GREAT BAY--While 25 students from St. Maarten began their studies in the Netherlands this week, none have opted for careers in tourism or hospitality-related fields. It should be noted that it is unclear if any of the students heading elsewhere other than the Netherlands have chosen to follow hospitality studies.
Not a single student in this yearโs cohort applied for study financing in areas such as hospitality management, culinary arts, hotel operations, or event planning. Instead, the list of approved studies leans heavily toward technology, health sciences, and business administration.
The absence of hospitality-focused studies raises several questions about generational shifts, economic perception, and long-term career planning among young St. Maarteners.
One possible explanation lies in the perceived instability and volatility of the tourism sector. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerability of tourism-dependent economies, especially in the Caribbean. For students seeking stable, adaptable, and high-demand career paths, fields like ICT, medicine, and finance may appear more future-proof.
Additionally, hospitality careersโdespite being central to the island's economyโare often associated with long hours, lower wages, and limited upward mobility compared to the tech, health, and finance sectors. Students may be seeking careers that offer global flexibility, digital relevance, and a broader impact beyond the island's borders.
This trend also points to a disconnect between national economic needs and educational aspirations. While tourism sustains the economy, it may not be inspiring students as a long-term career path. If this pattern continues, the country may face a shortage of qualified hospitality professionals in the future, further impacting service quality and local ownership within the industry.
The issue could also reflect a gap in career guidance at the secondary school level, where students may not be fully exposed to the range of innovative, leadership, and management opportunities within the tourism sector. It raises the question of whether hospitality is being presented merely as a frontline job or as a viable and rewarding professional career.
Another strong factor influencing studentsโ disinterest in hospitality-related studies is the lack of visible, high-level success stories within the industry that feature St. Maarteners. For many young people, career ambition is shaped by representation.
When they look at the hospitality sector on the island, what they often see are locals occupying entry-level or mid-tier roles, front desk staff, servers, housekeeping, not general managers, executive chefs, or directors of hotel operations. Many of argued that this absence of local faces in leadership positions sends a quiet but powerful message that career advancement in the industry is limited or inaccessible for them.
The danger is that this perception significantly impacts how students envision their future. Without clear examples of St. Maarteners reaching the top of the hospitality ladder, the sector feels less aspirational and more like a fallback option. As a result, students gravitate toward fields where they believe upward mobility is possible and where they can see themselves becoming decision-makers, innovators, or entrepreneurs.
The lack of representation in hospitality leadership, whether real or perceived, acts as a deterrent, one that must be addressed if the island wants to inspire the next generation to view the tourism industry as a viable and fulfilling long-term career.
If the hospitality industry is to remain viable and locally led, it may be time to rethink how it is marketed to young people. A modern, tech-integrated vision of tourism, one that connects with digital marketing, sustainability, AI-driven guest services, and experience design, could help reframe the sector in ways that appeal to the next generation.
Here are some practical suggestions the government of St. Maarten can consider to shift student perception and strengthen local participation in high-level hospitality careers:
1. ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐๐๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฆ
Offer targeted study financing or full scholarships specifically for hospitality management, hotel administration, and tourism innovation.
2. ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ญ-๐๐ซ๐๐๐ค ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐
Partner with hotels, restaurants, and tourism operators to create structured internship programs that give local students early exposure to executive roles, operations strategy, and back-of-house management, not just frontline service.
3. ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ
Actively promote and celebrate St. Maarteners who have achieved success in the hospitality and tourism sectors, both locally and abroad. These stories can be shared through school presentations, government media campaigns, and career days, helping students visualize a path to leadership.
4. ๐๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐จ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ
When issuing or renewing operating licenses for hotels, the government can require a local workforce development plan, including the promotion of St. Maarteners into supervisory and executive positions. This would help institutionalize career mobility for locals.
5. ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฉ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐๐ง๐ง๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ง๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ
Launch a government-supported incubator program that helps young people develop hospitality-related business ideas, such as tour operations, boutique lodging concepts, food and beverage services, or tourism tech solutions. This supports entrepreneurship and gives students a broader view of what hospitality careers can entail.
6. ๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก-๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ
Run a modern rebranding campaign, aimed at schools and young professionals, that reframes tourism not as a fallback, but as a dynamic sector involving technology, marketing, logistics, finance, sustainability, and global trends. Focus on the skills and creativity required to thrive in the industry.
7. ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐๐จ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐
Incorporate modules on tourism management, cultural heritage, guest experience design, and service innovation into secondary education, especially in vocational streams. This helps expose students early on to the business and strategy side of hospitality.
As it stands, the 2025 cohort of study financing recipients may be sending a subtle but important message: young people are looking to the future, and if tourism is to be part of that future, the industry must evolve in how it engages them.
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https://tribune-site.webflow.io//articles/despite-tourism-driven-economy-no-st-maarten-students-choose-hospitality-studies
