Enjoy with care
Following recent reports that the small hotels in St. Maarten on the whole did well during the high season, news that the much-feared US passport requirements do not appear to have had a major negative impact on local tourism is most welcome. It also shows that any problem can be addressed, if one prepares and takes aggressive action to mitigate the consequences, as was obviously the case here.
Like the hotels, the timeshare sector, by far the largest part of stay-over accommodations on the Dutch side, is reporting good numbers, with the current occupancy at 87 per cent.
That the high season is ending does not mean it is time to lie back and relax, because whatever can still be done to bring more guests during the traditionally slow season will help get the island through “the long hot summer.”
In addition, marketing for the next high season should start in the coming months to be effective, so there is time for tour operators, airlines and resorts to prepare and do what they have to do to make it work. Hopefully the sixth St. Maarten/St. Martin Annual Regional Tradeshow (SMART) May 9-11 at the brand-new Westin, with 25 US travel agents, 45 suppliers and 22 buyers already registered, will offer an effective platform to market St. Maarten and surrounding islands.
At the moment the Dutch side is as busy as ever, as people from especially the region flock to the island to celebrate the long Carnival weekend. We wish residents and visitors alike a good time, but at the same time remind them to keep it clean: Don’t drink and drive, avoid trouble, and remember that a moment of pleasure in the case of unprotected sex can lead to a lifetime of problems and even death.
By all means enjoy, but for your own sake and that of others, do so with care.
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