelos, and Tunisia.
This edition also marked a milestone through a partnership with Transcultura, a programme implemented by UNESCO and funded by the European Union. As part of this collaboration, the Creative Tourism Network® launched the Caribbean Creative Tourism Awards, celebrating the richness and diversity of the region’s creative and sustainable ecosystems.
A Female Centered, Narrative and Creative Approach to Inter Island Travel
The award celebrates the strategy “Vanilla Islands Combinations for Women”, which repositions inter island travel as a meaningful creative tourism journey.
Rather than standard combined packages, the itineraries are designed as coherent narrative routes, responding to the growing expectations of women travelers seeking purpose, authenticity, and reassurance, integrating: immersive cultural experiences, encounters with local communities, discovery of know-how and intangible heritage storytelling that enhances coherence, trust, and safety throughout the trip.
This dynamic supports a more inclusive tourism ecosystem in which women are travelers, creators, and ambassadors of their territories. Indeed, the project benefits not only women travelers but also the women who shape tourism across the region. Their stories, practices, and know-how are integrated into the itineraries, making their cultural and economic contributions more visible and valued.
A Regional Cooperation Model Serving Sustainable and Inclusive Tourism
Beyond its narrative innovation,the jury praised the unprecedented regional cooperation model that: – encourages longer stays – improves travel planning – promotes multi territory discovery within a single trip – distributes visitor flows more evenly – reduces repeated long distance travel
This approach strengthens a more sustainable and balanced practice of inter island tourism.
Caroline Couret, President of the Creative Tourism Network®, emphasized: “This initiative exemplifies how creative tourism can become a tool for empowerment, regional cohesion and sustainable development. By valuing women as both travelers and creators of experiences, the Vanilla Islands offer a new model of inter island travel — immersive, conscious and deeply rooted in the cultures and communities of the region.”
Abubakar Ben Mahamoud, Minister of Environment and Tourism of the Union of the Comoros and President of the Vanilla Islands, highlighted:
“This project anchors our association in a truly sustainable development dynamic, for the benefit of all.”
Creative Tourism as a Model for the Future
The award winning initiatives reflect a tourism model that is: • authentic, rooted in local culture • innovative, driven by creative engagement • sustainable, generating long term community benefits • collaborative, involving residents and visitors in co creation
As Caroline Couret, President of the Creative Tourism Network® concluded,
Caroline Couret
the remarkable diversity of participants and the wide range of project scales—from long established initiatives to small, emerging gems—prove that creativity truly belongs to everyone. This new edition shines with that same spirit more than ever. It is genuinely exciting to see how destinations and project leaders around the world are embracing creative tourism as a powerful driver of sustainable, regenerative, and virtuous development, while also responding brilliantly to travelers’ growing appetite for meaningful, authentic experiences.
The Creative Tourism Network® continues to support destinations worldwide, particularly in the context of the UN’s International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development (2026), through new creative volunteering programs, training initiatives, and collaborative projects.
