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World Tourism Day Awards 2024 In St. Maarten

GREAT BAY, St. Maarten — Honor to Whom Honor is Due:For World Tourism Day 2024, eight individuals who have significantly contributed to the development of tourism on the island were honored by Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport, and Telecommunication Grisha Heyliger-Marten, along with the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau Read more

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Grisha Meets With Cma-Cgm Over Transshipment Issues

GREAT BAY, St. Maarten After reports that CMA CGM, a leading ocean freight company, decided to re-route its transshipment operations from Pointe Blanche to Guadeloupe, Minister Grisha Heyliger-Marten took action.

During her official trip to a yachting conference in Monaco, the St. Maarten government minister met with Jean-Baptiste Lumineau, Director of Finance and Infrastructure, at the companys headquarters in France Read more

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Min Heyliger-Marten Unannounced Visit To Small Businesswomen Avillion

GREAT BAY, St. Maarten Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication, Grisha Heyliger-Marten (3rd R), last week paid an unannounced visit to the small businesswomen housed temporarily at the Pavillion at the old Government Administration Building area while work on the Soualiga Market gets off the ground on Backstreet Read more

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Grisha Weighs In On Viral Taxi Driver Video, Invites Visitors Back To The Island

GREAT BAY, St. Maarten The video of an incident involving a taxi driver (Taxi 53) and some visitors, which went viral on several media platforms on Monday, September 2, 2024 was immediately brought to my attention, said Grisha Heyliger-Marten, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT).

I instructed the relevant departments of my Ministry to investigate the matter thoroughly Read more

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Groundbreaking For New Marketplace Next Week, Says Grisha

GREAT BAY, St. Maarten Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication, Grisha Heyliger-Marten, has announced that the groundbreaking for the new Marketplace will now be held here next week.

The ceremony was postponed due to the passage of Tropical Storm Ernesto on Tuesday.

The storm, which packed winds of about 60 mph, destroyed the tarpaulin covered stalls the vendors were using while waiting to be moved to a pavillion that was being erected at the location of the old Government Administration Building.

My heart really goes out to all the vendors affected by Tropical Storm Ernesto Read more

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Both Halves Of The Island To Establish Mou On Agriculture, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry

GREAT BAY, St. Maarten The administrations of both halves of the island are committed to establishing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Agriculture, Fisheries, and Animal Husbandry that will facilitate synchronization of policies, and enhance relationships while facilitating partnerships.

This was agreed upon when Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT), Grisha Heyliger-Marten met last week with Vice President of the Collectivity of St Read more

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Grisha Wants Gebe To Introduce Special Tariff For All Seniors

GREAT BAY, St. Maarten Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunication, Grisha Heyliger-Marten, wants GEBE to establish a special discounted electricity tariff for the islands senior citizens aged 60 and above.

Dubbed Tariff 60, the Minister has asked the utility company to review the current system in which some seniors benefit from reduced rates while others do not Read more

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Grisha Holds Talks With Edf On Net Metering

GREAT BAY, St. Maarten Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunication, Grisha Heyliger-Marten, recently held exploratory talks with lectricit de France (EDF), the utility company that provides electricity to the northern half of the island.

The discussions centered around net metering, the structure of EDF, current production demand/capacity for the North, interconnection standards, and the impact on feeding solar energy into the grid.

Other topics discussed included net metering rates and compensation structure for excess energy generation, inspection for system compliance, and the permit issuance process, said the minister.

EDF has implemented net metering in territories such as Guadeloupe and Martinique Read more

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Grisha, Real Estate Brokers Discuss Regulating Sector

GREAT BAY, St. Maarten With so many real estate agents operating in St. Maarten, there is need to regulate this sector of the economy, and Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunication, Grisha Heyliger-Marten drove this point home when she met recently with a group of real estate brokers.

It was agreed that a Real Estate Policy would be put in place to regulate the Real Estate Industry based on the following criteria: all eligible real estate companies must have aphysical officein St Read more

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Grisha Advocates Return To Previous System Of GovernmentTo Reduce Political Instability

GREAT BAY, St. Maarten Electoral reform should not only address the topic of integrity and so-called ship-jumping; it should first and foremost focus on what appears to be the main cause of political instability on all islands of the former Netherlands Antilles since 10-10-10. This is the opinion expressed recently by Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunication, Grisha Heyliger-Marten.

According to the minister, the main cause of political instability is the switch to a dualistic system of Government.

Before 10-10-10, with one or two exceptions, (coalition) Governments on the islands of the former Netherlands Antilles always lasted a full term of four years Read more

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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

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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.

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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