Above photo is from earlier this week on the beach at the start of Front Street. The person involved even said tourists were seen taking pictures of the mess.
This seems relevant considering the good news (see related story) that Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is increasing calls to Port St. Maarten. The company shared insights into its upcoming fleet expansion plans, including the debut of NCL Aqua just this month and highlighting a new class of vessels set to debut soon.
Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Grisha Heyliger-Marten expressed enthusiasm about the growth prospect, saying that the harbour’s role as a testing ground for NCL’s new initiatives presents a significant opportunity to boost the island’s cruise tourism sector.
Port St. Maarten CEO Alexander Gumbs noted that discussions had commenced during the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) conference hosted by St. Maarten in October 2024 and thereafter follow-up ongoing engagements with NCL have paved the way for this potential collaboration. He mentioned the economic benefits, citing current average passenger expenditures of US $161 and crew expenditures of $117.
Strategically this also fits within the framework of enhancing the off-season months between May and October while improving berth occupancy during the high season, particularly on Fridays through Mondays. Typically, Tuesdays through Thursdays are the busiest days during the high season.
However, the very welcome additional business in uncertain times can easily be undermined if guests are confronted with sights like the one above in Great Bay near the Philipsburg shopping area, but also elsewhere. The environment and nature are becoming increasingly important to a growing number of people who would probably rather not want to visit a dirty-looking and/or disorderly destination in the first place.
Attracting more ships is one thing, but it’s all about their visitor-experience.
