Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
As predicted, for the second year in a row St. Maarten isn't represented at the Vacation Fair taking place in Utrecht (see related story). It's arguably the largest annual hospitality trade show in the Netherlands, where the Dutch side no longer has any official tourism representation.
That Curaçao is a co-host on this occasion along with Spain makes the continued absence of "The Friendly Island" even more conspicuous. It is also being felt by nearby St. Eustatius and Saba.
Those who don't care about the latter should think again. An important part of local government-owned airline Winair's business is flying passengers from SXM Princess Juliana International Airport to those two islands.
Besides, attracting more visitors from Europe should be a major goal for the Windward Islands as a whole. It's therefore highly regrettable that this opportunity to do so together was lost once again.
Uncertainty regarding the recent government change in Philipsburg could have played a role, but certainly not regarding the prior edition in early 2014. The promotion contract with Interreps was ended prematurely by then-Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Ted Richardson in October 2013 due to a "change in philosophy," but he later withdrew this decision.
However, the two-year agreement that ended on June 30, 2014, was not renewed and nothing tangible has replaced the agency. One could argue that Richardson's successor as minister, Claret Connor, ought to be given the chance to tackle this problem, but competitors aren't sitting still.
The ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao) have been very successful in tapping the growing Benelux market and there is no reason St. Maarten can't get a bigger piece of that pie. However, it takes a consistent effort and applying the necessary means, and staying away from such events important to "creating a presence" obviously doesn't help.
The long-talked-about St. Maarten Tourism Authority (STA) that recently held its first meeting must waste no time in remedying the current situation once the proper marketing funding is secured. This absolutely has to be the last Vacation Fair the destination has missed.
