Nigel Jim van Buuren, 23 years old, just arrived in St. Maarten. He is currently busy earning his Bachelor’s in International Tourism Management and Consultancy at NHTV Breda, University of Applied Sciences. Nigel will be on St. Maarten for the next five months, completing his internship as the Eco-Label Coordinator for Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC). In collaboration with EPIC and the SHTA, Nigel will be overseeing existing Blue Flag and Green Key sites, as well as enticing and guiding other interested parties in obtaining the internationally acclaimed eco-labels.
Where are you from?
I am from Culemborg, The Netherlands. My family still lives there, including my grandmother, whom I miss as I usually visit her on a regular basis.
Tell us about your Bachelor’s
I am studying International Tourism Management and Consultancy at NHTV Breda, University of Applied Sciences. The study focuses on destination research, analysis and management. The idea is that you fully research an area, figure out the past and present tourism product, analyse, determine the future of the area pertaining to tourism, and how to use its resources to create, implement and market a new tourism product in the most effective way.
For example, last year a group of us travelled to Thailand for destination research. We predicted that due to circumstances in Russia, less Russian tourists would be visiting in the next few years, but that there would be an influx of tourists coming in from other Asian countries, such as China. Based on that, the destination can adapt its product to fit the tourism market, such as adding more and correct translations, marketing other Asian events, such as the Chinese New Year, adding staff who speak the appropriate languages and changing tours to specific cultural preferences.
How did you come across the internship for EPIC & the SHTA?
I was looking for something different, a destination I had not been to yet. Looking at the placement-list of my school St. Maarten caught my eye. I had not travelled yet to the Caribbean and I am always looking for a new experience. St. Maarten is also a hub for tourism, which is great for my field of study. Lastly I also wanted to do more in the field of sustainable tourism and focus on my environmental knowledge. So this placement was perfect! I am very happy to have this internship with EPIC and the SHTA.
What was your first impression of St. Maarten?
I had heard many stories already from friends who are from St. Maarten. They talked a lot about the easy-going lifestyle, parties and carnival on the island. I also knew St. Maarten from the spectacular plane landing videos on YouTube. Because I did a bit of research, I knew there was a lot of tourism, specifically cruise-ship tourism, though the density of traffic did surprise me nonetheless!
I was also surprised that even though the island is much Americanized, you still hear quite a bit of Dutch. Though there are many very pretty areas on the island, I also expected it to be greener and less developed; I was a bit disappointed to see the amount of plastic on the side of the roads. St. Maarten’s beaches, however, are the most amazing beaches I have seen in my life, and are hard to top anywhere in the world!
What will you be doing during your five-month internship?
A number of things, but I will mainly focus on the Blue Flag and Green Key eco-labels. Right now there are two existing Blue Flag locations on St. Maarten: Divi Little Bay and Isle de Sol Marina, and one Green Key location: Princess Heights. I will help these existing sites maintain their eco-label status and help them take their sustainability goals a step further.
I will also be working towards helping other sites gain these internationally recognized and prestigious labels. I will be working at the SHTA office, which will provide me with a good base and connections to the tourism industry here on the island.
Why are eco-labels important to have?
Having a high-quality international eco-label shows visitors to the island that the establishment is of good quality and works in a sustainable way. To gain an eco-label, especially the Blue Flag and Green Key, the establishment needs to meet certain strict criteria. This way the visitor knows what he or she can expect.
For example, if tourists choose to go to a Blue Flag beach, like Divi Little Bay, they know that there is regular water testing and there are clean bathroom facilities and safety measures put in place. If they go to another beach, without the eco-label, they do not know what to expect. This is a motive for many to go to a Blue Flag site.
More and more people are becoming sustainably minded. They see it as a bonus when an establishment has an eco-label. In The Netherlands it has got so far that without an eco-label, you can expect a lot less customers. People will choose not to go to your establishment if they see you do not have an eco-label. Thus I think putting more emphasis on sustainability and eco-labels in the St. Maarten tourism market is a very smart move.
What is your first impression of the tourism product on St. Maarten?
It is a bit superficial. Most visitors who come here are from the cruise ships. They only stay for a few hours and can only see certain areas of the island. When you visit a place for just a few hours, you do not have time to form a true connection with that destination. They shop, go to a beach or casino and walk through Philipsburg. It isn’t really a unique experience for them, and this tourism product they can also get on other islands. They don’t contribute anything besides a bit of money; they also do not form an attachment to our island.
Long-term tourists, however, besides spending more on accommodation, car-rentals and food, contribute in different ways. They do have the chance to see the island and get to know the environment and culture. They are more likely to create unique memories here, form an attachment and come back, instead of a cruise ship being the highlight and focal point of their vacation. That means they are also more likely to invest in our community.
I think St. Maarten should market their long-term tourism product more. If you focus on long-term tourism, you also would have to focus more on your unique environment, history and culture, instead of promoting duty-free shopping, generic tours and gambling. When that happens, people residing here would also see more value in maintaining, promoting and preserving their environment, history and culture. It would become a priority to clean up the landfill, practise good waste management, preserve heritage sites and take care of the beautiful environment and many remarkable cultures this island has to offer. This means that we do not only benefit economically from our tourism, but socially as well.
What is the benefit of preserving and promoting the environment, heritage and culture on St. Maarten?
Any other place in the Caribbean could offer beaches, duty free shopping and casinos, but no other place can market the distinctive environment, heritage or culture of St. Maarten. This will make St. Maarten’s tourism product more stable, protected and sustainable!
What are you looking forward to here on St. Maarten?
Exploring, getting to know new people, experiencing the culture, visiting all the beaches, the Heineken Regatta and of course Carnival! I do not think I will miss The Netherlands anytime soon; I love my time here so far!
Establishments who are interested in the Blue Flag or Green Key eco-labels can contact Nigel at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For more information surf to www.epicislands.org, www.blueflag.global or www.green-key.org.
