GREAT BAY--The St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA) has introduced a new digital resource called the BuyerBook, designed to enhance the island’s tourism economy and provide members with continuous access to valuable business contacts.
The BuyerBook gives SHTA members 24/7 access to contacts established through trade shows and business meetings. It is part of SHTA’s broader effort to stimulate St. Maarten’s tourism sector, which continues to recover toward its record performance of 2016–2017, as measured in hotel room nights.
While the 2024/2025 tourism season recorded year-over-year growth, SHTA notes that significant capacity remains underutilized, particularly during the low season between June and November. The BuyerBook contains contacts relevant not only to the island’s stayover industry, experiences, and restaurants, but also to members active in the aviation and cruise sectors. The association expects the BuyerBook to expand annually with new agents, buyers, and online travel agencies (OTAs).
The new database complements the Online Travel Agent Index (OTA Index) launched in 2024. That tool provides smaller hotels, activity providers, restaurants, and shops with easy access to more than 300 online platforms, mostly commission-based and requiring no upfront investment, to promote the St. Maarten product globally.
Together, the BuyerBook and OTA Index are expected to strengthen collaboration and visibility across St. Maarten’s tourism industry. By guiding users through digital enrollment routes and providing contact access, both tools enable smaller tourism businesses to grow their client base without attending international trade shows or summits, events that are often expensive and time-consuming for small and medium-sized enterprises.
SHTA also highlighted that due to ongoing labor market constraints, many smaller operators and restaurants cannot leave their businesses unattended for extended periods. The BuyerBook offers these companies a practical, affordable alternative to build connections and attract new business from international markets.
In addition to travel agents and tourism buyers, SHTA members will gain access to a growing pool of travel media contacts and digital innovations through the BuyerBook, resources aimed at boosting visibility, sales, and competitiveness across St. Maarten’s tourism sector.
https://tribune-site.webflow.io//articles/shta-buyerbook-to-strengthen-st-maartens-tourism-network
