Above: Pointe a Pitre

By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

Guadeloupe is reporting strong growth in its cruise sector.

The French Department’s Pointe a Pitre port is home to three Costa Cruises ships, and just celebrated 20 years of strong partnership with the cruise line.

The port reported a near 50-percent increase in passengers during the 2014-2015 season, reaching 320,000 visitors.

With the addition of four new cruise ship, Guadeloupe is forecasting more than 400,000 passengers for the 2015-2016 season.

In the interest of this growth in home porting activities, and in response to the 144-percent increase in charter flights in 2015, the Guadeloupe Pole Caraibe International Airport invested around $11.2 million USD towards the construction of a dedicated cruise ship terminal at the airport.

“The Guadeloupean savoir-faire in home porting activities is well known in the Caribbean,” said Olivier Michel, Cruise Director of the Guadeloupe Islands Tourist Board. “It is the results of a combined strategy and combined efforts from the Guadeloupe Port Authorities, Guadeloupe Pole Caraibe International airport and the Guadeloupe islands Tourist Board as we definitely work as a team at all levels.”