The Guadeloupe cruise season will begin with calls at the Îles des Saintes.
On October 27, Le Bellot (Ponant Explorations) was anticipated to call at Terre-de-Haut. In Pointe-à-Pitre, the Mein Schiff 2 (TUI Cruises) will open the season on November 7, followed by the Renaissance (Ambassador Cruises) on November 16, the MSC Opera on the 21st, and the Costa Favolosa on the 26th.
The season will also be marked by the arrival of the MSC World Europa and the presence of the Costa Fascinosa. The overall capacity of the scheduled ships is estimated at 430,000 passengers, versus 386,906 passengers hosted the previous season.
For the Guadeloupe Islands Tourism Committee (CTIG), these calls are the culmination of months of preparation, with the aim of letting the territory benefit more from passenger spending.
On October 27, Le Bellot (Ponant Explorations) was anticipated to call at Terre-de-Haut. In Pointe-à-Pitre, the Mein Schiff 2 (TUI Cruises) will open the season on November 7, followed by the Renaissance (Ambassador Cruises) on November 16, the MSC Opera on the 21st, and the Costa Favolosa on the 26th.
The season will also be marked by the arrival of the MSC World Europa and the presence of the Costa Fascinosa. The overall capacity of the scheduled ships is estimated at 430,000 passengers, versus 386,906 passengers hosted the previous season.
For the Guadeloupe Islands Tourism Committee (CTIG), these calls are the culmination of months of preparation, with the aim of letting the territory benefit more from passenger spending.
Five Call Points for Ships
The answer starts with the distribution of port calls. In addition to the two ports of Pointe-à-Pitre and Basse-Terre, three moorings are added: Terre-de-Haut, Deshaies and Saint-Louis, on Marie-Galante. For three seasons, CTIG has encouraged operators to diversify their itineraries, notably by presenting Deshaies to shipowners accustomed to Saintes.“We have a territory today that is multi-destination”, emphasizes Laurence Corenthin, head of cruise and nautical activities at CTIG.
A single vessel can thus offer, from season to season, different discoveries within the archipelago. According to the manager, the number of calls at Deshaies rose by nearly 60 % during the previous season.
British visitors particularly enjoy the shooting locations of the series Death in Paradise around which some operators propose tours and investigative games.
Shops Open During Port Calls
In Pointe-à-Pitre, the goal is also to help passengers find businesses that are open and attentive to their needs. The CTIG rolled out the Cruise Friendly arrangement, in which 21 merchants participated during the previous season.
Free for members, it provides visibility through signs and an interactive map sent to the cruise lines. In return, they commit to opening on port-call days, including Sundays.
“We created a WhatsApp group”, explains Laurence Corenthin. Merchants are informed about the ships expected, the number of passengers and their nationalities. This allows anticipating crowding and adjusting their welcome.
72 % of the member respondents say they are satisfied or very satisfied with the traffic generated by cruise passengers and all wish to renew their participation. Fortified by these results, the committee is now planning to extend the scheme to Terre-de-Haut ahead of other port sites.
Free for members, it provides visibility through signs and an interactive map sent to the cruise lines. In return, they commit to opening on port-call days, including Sundays.
“We created a WhatsApp group”, explains Laurence Corenthin. Merchants are informed about the ships expected, the number of passengers and their nationalities. This allows anticipating crowding and adjusting their welcome.
72 % of the member respondents say they are satisfied or very satisfied with the traffic generated by cruise passengers and all wish to renew their participation. Fortified by these results, the committee is now planning to extend the scheme to Terre-de-Haut ahead of other port sites.
Training Guides and Merchants
Furthermore, at the start of September, nearly 90 professionals, guides and excursion providers, participated in four days of training organized with Aquila, a Canadian organization specializing in cruise tourism and a partner of the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association.
This certification aims to strengthen their knowledge of this industry, their mediation techniques and their ability to manage different situations during guided tours. The Vendor Excellence training, designed for merchants and tourism professionals, helped to better understand the expectations of cruise-going customers and to improve the quality of welcome, products and services offered.
These trainings recorded a 100 % satisfaction rate.
The CTIG also surveyed more than 300 professionals during the previous season in order to refine its strategy. Beyond the port towns, the survey also covers communes frequented on excursions such as Sainte-Anne, Bouillante or Saint-François.
The results are positive, even if they reveal contrasting situations. Among the 201 respondents in the segment dedicated to merchants, 70 % report an increase in footfall thanks to cruise passengers and 75 % say they are satisfied or very satisfied with this clientele. On markets, however, 84 % of vendors estimate the average basket below 20 euros and nearly six in ten report a decrease in passenger spending.
The developing small mobile payment terminals that allow merchants to accept card payments without worrying about currencies should help to improve outcomes.
This certification aims to strengthen their knowledge of this industry, their mediation techniques and their ability to manage different situations during guided tours. The Vendor Excellence training, designed for merchants and tourism professionals, helped to better understand the expectations of cruise-going customers and to improve the quality of welcome, products and services offered.
These trainings recorded a 100 % satisfaction rate.
The CTIG also surveyed more than 300 professionals during the previous season in order to refine its strategy. Beyond the port towns, the survey also covers communes frequented on excursions such as Sainte-Anne, Bouillante or Saint-François.
The results are positive, even if they reveal contrasting situations. Among the 201 respondents in the segment dedicated to merchants, 70 % report an increase in footfall thanks to cruise passengers and 75 % say they are satisfied or very satisfied with this clientele. On markets, however, 84 % of vendors estimate the average basket below 20 euros and nearly six in ten report a decrease in passenger spending.
The developing small mobile payment terminals that allow merchants to accept card payments without worrying about currencies should help to improve outcomes.
