Dear Editor,
My wife and I have visited St. Maarten to vacation (at least once each year) for more than 23 years. We love the island and even visited in December 2017 to show our support and make a small contribution to the island's post-hurricane recovery. Our last visits were in December 2019 and again earlier this month, February 2020.
We have seen reasonably good recovery to restaurants and other facilities important to tourists on both the Dutch and French sides, but continue to be disappointed by the slow rebuilding of the island's most critical infrastructure, the airport.
Realizing that this rebuilding is a major and costly undertaking, it has now been nearly 2½ years since [Hurricane – Ed.] Irma, and only a small portion of the airport is open for the benefit of tourists, the island's lifeblood. In fact, as we were leaving 2 weeks ago, my wife and I heard a comment in the crowded departure area that another couple would not return because of the airport hassle, busing from/to the aircraft, etc.
We're not sure whether it is Dutch or French governments, insurance companies, or who is slowing this rebuilding, but for every week the airport is not back to full operation the island can expect to lose tourist business to other Caribbean islands.
Liz and Michael Petko
Charlotte, North Carolina
