Today’s story on a joint marketing campaign with KLM is most welcome. For the first time in many years the airline’s return flights to Schiphol are direct and no longer via Curaçao, which obviously makes them a lot more attractive.
It’s therefore essential that the current non-stop service to and from Princess Juliana International Airport SXM proves a success, as part of efforts to attract additional visitors primarily from Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg (Benelux). Together with the flights of Dutch competitor TUI and Air France from Paris, sufficient airlift to better exploit the European market in any case appears to be in place.
St. Maarten’s upcoming presence at the Caribbean Travel Marketplace in the Bahamas reported on in this edition is also important. In a sense it’s regrettable that the intended Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) must still be appointed, while interim Minister Rafael Boasman has urgent pending matters on the island.
Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour VSA Emil Lee will now be doing the honours and – it should be noted – certainly has the necessary background. As former president of both the St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) that is hosting the gathering, he will undoubtedly be able to adequately represent the destination.
However, there was no word of the Dutch side’s attendance at the annual New York Times Travel Show held over the past weekend, where Curaçao planned to make quite a splash (see Saturday paper). Apparently it was too late for the recently installed new local government to do something about that, but they are planning to be at several similar events in the near future.
Nevertheless, the Northeastern seaboard of the USA, especially the so-called tri-state area, remains the island’s main source market, so it’s crucial to always keep the “eyes on the ball” in that region.
