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From left: Finance Minister Marinka Gumbs, TEATT Minister Grisha Heyliger-Marten, Chairperson of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams and Member of Parliament Viren Kotai.

 PHILIPSBURG--The decision on whether St Read more

GovT Asks Pjiae To Pay Overdue Passenger Security Fees Enacted By Law Since 2019

GREAT BAY The Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport, and Telecommunication (TEATT), Grisha Heyliger-Marten, has requested the Princess Juliana International Airport operating company (PJIAE), to make overdue payments to government derived from the security fee of one dollar per passenger, established by law since 2019 as a critical financial support to enhance the Ministrys civil aviation activities.

Heyliger-Marten explained the importance of this fee when she said: The contributions from the security fee are vital for our civil aviation activities, which ensure the safety and security of our airport operations.

Besides, achieving Category 1 status is a top priority, and continued support from PJIAE, which will also benefit from it, is essential to realizing this goal.

According to the Minister, previous administrations were apparently preoccupied with introducing other levies that threatened to cripple the economy Read more

Grisha Not In Favor Of Contract Renewal For Airport Ceo

GREAT BAY Under no circumstances should the contract of the current Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Princess Juliana International Airport operating company (PJIAE), Brian Mingo, be renewed when it expires in December. That is the position of Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunication, Grisha Heyliger-Marten, as expressed in a letter dated July 4, 2024, to the Managing Director of the airport holding company (PJIAH), Perry Wilson.

The letter was an acknowledgement of a correspondence of June 20, 2024, from PJIAH giving detailed answers to questions the Minister had posed regarding the airport.

FILE PHOTO !!!!

Further to your response, Minister Heyliger-Marten wrote, I would like to clarify my position regarding the upcoming transition in leadership Read more

Grisha Floats Idea Of City Manager For Town With Ima

TEATT Minister Grisha Heyliger-Marten (right) with members of the Indian Merchants Association last week.

 PHILIPSBURG--The possible introduction of a City Manager to develop strategies aimed at attracting not only residents and cruise visitors to Philipsburg, but also stop-over and stay-over guests was discussed recently.

A City Manager was one of the proposed strategies for improving the tourist product, which Grisha Heyliger-Marten, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT), discussed with an Indian Merchants Association (IMA) delegation at a meeting last week.

The Minister outlined the actions already taken to enhance the Marketplace and improve the product and visitor experience in town and other parts of the island, and plans for the beautification of St Read more

Minister Of Teatt Floats Idea Of City Manager With Indian Merchants Association

GREAT BAY The possible introduction of a City Manager to develop strategies aimed at attracting not only residents and cruise visitors to Philipsburg but also stop-over or stay-over guests was discussed recently.

A City Manager was one of the proposed strategies for improving the tourist product, which Hon. Grisha Heyliger-Marten, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunication (TEATT), discussed with a delegation of the Indian Merchants Association (IMA) at a meeting last week.

The Minister outlined the actions already taken to enhance the Marketplace and improve the product and visitor experience in town and other parts of the island, and plans for the beautification of St Read more

Air Canada Increases Flights To St. Maarten

GREAT BAY Air Canada has announced a new Montreal St. Maarten flight and a doubling of its existing twice weekly Toronto Pearson (YYZ), starting November 17, 2024.

Flight AC 1362, will leave Montreal (YUL) for St. Maarten at 10:15 am and arrive here at 3:55 pm, while the return flight AC1363 will depart St. Maarten at 4:55 pm to arrive Montreal at 8:55 pm. This new flight will use the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft with a seating capacity of 169, out of which 16 are business class.

This is good news for us, said Grisha Heyliger-Marten, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunication (TEATT), who welcomed the announcement as a positive sign for what can be expected in terms of stay-over passengers in the coming high season.

The expansion means that Air Canada will operate five (5) flights to the island, the new Montreal route (on Sunday) and the Toronto route, which has been expanded to four, on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, as per Air Canadas 2024/2025 winter schedule.

In spite of the constraints regarding availability of aircraft, Air Canadas performance evaluation has led to identifying potential room for growth into SXM.

Although this is seasonal, we are going to do all within our power to ensure that the flights remain at the same levels beyond the winter season, Minister Heyliger-Marten said.

The post Air Canada Increases Flights to St Read more

Grisha Steps In To Aid Winair Increase Flights To CuracaoAmid Jetair Bankruptcy Impact

GREAT BAY Hundreds of passengers who were bound for St. Maarten are currently stranded in Curaao, because of the unexpected bankruptcy of JetAir, which was to fly them to Princess Juliana International Airport.

There are also numerous travelers in St. Maarten eager to visit family and friends in Curaao who have been affected by the demise of JetAir.

Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication, Grisha Heyliger-Marten swung into immediate action upon receiving information from the CEO of WINAIR regarding a critical situation affecting air travel between St Read more

Grisha Discusses Product Enhancement With Shta

TEATT Minister Grisha Heyliger-Marten (fourth right), flanked by SHTA Executive Board members.

PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication, Grisha Heyliger-Marten met with the Executive Board of St Read more

Teatt Minister Says Port St. Maarten Efficiency Directly Linked To Food Security

GREAT BAY The islands heavy dependence on food importation makes port efficiency directly linked to food security, said TEATT Minister Grisha Heyliger-Marten.

At a meeting last Friday, the Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunication (TEATT), told Alex Gumbs, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Port St Read more

A Robust Maintenance Program Needed At Cargo Facility, Says Grisha

GREAT BAY Hon. Grisha Heyliger-Marten, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunication (TEATT) and the Port St. Maarten Group of Companies have agreed on the necessity to implement a robust maintenance program at the Cargo facility to enhance operational efficiency, safety, and cost management.

At a meeting held recently, the port made a commitment to prioritize the issue of maintenance and will work closely with the Ministry of TEATT to ensure that its operations align with St Read more

Power Barge Too Expensive, No Longer Being Considered

Caretaker Prime Minister Dr. Luc Merclina (centre) flanked by Ministers Veronica Jansen-Webster (left) and Grisha Heyliger-Marten (right).

~ Containerised energ Read more

Teatt Minister Holds Strategy Meeting To Coordinate Fcca Conference

GREAT BAY The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) will be celebrating its 35th anniversary with a conference, hosted by St. Maarten from October 21 to 25, 2024. The conference is expected to attract between 800 and 900 participants.

Noting that some stakeholders like the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA), were unaware of this conference until recently, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunication, Grisha Heyliger-Marten held a strategic planning meeting Friday with representatives of Port St Read more

Grisha Discusses Product Enhancement With Shta Executive Board

GREAT BAY Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunications, Grisha Heyliger-Marten met with the Executive Board of the St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) on Friday, June 14, 2024.

During the meeting, part of the ministers continued efforts to engage all stakeholders in her plans to revitalize the islands economy, she outlined her primary goals, focusing on product enhancement and beautification efforts to improve St Read more

Canada Travel Advisory Said No Cause For Panic

Grisha Heyliger-Marten

PHILIPSBURG--The Government of Canada has advised its citizens travelling to

St. Maarten to expect nationwide power outages. However, its colour-coded risk level still gave St. Maarten, a green status, which means travellers should exercise normal security precautions.

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Grisha Says Canada Travel Advisory No Cause To Panic

GREAT BAY The Government of Canada has advised its citizens traveling to St. Maarten to expect nationwide power outages. However, in its color-coded risk level travel advisory, it still gave St. Maarten, a Green status, which means that travelers should Exercise normal security precautions.

Commenting on the advisory, Grisha Heyliger-Marten, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunication (TEATT), noted that Green is the lowest risk level and indicates that the country is still safe for travel.

There is no cause to panic, Heyliger-Marten said Read more

Grisha Welcomes Frontier Airlines From San Juan, Puerto Rico, To Sxm

PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT), Grisha Heyliger-Marten welcomed Frontier Airlines from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Princess Juliana International Airport on its maiden flight 244 Monday afternoon.

Read more

Grisha Welcomes Frontier Airlines From San Juan, Puerto Rico To Sxm

GREAT BAY Hon. Grisha Heyliger-Marten, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunication (TEATT), welcomed Frontier Airlines from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Princess Juliana Intl. Airport on its maiden flight 244 Monday afternoon.

This flight marks a new frontier for us in our efforts to expand our airlift and connectivity, the minister said in her welcoming address.

The San Juan route, she continued, was once the gateway especially to the US for us Read more

Grisha Announces Return Of Air Caraibes From Orly, Paris To Sxm In December

GREAT BAY Starting from December 6, 2024, Air Caraibes, with its state-of-the-art Airbus A330-200, will launch a new direct service from Orly Airport (ORY) to Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM), said TEATT Minister Grisha Heyliger-Marten on Monday.

The Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunication (TEATT) also said that Air Caraibes is offering a limited-time special promotional fare of 640 to celebrate the inauguration of the new route Read more

Members Of Com Attend 57ThAnniversary Of The Anguilla Revolution

GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) Members of the Council of Ministers (CoM) namely Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor Veronica Jansen Webster, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication Grisha Heyliger Marten, and Minister of Justice Lyndon Lewis, were in Anguilla on Thursday, May 30, 2024, for Anguilla Day at the invitation of Premier Dr Read more

Airport Reconstruction To Be Completed By October, Pjiae Tells Minister Of Teatt

GREAT BAY The reconstruction of the Terminal Building at Princess Juliana International Airport will be completed by this October, management of the airport assured Grisha Heyliger-Marten, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunication when she toured the facilities on Friday.

In her discussions with the airport management (PJIAE) team, the minister emphasized the critical importance of completing the terminal building which has been ongoing for the last seven years.

This project is vital not only for the residents of St Read more

Grisha Commends Organizers Of Pazzazz Sxm Experience

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport & Telecommunication, Grisha Heyliger-Marten, expressed heartfelt appreciation to both organizers and attendees of the recent Pazzazz SXM Experience. This dazzling event, held over the weekend, highlighted the island’s rich cultural tapestry and warm hospitality, creating unforgettable memories for all participants. During a signature moment of the festivities, Heyliger-Marten told the jubilant crowd, “Our island is a captivating blend of cultures, offering a unique fusion of European elegance and Caribbean vibrancy Read more

I Will Not Pay Lip Service To Agriculture, Says Grisha

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten We have treated agriculture like a bastard child, said Grisha Heyliger-Marten, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications. In her inaugural address last Friday, the minister said, The COVID-19 pandemic showed us how vulnerable we are when we depend almost exclusively on imported food to feed ourselves. I am announcing now that agriculture will receive the attention it deserves Read more

Grisha To Have Quick Scan Of Teatt, Says Economy Far From Its Best Shape

GREAT BAY Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT), Grisha Heyliger-Marten, has signaled that she will have a quick scan done to give a more realistic picture of what our current (economic) situation actually is.

In her inaugural address Friday, May 3, 2024, the new TEATT minister, the 12th since 2010, said, it does not take a rocket scientist to see that our economy is far from its best shape.

True, we have faced some unprecedented challenges in the last decade, including the incredible devastation caused by Hurricane Irma in 2017 and the global shutdown brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 Read more

Grisha Hears Market Vendors Concerns Over New Marketplace

GREAT BAY Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication, Grisha Heyliger-Marten, met Friday, May 10, 2024, with market vendors to hear their concerns about the proposed new marketplace.

The market project had already been awarded to J&J Construction for a total of Nafl 1.2 million, however many of the market vendors were not satisfied with the design.

During the meeting, the vendors highlighted the lack of storage facility for their wares, as well as the need for better lighting, bathrooms, and security Read more