Florin Hossu, edited by Manon Fossat 7:30 am, October 27, 2021

Between health crisis, curfew and tensions on the island related to the vaccination obligation for caregivers, tourists flee Martinique.

This year the drop in activity for professionals in the sector exceeds 60%.

A situation which worries on the spot and throws the blur on the months to come.

REPORTING

The Minister of Health Olivier Véran announced on Tuesday the dispatch of a mediation team to re-establish dialogue between the management of the CHU and the inter-union of health professionals while the vaccination obligation is still strongly contested by the unions.

Overall, barely 35% of Martinicans have a complete vaccination schedule.

The island is still under a 7 p.m. curfew, and the coronavirus is still circulating actively.

A catastrophic situation for tourism, while the peak tourist season normally begins at the end of the year.

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A drop in activity of more than 60%

"How do you respond to a customer who says to you: 'Do you think the situation will be better at Christmas?'".

The puzzle has been going on for a year and a half for Sébastien Gintz, director of the hotel La Batelière, a 4-star hotel located by the sea near Fort-de-France.

Because compared to a normal year, the drop in activity exceeds 60%.

“On the same date we have much more empty reservation books. We don't know how consumers and customers will react. There is always a risk of being confined or that your vacation will be canceled, as it is. the case for a year and a half ", he worries.

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The same goes for car rental companies.

A few weeks before the start of the high season, Kévin, manager of a small family business, had to find solutions to compensate for the absence of tourists.

"To be able to balance the accounts, we had to sell vehicles in order to obtain sufficient turnover to cover our expenses," he explains.

And among the other sectors affected, the cruise industry.

The season has indeed just been canceled in Martinique and Guadeloupe.

Before the health crisis, 800 people took the plane every week to come to the island and then board the liners for a dream vacation in the Caribbean.