Overview of the St. Martin Tourism Office information kiosk on the Marigot waterfront that was inaugurated on Monday.
MARIGOT--St. Martin Tourism Office inaugurated its new information kiosk on the Marigot waterfront Monday morning with speeches and a ribbon cutting.
The kiosk is in an ideal location, adjacent to the ferry terminal in the heart of Marigot and the shopping district. It will be of great benefit to tourists and residents of both sides of the island.
The simple but beautifully designed building permits tourists to approach a window for information at the front and at the back of the building, giving Tourism Office staff a 360-degree view of passers-by.
The available space on the exterior has been landscaped into an aesthetically-pleasing area with freshly-laid green grass (literally that morning) where tourists can sit and enjoy a drink and study brochures.
Tourism Office Director Aida Weinum said in her opening remarks that an Internet connection will be available in a second phase.
St. Martin Tourism Office President Valérie Damaseau and President of the Collectivité Louis Mussington gave speeches, interrupted by repeated testing of the disaster-warning siren at Fort Louis, prompting Damaseau to joke, “At least we know it’s working.”
“There is no tourism product without its people, its culture and heritage,” she said in her remarks, while also thanking everyone involved in the project. “Strengthening relationships with our stakeholders, encouraging our people to create innovative businesses in the tourism field and continuing the awareness around tourism jobs, are all fundamental to a sustainable tourism product.”
Mussington said the kiosk complements the promotional work for the destination that is carried out by the Tourism Office on a continual basis.
“I want to remind everyone how important it is to play a role in welcoming visitors to the island and to make sure they have a wonderful stay,” he said. “This kiosk is an additional welcoming tool. Not only that, it is a means to highlight our cultural activities and traditions. I congratulate the Tourism Office on this project.”
Joining the Collectivité’s Territorial Council members and vice presidents were St. Maarten Tourism Bureau Director May Ling Chun and her staff. Tamilia Chance opened the ceremony with her renditions of “Oh Sweet St. Martin Land” and the “Marseillaise” national anthem.
The project was financed 100 per cent from European funding under regional development funds FEDER and Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and Territories of Europe REACT-EU for a cost of 201,739.90 euros.
