Muriel Wiltord

Hurricane Dean destroyed Martinique’s entire banana crop, but the storm did not devastate the Caribbean island’s second most important resource—tourism, Muriel Wiltord, director of U.S. and Latin America operations for the Martinique Promotion Bureau/CMT USA, told GlobalAtlanta.

Ms. Wiltord visited Atlanta recently for three intense days of meetings that had been delayed for over a week by the storm’s effects.   Although Dean gave the island its worst battering by a hurricane since Hugo in 1989, Ms. Wiltord said Martinique’s tourism infrastructure would be ready for the December high season.

“Fortunately, most hotels just had cosmetic damages, nothing significant…that cannot be repaired in a few days,” she said.  “Within three months we will have (the island) back up to its nickname, ‘Isle of Flowers,’ but right now, they are gone.”

Considering that ecotourism is popular in Martinique, the widespread ecological destruction was one of the most disheartening inconveniences Dean left behind, Ms. Wiltord said.  Trees more than 200 years old were destroyed, and coconut trees were bowed by the swirling winds. 

About 70 percent of the sugarcane crop was also destroyed, but the crop was young and will be easily replaced before harvest time.

The rum industry, which depends on sugarcane, will have a year of quality, not quantity, Ms. Wiltord said.

Although 2,500 people’s homes were destroyed by the storm, there has been an outpouring of assistance from the government of France (which oversees Martinique politically) and individuals from other countries, Ms. Wiltord said.

“We were very moved by the number of calls we received by people who wanted to know how to help Martinique,” she said.

Martinique Aimé Césaire International Airport reopened Aug. 18, the day after Dean passed through. The nonstop flight by Delta Air Lines Inc. started last December linking Atlanta to Fort-de-France, Martinique’s capital, had been on hold because of hurricane season.

The airline will resume the exclusive, once-a-week service on Dec. 15, just in time for the annual rush of tourists.

Martinique hosted about a half-million tourists last year, and Ms. Wiltord said the promotion bureau is planning to ramp up marketing efforts in the U.S. leading up to the high season. 

Among other attributes, the promotion bureau will emphasize Martinique’s blend of cultures and West African heritage, she said.