PHILIPSBURG--As of today, passengers arriving from the United States of America (USA) and Canada can use all FDA-approved rapid antigen tests for travel to St Maarten. This includes those antigen tests with Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA), but not “at home tests”.
A press release issued by Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Ludmila de Weever on Tuesday night stated that after consultation and approval of Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor Richard Panneflek, she was “very happy to announce a move that will surely assist in increasing our tourist numbers and airline load factors.”
With this change in entry requirements, the minister expects to see increased stayover arrivals and economic activity, as well as the continuation of an improved relationship with one of larger carriers.
She said, “This is a huge boost to our tourism sector and that confidence in our island is demonstrated even more when we see expansion of our airline service routes, such as the announcement by American Airlines for the service between Dallas-Fort Worth and St Maarten to commence in June 2021.”
This demonstrates that demand for travel to Latin America and the Caribbean is still high despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, stated De Weever. The non-stop flight will run on Saturdays from June 5 until August 14, 2021.
St. Maarten Tourism Bureau (STB) and Princess Juliana International Airport representatives started the discussion about the possible seasonal route in 2019 and the ministry is thrilled to see it come to fruition.
