Dear Editor.
We have been coming to St. Maarten/St. Martin for about 16 years and we’re writing because we want to see the island succeed and continue getting stronger. Thank you for publishing “Of National Interest,” an editorial drawing attention to the exceedingly long time that it took for visiting passengers to get through airport Immigration last week.
We were in that crowd at the airport that your paper photographed last Friday afternoon. The line wound from the tarmac and around the building, stacked eight deep in a rope line slowly snaking toward only three Immigration booths that were available in a small, unwelcoming space inside. Each booth had two officers each, and one of the booths was devoted to residents until all were moved through. There were no welcoming or informational signs or explanations for the delay.
For us, the process took one hour and 20 minutes. We know the Princess Juliana Airport and The Friendly Island can do better than this because we were here four months after Hurricane Irma. Devastation in the formerly beautiful roof-damaged airport was worse at that time, but arriving and departing passengers were moved through separate large tents with relative efficiency. Last Friday, the airport arrival situation was off-putting, especially for new visitors, and it is disappointing to read that it is not an unusual occurrence.
Another concern that needs to be addressed: Lack of lighting at night on the beachside boardwalk. Nothing bad has ever happened to us on the beach, even before the boardwalk was built and extended around the bend toward the boat docks. But for new visitors, the lack of lighting deters people from visiting restaurants – some of which have closed, unfortunately, in recent months. In our state, Michigan, our current governor won the election by promising to “Fix the damn roads!” I hope that voters in the next snap election will find and support new leaders who will “Fix the damn lights!” This should not be difficult or expensive to do.
While we’re on the subject of making visitors feel welcome – what’s with the wrecked vehicles, trucks, and now a dilapidated green passenger airplane fuselage on the walking path from the cruise ship dock? Bobby’s Marina, we’re looking at you. Please get rid of the wrecks, fix the fence, and clean up the walking path a bit. First impressions matter.
St. Maarten/St. Martin is now competing with large island parks, such as Labadie (Haiti) and Perfect Day at Coco Cay (Bahamas), built by international cruise companies with Oasis class ships. Those experiences are fun too, but this island has hills, varied beaches, wonderful restaurants, shops, two unique national cultures and other attractions that the other islands do not have. Some creative island promotion and signs directing people to things like the two new zip lines and other attractions would help immensely.
We are very pleased to see all the progress that has been made since Hurricane Irma. And it was good to see the St. Maarten/St. Martin Day parade down Front Street, the 12 Metre Regatta racing with three boats again, fresh paint everywhere, new shops and even the yellow classic car replacing the Irma-smashed one that was sitting in the middle of Old Street last time we were here. Please continue the progress, St. Maarten/St. Martin – our Land of Sun & Sailboats. We love you and will be back again soon.
Elaine and Terry Donnelly,
Livonia, Michigan, USA
