La Reunion

There are 12 overseas territories: Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Réunion, Mayotte, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Saint Barthélemy, Saint-Martin, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, and the Wallis and Futuna islands, which together have almost 2.6 million inhabitants.

Because of its overseas territories, France is the only EU country that is present in three separate oceans. They help consolidate France’s second place worldwide in terms of maritime reach and make a telling contribution to the rollout of the country’s maritime and “blue growth” policies. These territories enshrine the future of energy as they are the “100% renewable energy” forerunners of the energy transition and the promotion of clean transportation.

All of them respond to European standards, making high quality products and services.

With its unique geographical location, its status as an ultraperipheral region and its vibrant environment, Réunion has many competitive advantages, fostering access to the economic markets of the Indian Ocean area, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

The island provides an ideal bridgehead for the expansion of economic activities towards these regions. Its economy, which is focused on agriculture and tourism, is driven by the presence of major companies and a flourishing innovation ecosystem coordinated by a Technopole and a cluster (Qualitropic), which is centered on the tropical bioeconomy.

Reunion is a fast-growing economy and benefit from high quality infrastructures, skilled workforce and major projects of development. Since 2022, Reunion Island host the first urban cable car of the French overseas, and inaugurated the most expensive road in the world built on the sea.

High-performing sectors bringing skills and expertise

La Réunion is an island in the Indian Ocean which offers investors a stable, secure and modern business environment ideal for long-term investment projects. Some 63,185 companies are present in La Réunion across all sectors, including agritech, cleantech, the digital economy and the marine economy.

In the renewable energy field, La Réunion is seeking to achieve 50% renewables in its energy mix, before total energy self-sufficiency. The island is known for solar power thanks notably to its innovative photovoltaic solar farms at Mangassaye and Bardzour.

In the digital field, companies enjoy opportunities in the fields of the green economy, e-administration, datacentres, anti-spam solutions, e-health and embedded systems. In addition to strong demand, the Region also has renowned expertise in server and website design, animation and infographics, as home to Europe’s second-largest colouring and compositing studio, Pipangaï.

Great research and innovation potential

La Réunion is a player in high-performing sectors, attracting major French research specialists, including:

• CIRAD (Agricultural Research Centre for International Development).
• IRD (Research Institute for Development).
• IFREMER (Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea).
• BRGM (Geological Survey).
• INSERM (National Institute of Health and Medical Research).
• CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research).
• IPGP (Institute of Earth Physics of Paris).
• Météo France (Meteorological Office).

More than 19,000 students study at the University of La Réunion each year.

La Réunion is also home to innovative clusters such as Qualitropic and Témergie (La Réunion site of the Capenergies cluster), technological centres such as Technor and TechSud, and “French Tech” entities. This concentration of scientific and engineering talent attracts innovative, high value added activities, giving La Réunion unparalleled regional leadership in the digital sector in particular.

In La Réunion, the Research Tax Credit applies at a rate of 50% up to €100 million of eligible expenditure, and of 5% thereafter: the best tax treatment of R&D in the OECD.

A multimodal hub with international access

La Réunion has a key geostrategic position, at the confluence of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), southern and eastern Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and SouthEast Asia. European-standard infrastructure provides the services of a multimodal hub.

La Réunion Roland Garros Airport (ARRG) received 2.5 million passengers in 2022 and has a freight capacity of 40,000 tons annually, while the La Réunion port has been declared of national interest, combining the functions of maritime rail terminal, trading port, naval base, marina and fishing port.

The Region is also fully covered by sophisticated digital infrastructure (satellite, submarine fibre-optic cables, high-speed 4G network).

This French and European island offers excellent access to the economies of its geographical region and of Europe.

Major tourism opportunities thanks to exceptional natural and cultural heritage

The tourism sector offers numerous business opportunities. Reunion Island is known for its active volcano and several mountains that offers a unique experience for hiking lovers with more than 1,000km of marked trails inside a national park of 105,000 hectares.

Reunion has developed a sporting event tourism, due to many international known races such as the “Grand Raid” considered as one of the most difficult in the world, the “Trail de Bourbon” or also the “Mascareignes” race.

Registered as UNESCO World Heritage for its natural resources, La Réunion can also rely on an exceptional ethnic, religious and cultural diversity mixed together inside a very warm and welcoming population.

Reunion’s cultural heritage includes 140 historic monuments, 20 of which listed, five French national museums, theatres and cultural festivals.
As one of the world’s 34 biodiversity hotspots, Reunion Island features nearly 230 endemic plant species. The island is also very active when it comes to safeguarding the turtles.
Various sustainable development and biodiversity operators on Reunion are committed to conservation and protection, and to showcasing the island’s natural riches. This is especially important here, as a number of endemic species are threatened with extinction. Local populations are more and more aware of the necessity to act for the environment preservation.

Build your own experience and find activities on : https://en.reunion.fr/

NEXA Agency is the Business France Invest representative in La Réunion and assists international companies wishing to establish themselves in the island by :

• Providing them with information on the market
• Supporting them in structuring the project
• Linking them up with key players in connection with the project
• Supporting them as they seek regional and European funding
• Providing them with international assistance once established in La Réunion

Your regional contact

NEXA
www.nexa.re
contact@nexa.re

Préfecture de La Réunion
Service de la migration et de l’intégration
6, rue des Messageries
CS 51079, 97404
ST DENIS CEDEX

Website : https://www.reunion.gouv.fr/mesdemarches-titres-de-sejour-a6433.html
mailcourrier@reunion.pref.gouv.fr

La Réunion have a large offer of formation, from kindergarden to graduate studies : https://jeunes360.re/annuaire/etablissements

With this extensive range of schooling establishments across its territory, La Réunion can count on a qualified workforce that can meet the needs of companies wishing to set up in the region.

International school programs

Discover our interactive map : International schools map – Welcome to France

In terms of digital innovation, La Réunion FrenchTech Community gathers and mobilizes the start-ups and innovation actors of La Réunion. In 2018, digital economy represented 1524 compagnies and 4000 employees on the island. The Digital Réunion association, launched the NxSE Forum initiative in order to build a cooperation between start-ups from the Indian Ocean, and wants to make La Réunion a major hub between Africa, the Indian Ocean and Europe.
La Réunion : a land of start-up !
With around 500 companies and more than 5,000 employees, the Reunionese start-up ecosystem is supported by multiple actors gathered inside the “Technopole de La Réunion“. This sector represents a stable annual turnover of 1.4 billion euros. The island has seen the emergence of more than 50 start-ups during the last few years.