Martinique Attends WTM with a French Touch

Exclusive interview with Francois Jock, Marketing Coordination and Press Relations manager of the Martinique Tourism Authority within the framework of World Travel Market 2018 in London

Martinique is increasingly turning to outbound markets other than its traditional sources, such as France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain and Italy. That’s the driving force behind the tiny French-speaking Caribbean island nation’s intention to attend World Travel Market 2018 in London.

With that view in mind, Caribbean News Digital sat down with Francois Jock, Marketing Coordination and Press Relations manager with the Martinique Tourism Authority, who spoke candidly about challenges and goals on the road ahead.

Indeed, Martinique is reaching out to any market possible. That includes North America, where the Martinique Tourism Authority has opened a representation office in New York City and in Montreal. So far, there’s has only been a representation office in Paris.

As surprising as it gets, Germany is Martinique’s second-largest outbound market, trailing just behind France, and Mr. Jock explains why. “We have direct flights from Frankfort, a weekly flight operated by Condor, so a lot of German tourists come down to visit Martinique every year.” Third place on that list goes to the United States.

Martinique has also gone the extra mile to make sure that tourism is a sustainable industry, with environment-friendly policies in place.

“Sustainable tourism is something we care for a lot in Martinique. We have a beautiful rain forest and we’re doing everything we can to protect this area. Nature is something Martinicans feel tremendous respect for, so we explain to our visitors that they are arriving in a country where nature is respected at its best,” Mr. Jock says.

But, what does Martinique have to offer that other neighboring Caribbean islands don’t have? The answer is the lifestyle. Unlike other island nations in the region -with the sole exception of Barbados- Martinique gives visitors the possibility of living the best of both worlds: France and the Caribbean.

“In addition to having a very welcoming population, those who visit Martinique notice the difference between the landscape in the north and the scenery down the south part of the island. People always get very happy to see that landscape diversity,” he goes on to explain.

In recent years, Martinique has worked diligently to enhance its airlink and accommodations. The island nation is looking to developing better air connections with Europe and some parts of South America, a world region that accounts for an increasing number of sunbathers.

Even though luxury is a segment that’s in the mix for Martinique, the country leans more to family vacations. “Luxury is more premium, so we prefer family vacations. We do have different tiers of travel in Martinique, but it’s easier to travel there in families and groups because we have big villas, some of them large enough to accommodate up to 20 people,” Mr. Jock explains.

As far as attending this year’s edition of WTM, Mr. Jock says it’s been “so far, so good. We’ve had a lot of interviews, with different travel agencies and tour operators, many of whom don’t know Martinique. We’ve talked about new services, airline connections and accommodation facilities that we have in Martinique, and they have shown great interest in that.”

Before wrapping things up, Mr. Jock takes the last minutes of this interview to refer to the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and its role in helping Martinique’s travel industry achieve its objectives.

“It’s always better to attend a large fair like this under a CTO booth or village than with a stand of your own. When you are under the CTO’s wing, you get the chance to meet more people and talk to more people you don’t know. The logistics for an event this big is complicated, so that’s why we work with and rely so much on the CTO,” he concludes.