Ships in the St. Maarten harbour in January 2018.
PHILIPSBURG--Port St. Maarten is expected to be a buzz of activity in the coming months with 18 cruise calls expected as a result of homeporting from December 2021 to March 2022.
Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Minister Roger Lawrence said over the course of this week, discussions were held with Port St. Maarten and Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) as it relates to MSC cruise calls not only from a transit standpoint, but also homeporting.
“I am happy to report as it relates to the homeporting initiative, it has reached a very positive conclusion, whereby we are anticipating the homeporting calls from early December until March 2022,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
“We can expect a total of 18 calls to St. Maarten. The ships will operate at approximately 60 per cent capacity; 85 per cent is the current max capacity. If we quickly look at the average capacity, we can expect approximately an additional 54,000 visitors to St. Maarten from this home port.”
Also, from a destination standpoint, homeporting will increase our destination growth by adding flights and stay- over accommodations. This will positively impact the hospitality industry such as hoteliers, transportation and restaurants. I commend both Port St. Maarten and PJIA for their collaboration. This is a significant step towards our recovery process,” the minister said.
