Public safety is very important to any vacation spot, but especially for places like St. Maarten/St. Martin. Compared to many other destinations its guests tend to venture out more, rather than stay in their resorts.
This is clearly part of what makes the island so interesting for a holiday: Visitors are able to rent a vehicle and freely explore their surroundings or even do so on foot in tourist areas such as Cole Bay/Simpson Bay, Maho/Cupecoy and on Philipsburg’s Boardwalk Boulevard without being too worried about their personal safety.
Make no mistake, if that relatively secure feeling is ever lost it would be a huge blow to the tourism economy that provides for the livelihood of the entire population. In fact, one reason there was much concern within the local hospitality industry over the recent streets protests on the French side is that although guests had not been targeted, they were nevertheless affected by the barricaded roads, etc.
St. Maarten Hospitality Educational Institute is hosting a security seminar by renowned expert Aaron Westrick (see Saturday paper) at Divi Resort on Tuesday. Topics include crime, terrorism, bomb threats, infectious diseases and environmental calamities.
The facilitator is to share new approaches for dealing with these threats to both residents and visitors. Relevant stakeholders are urged to attend, because this is a crucial issue when it comes to ensuring a viable tourism product going forward.
The present local situation in this regard may be less alarming than elsewhere in the region, but what is good can always get better.
