By Rebecca Gibson From Cruise and Ferry

Cruise visitors receive a warm welcome when sailing into Martinique

The Martinique Tourism Authority has opened its first Cruise Village at the Pointe Simon Cruise Terminal in Fort-de-France.

Opened to improve the cruise visitor experience, the village will open whenever a cruise ship is in port until 18 April 2014. The village features rum tasting booths, live music, dance performances and stalls from a wide variety of vendors, who all accept US dollars. These include local clothing stands, jewellery and accessory designers, locally-produced skin care products and perfumes, souvenir shops and products from local artists.

“This temporary cruise village is a milestone for the cruise passengers’ experience in Martinique,” said Karine Roy-Camille, the Martinique Tourism commissioner. “We hope to enhance visitors’ appreciation of the island by extending the traditional Martinican hospitality from the moment they step off the boat.”

The Martinique Tourism Authority and the Fort-de-France tourist office also have booths onsite to assist visitors, while local, multilingual ‘city stewards’ will offer aid to tourists across the city.

A number of cruise lines are set to call in Martinique during the 2013-2014 cruise season including Holland America Line, Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, AIDA Cruises and Seabourn. Star Clippers, Club Med, Compagnie du Ponant, Costa Cruises, MSC Cruises, Sea Cloud and Swan Hellenic are also set to visit the island.

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