It was good to note that interest for the St. Maarten/St. Martin Annual Regional Trade-show (SMART) is on the rise again (see Wednesday newspaper) following a post-pandemic comeback edition last year. The event starting March 31 helps solidify the island’s leading tourism role in the Northeast Caribbean.
According to St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA), supplier and/or vendor participation is already secured from Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands (BVI), Dominica, St. Eustatius, Saba, Montserrat and St. Kitts. This means “buyers” like tour operators, travel agents and airlines will have plenty to choose from.
Hosting the gathering is also considered a boost to the hub function of Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA). This brings business to local ferry services, taxi drivers etcetera too.
There was an interesting related letter on Monday’s opinion pages by aviation professional Terrance Ray. He argued that with nearby destinations like Nevis, Anguilla, Tortola and Dominica developing their own air connections to the US, PJIA’s hub function will diminish.
There is undoubtedly logic to this reasoning, but for many islands in the area such direct flights are still limited, certainly from Europe and other parts of the world. PJIA has the advantage of frequent service to both Paris by Air France and Amsterdam by KLM.
The regular connection to Panama City with Copa Airlines provides important access to Central and South America as well. In that sense, “The Friendly Island” still holds a strong transit market position.
Take local carrier Winair, which has significantly expanded its route network to become a major player in the region and benefits from inter-island traffic. One would hope at least they know what they are doing.
