Travel disruptions continue in French Caribbean

Violent street protests in Martinique and Guadeloupe continue to disrupt the travel plans of British holidaymakers, it is being reported.

Tourists are being warned to stay inside their hotels, and many car hire operators, supermarkets and petrol stations remain closed after 37 days of demonstrations in protest of soaring living costs and low wages on the two French Caribbean islands.

Martinique’s Tourism Authority released a statement earlier this week that asserted it was “100 per cent open for tourists”. Violence has escalated on the island, however, since the statement was released, and protesters blocked a number of streets in Fort-de-France, the island’s capital, on Wednesday night.

The National Travel Agencies Organisation, based in Paris, is reporting that nearly 10,000 holidaymakers have abandoned their plans to visit the islands after numerous hotels were forced to close and several cruise companies have cancelled scheduled calls at Guadeloupe and Martinique.

Cruise operator Royal Caribbean has confirmed that stops at both islands by the Vision of the Seas have been cancelled. A spokeswoman added that upcoming itineraries could also be affected, but the cruise line is monitoring the situation closely.

Last week, the Holland America cruise ship Noordam was forced to visit Dominica rather than Martinique because of the volatile situation – and Azmara and P&O cruises have been affected as well.

www.martinique.org