TEATT Minister Grisha Heyliger-Marten (left) with St. Maarten Tourism Bureau Director May-Ling Chun (right) at the SMART opening party. (Robert Luckock photo)
SIMPSON BAY--Cocktails, canapés and entertainment were the order of the evening at the welcome party for the seventeenth edition of the St. Maarten/St. Martin Annual Regional Tradeshow (SMART) at Simpson Bay Resort and Marina last night ahead of the main business for delegates starting today at Sonesta Maho Beach Resort, Casino and Spa.
Delegates enjoying the SMART 2025 welcome party at Simpson Bay Resort and Marina last night. (Robert Luckock photo)
St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) Executive Director Wyb Meijer said in his welcome remarks that this year’s edition of SMART has grown into the largest tourism trade show of the northeastern Caribbean.
The event provides space for local businesses to meet, introduce themselves to foreign and domestic representatives of the main economic pillar, tourism, and create mutual opportunities from there.
SMART 2025 is holding the largest buyer and walk-around delegations of the series to date. All “supplier” and “vendor” booths have been filled this year.
SMART 2025 delegates have come from Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Argentina, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Colombia, Curaçao, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat, the Netherlands, Panama, Poland, Puerto Rico, Saba, Spain, Statia, St. Barths, St. Kitts, Dutch St. Maarten, French St. Martin, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States.
Other brief welcome remarks came from Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Grisha Heyliger-Marten, St. Maarten Tourism Bureau Director May-Ling Chun and, representing French Saint-Martin Tourism Office, Bernadette Venthou-Dumaine who said, “For the next four days, the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort becomes the crossroads of the Caribbean where hotel groups, tour operators, travel writers and event planners from across the Americas, Europe and the region meet to build the future of tourism.
“With sustainability, innovation, and experience at the core of our strategy, SMART is more than a marketplace, it’s a catalyst for bold ideas, long-term partnerships and unforgettable journeys.”
The evening opened with the national anthem sung by Lillah Duzon Hazel, SHTA’s Cultural Icon 2025. Stilt-walkers and dancers from Funtopia also performed. The conference room was bathed in blue light in keeping with the dress code of blue or white attire. A fireworks display was also scheduled.
Contributors to the event include Sightseeing Tours (SST), Sonesta Maho Beach Resort Casino and Spa, Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA), Show Me Caribbean, Expedia Group, Majestik Group, WINAIR, Port St. Maarten, Booking Success, CC1 St. Maarten, Auto Bev Systems, Flow Business, Only On SXM, Ketel One, Joel Gott Wines and Carib Lager. Anguilla and Saba both support the event too with a brand-new fifth “meet the neighbours day”.
