Island under-performing
in tourism field, says Lee
PHILIPSBURG - St. Maarten is under performing in comparison with other tourism destinations in the Caribbean, outgoing St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) President Emil Lee said at the association's general meeting at Divi Little Bay Resort yesterday evening.
A new board was to be elected during the meeting. However, a quorum of two-thirds of the membership is needed for an election and this requirement was not met. As such the election was deferred for two weeks in accordance with the SHTA constitution.
Guest speaker at the meeting was the Bahamas Director General of Tourism Vincent Vanterpool-Wallace. Economic Affairs and Tourism Commissioner Theo Heyliger gave a state-of-the-industry overview.
The room occupancy rate for 2003 was tagged at 60 per cent, Lee stated, adding that this was not a complete picture of how the hotel sector was doing as the percentage included the timeshare resorts occupancy. With the timeshare component removed, the hotels have an occupancy rate of less than 40 per cent, he stated.
He said that, based on research he had conducted at the recently held ITB-Berlin trade show, Aruba hotels are enjoying a 90 per cent occupancy rate with their daily room rates in the summer (the low season) equivalent to St. Maarten's winter rates. "From this, the under-performance of St. Maarten is evident," Lee said.
It is critical that the visitors' expectation of what is being sold to them is backed up by the product they find, as their whole experience of the island is important to generate return visitors and further recommendations. "This means the hotel rooms, services, traffic, roads and the treatment they receive at the airport, every aspect of their visit."
As long as the hotels are forced to discount their rates to increase demand, the industry will only continue its downward spiral, he added.
However, all is not lost for the industry, as the carrying capacity study is in the final stages, the tourism master plan has received funding, the private-public partnership has been "better than ever" and several hotel properties have been improving their product, Lee commented.
The industry needs continued help, he continued, adding that all businesses benefited from tourism and they should actively contribute to the industry, with government acting as a facilitator via the structure of the National Tourism Organisation (NTO).
