They are in the top 10 long distance destinations. Guadeloupe and Martinique are second only to the Dominican Republic. Good performance compared to other overseas territories.
•
During a press session organized by the Syndicate of Tour Operators (SETO), its president, Rene Mark Schickley, assessed the tourism situation for the summer season 2021 and shared the expectations of companies in the sector for this winter. An important point: the French Antilles stand out. Even better, since tourist flights to the two islands reopened, the rate of requests has been higher than the pre-crisis period.
Top Risa Lounge
•
Thus, during the summer of 2019, the number of applications submitted was 8,555. Meanwhile in 2020, with the Covid crisis, it collapsed to 6737. But 2021 turned out to be a good surprise, as there is an increase in orders by 54.3%, for a total of 10,396 requests. So bookings were much higher than in 2019, which was nonetheless very good for tour operators. With confinement in the middle of summer, these kind characters have stopped dying. However, at the moment, with its gradual dismantling, SETO is seeing an increase in order intake for this winter of 14.4% compared to 2020.
Reunion and Polynesia lag far behind
If West Indians can rejoice, it is not the case with Reunion and Polynesians. In fact, the numbers given by the head of SETO are not very good. However, Polynesia can boast of being at 75% of its pre-crisis level. That means 1,470 orders for this summer versus 1964 in 2019. For Reunion, on the other hand, the 2019 level is a long way off because bookings for the island are only 36%. The number of applications fell from 3,476 before the crisis to just 1,238 this summer.
A situation that certainly will not improve with the winter break, as Rene Mark Schickley explains, “Reunion is not a particularly winter destination and Polynesia is still a very distant destination”. Above all, SETO makes a note, “Reservations are made late, an average of 15 days before travel and travelers expect a money-back guarantee if there is a cancellation due to COVID.”. The President of the Federation specifies that “Winter holidays will be predicted especially in mid-November“.
Reasons for hope
For tourist travel back to normal, hope for SETO. First of all, there is the vaccination, which makes it possible to travel without special difficulties to destinations whose borders have opened. This therefore leads to ease of access, which is essential in the choice of travelers. There is also a desire to revive the tourism sector by many countries that provide good conditions for residence. And then, above all, there is a desire to travel. “People travel even though they cannot go anywhere in the country, they have the budget and the inclination.” Rene Mark Shekley identifies.
The results are therefore encouraging for SETO. In fact, medium-haul flights suffer above all at only 38% of the pre-crisis level. Less dramatic drop for long trips, and therefore for overseas territories by 47% from the 2019 level. This summer, it was the French Antilles that stood out, even if the holidays were eventful with early August (30 July) bookings for Martinique). But the orders were already in place. Rene Mark Schickley confirms it, “DOnce the destination is opened, customers immediately book”. This can be seen by the order for this winter. The West Indies are still popular.
