Martinique had another strong year of tourism growth in 2019, according to the latest data report from the Caribbean Tourism Organization. 

The French Caribbean department reported 556,268 visitor arrivals last year, which represented an increase of 3.5 percent, according to the Barbados-based regional tourism agency.

It was another strong step for the destination, which continues to attract travelers both from its primary source market of mainland France and, increasingly, from the United States. 

The numbers are in line with what’s been reported by Martinique’s Aime Cesaire International Airport, which has been seeing a similar jump in arrivals and passenger traffic. 

Martinique also saw new hotel development on the island last year, with a pair of new properties making their debuts: the transformed Diamant Les Bains hotel in Le Diamant on the southern tip of Martinique, and the boutique Hotel Pelican, set on the beach in the Shoeclcher suburb of the island’s capital, Fort-de-France. 

— CJ