Guadeloupe fights uphill battle to attract tourists

Image via WikipediaThe LA Times But despite aerobatic pelicans, 2010 was a bad year for Guadeloupe, one of France's four overseas regions with some 405,000 people.

During a brief visit earlier this year to Guadeloupe and its neighbor Martinique, French President Nicholas Sarkozy unveiled a plan to lure more foreign, and French, visitors to their sun-soaked beaches and other attractions.

"Tourism is obviously vital for your development," Sarkozy said in Martinique, adding that France would help the region but only if there were matching local efforts on the islands to improve the situation.