Pointe-a-Pitre (Grande-Terre Island Guadeloupe)

Pointe-a-Pitre is Guadeloupe's largest city and main seaport. The port is located in a natural harbor on Grande-Terre Island's south-central coast, Guadeloupe is one of France's dependencies (overseas territories) in Leeward Islands (Caribbean Sea, part of Lesser Antilles). The city has population around 17,000 and covers an area of approx 2,7 km2 (1 mi2).

Guadeloupe's other cruise port is Deshaies (Basse-Terre Island). Pointe-a-Pitre is not the country's administrative capital (capital city is Basse-Terre, located to the southwest), it is Guadeloupe's economic capital and largest city (metro population around 315,000). Guadeloupe's main airport (Pointe-a-Pitre International Airport) is approx 3 km (2 mi) north of downtown.

Pointe-a-Pitre is a duty-free port and among the Caribbean's best cruise ports for shopping. The largest shops are on the main streets, but there are also many smaller shops selling unique merchandise including souvenirs and collectibles). The city has many shops selling France-imported goods, including wines, designer clothes, brand fashions, perfumes, jewelry, cosmetics. Smaller tourist shops sell local handicrafts, wood carvings, shell jewelry, pottery, cloth dolls.

The main port (Port de Jarry) is located across Bay of Cul-de-Sac Marin (Baie-Mahault) and has one of the Eastern Caribbean's largest container terminals (total quay length 600 m / 1970 ft). Guadeloupe's main exports are food crops (cocoa, coffee, sugar, bananas), animal products (milk, yogurt, beef) and manufactured goods (textiles, medicines, refined petroleum).

By annual passenger traffic (statistical data 2019), the Caribbean's top-10 largest airports are:

1. Luis Munoz Marin Airport/aka Isla Verde (San Juan Puerto Rico) with ~9,5 million pax
2. Punta Cana Airport (Punta Cana Dominicana) with ~7,2 million pax
3. Jose Marti Airport (Havana Cuba) with 5,7+ million pax
4. Sangster Airport (Montego Bay Jamaica) with ~4,8 million pax
5. Lynden Pindling Airport (Nassau Bahamas) with ~4,1 million pax
6. Las Americas Airport (Santo Domingo Dominicana) with ~4 million pax
7. Piarco Airport (Port-of-Spain Trinidad) with 2,8+ million pax
8. Queen Beatrix Airport (Oranjestad Aruba) with 2,5+ million pax
9. Pointe-a-Pitre Airport (Pointe-a-Pitre Guadeloupe) with ~2,5 million pax
10. Grantley Adams Airport (Bridgetown Barbados) with ~2,3 million pax

This explains why these port cities are used as seasonal turnaround ports for homeporting (roundtrip itineraries) by many major cruise companies with ship deployments in the Caribbean.

Pointe-a-Pitre cruise terminal