The blue economy brings together everything that, near or far, relates to maritime and aquatic activities. It thus brings together a very wide variety of activities, such as shipping, fishing, protection of the coastal and marine environment, coastal tourism, defense, search or all related services. An INSEE study carried out using 2018 data estimates its weight at 10,000 jobs, or 3,4% of total employment in Reunion. Nearly seven out of ten jobs relate to coastal tourism, a higher share than in the coastal regions of mainland France. Shipping jobs are also more common on the island, which is home to the first overseas trading port. With an average growth of 4,5% per year between 2012 and 2018, employment generated by the blue economy is growing three times faster than regional employment. This growth is largely based on coastal tourism, and to a lesser extent on maritime transport and southern fishing. The blue economy also creates wealth : in 2018, it generated 485 million euros of added value, or 2,6% of the island’s gross domestic product. The seafood sector is the most productive thanks to southern fishing, high value added activity, followed by maritime transport and public intervention.
