Claims that St. Maarten was fast losing its appeal as a yachting destination appear to have been exaggerated, at least for now (see related story). Although not as busy as the year before, 2016 is said to have been fairly strong and among the best in the past five years.
The current year seems to have picked up well after a slow start, as most marinas are full or near capacity. In addition, a possible trend towards a slightly longer season with a less dramatic January peak is noted.
This is all reasonably good news for the marine sector, which along with cruise and stay-over tourism has become one of the three main pillars of the local tourism economy. Apart from that, the sight of so many often impressive vessels makes the destination that much more attractive.
However, there are new facilities being built in the region, creating other options. Therefore, it is important to remain competitive in both quality and cost of service, as well as overall experience.
The way bridge fees are charged by Simpson Bay Lagoon Corporation (SLAC) continues to be an issue mostly for smaller boats, most of which are now concentrated on the French side of the inlet. The prevailing wisdom is that focussing only on the wealthy is usually not a preferred business model based on the sheer numbers, so it behoves St. Maarten to keep a close eye on this development and see what action can still be taken to address the problem before the current policy becomes altogether counterproductive, also in terms of revenues.
