Martinique casts a wider (English) net

STORY BY KATHY BUCKWORTH

As a region of the French Republic, Quebecers have long flocked to Martinique for its sandy beaches (gold, silver and black), high-quality rums, Creole/French/Caribbean cuisine and, of course, the familiarity with the language and customs.

But the Martinique Tourism Authority is excited about the potential of the English-speaking market as well.

“While Canada’s French market is naturally familiar to us, it’s been a privilege to get to know more travel industry partners in Canada’s English-speaking market,” said Gaetan Paderna, the self-proclaimed Chief Happiness Officer (Director of Communications) for the Martinique Tourism Authority.

Paderna was addressing trade, media, and travel partners at the Hotel X in Toronto on Tuesday night (Nov. 5).

“Canadians account for 9.5 per cent of our high season tourist flow,” he said, adding that Canada is the second most important market after France, for Martinique.

Easier access with Air Canada

Getting English Canadians to the island is getting easier. Air Canada has exclusive direct flights from Toronto from December 14, 2024, to April 19 2025, flying every Saturday. Connections are also available from Vancouver and Calgary and flight-hotel-cruise packages are available from Air Canada Vacations.

“We are very excited to talk about our Martinique service, specifically into Fort de France, where we provide service from Toronto and also Montreal,” said Yazdan Bakhtiary, manager of regional sales for Air Canada, in an interview with PAX. “Montreal is our dominant service, where we provide four flights a week, and we’re looking to expand it. It’s a year-round service, and we’re going to increase our frequency starting in December. We also offer flights out of Toronto one day a week, which is a seasonal flight, which we hope to increase as well, both operating on a 737 8 MAY aircraft. So, a lot of exciting updates.”

“Montreal is our hub [for Martinique]…but we’re definitely seeing more demand out of the English regions such as Toronto. We hope to increase that. If we see the demand and the lift, then we will continue that service,” Bakhtiary added.

Martinique’s only all-inclusive

One of the island’s biggest draws is the only all-inclusive on the island, Club Med’s Les Boucaniers (Buccaneer's Creek)

“Martinique was one of our first resorts in the North American region, so it’s definitely been a gem in our portfolio for years,” said Samantha Gillingham, key account manager for Ontario at Club Med. “Renovations were needed at the property and we finalized those this year.”

The resort reopened on October 19, 2024.

“It has a really great homey feel as soon as you walk in. It’s not like one of those large cookie cutter resorts. We have white sandy beaches; the water is so turquoise,” said Gillingham.  

Gillingham was enthusiastic about reaching out to Canadians beyond the Quebec borders.

“We’re finding that the English Canadian market wants to branch out from what they’re used to. They want to see different islands, so the French Caribbean has definitely something for them. Yes, French is the first language but that’s no different than going somewhere where Spanish is the first language,” she said.

Air Canada’s direct flight out of Toronto is helping boost numbers – “and we’re also seeing that the connector cities are coming via Toronto and Montreal to bring them in,” Gillingham noted.

Cruising through

The Canadian market in the French Caribbean is also important to the cruise industry.  

Juan Antonio, inside sales for MSC Cruises, was on hand to highlight one of the cruise line’s largest ships, Virtuoso, as it sails mostly out of Martinique, Guadeloupe and Barbados.

MSC is offering seven and 14-night itineraries, with Fort-de-France as their embarkation point on the seven-night cruise, and as a port stop on their 14-day cruise out of Bridgetown.

Magnifique Martinique

The focus of the night was Martinique highlighting the importance of travel partners. Organizers also shone the light on smaller accommodations on the island such as Bambou Hotel & Villas, Tangarane & Kaouanne Residences, and the Hotel Panoramic.

Coeur des Iles presented their travel services, and La Savane des Esclaves (a tour through 400 years of history, from the first peoples to the post-slavery era, in an open-air museum) was also represented.

Members of the tourism board walked attendees through the top 10 reasons to visit Martinique, including their three UNESCO designations, the multitude of accommodations, beautiful beaches, lush nature, crystal clear waters and of course their rum. 

There was also a push to encourage visitors to go to Martinique during their low season, from April to November, as there are Trail Tours year-round, as well as other festivals and activities.

And, calling all Bay Street Bankers! Martinique is promoting itself as a unique remote work location, citing high-speed internet and Wi-Fi availability on the island.

In French or in English, that would be pretty magnifique, Martinique.

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