Port St. Maarten returns from Seatrade Europe | THE DAILY HERALD

Port St. Maarten representatives with an FCCA representative and FCCA President Michele Paige (second left) at Seatrade Europe.

 ~ Complimented on tourism product ~

 PHILIPSBURG–Port St. Maarten representatives recently returned from the Seatrade Europe Cruise and River Cruise Convention in Hamburg, Germany.

  Port St. Maarten said it continues to enjoy significant interest from its stakeholders in the country’s cruise product.

  “As I have stated before, St. Maarten has one of the closest relationships with the cruise industry. The destination has kept a proactive working relationship with the industry, and this has allowed it to maintain its competitive edge through this strategic partnership, which we expect to continue paying volumes as both the cruise industry and destination further improve.

  “The high guest satisfaction rating validates this, and because of its constant willingness to listen to industry input and constantly improve, St. Maarten should continue to reap benefits as the cruise industry continues to grow, with an additional hundreds of thousands of berths and tens of millions of passengers projected to sail [globally – Ed.] over the next eight years.

  “We are proud to have had St. Maarten as one of our 14 partners at the FCCA’s highly-trafficked pavilion for meetings and networking events at Seatrade Europe,” said Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) president Michele Paige.

  “We have taken serious note with respect to what the cruise industry is looking at and expecting from destinations. Every destination must have a vision. St. Maarten was complimented about its superior product.

  “However, we must not become complacent, but continue to boost the product experience in order to ensure we maintain our high rate levels of guests’ satisfaction.

  “Cruise lines are looking for authentic experiences based on the heritage and culture of a destination. Every island has a unique story and we need to focus on that and bring that forward.

  “An emphasis was also placed on sustainable tourism and how destinations should be more environmentally conscious. Destination St. Maarten offers a magical experience.

  “It is indeed a port to remember with award-winning cruise facilities. Once cruise passengers step ashore, St. Maarten is where your holiday experiences come alive and this has been emphasised in numerous cruise line customer satisfaction surveys,” Port St. Maarten said in a press release on Sunday.

  At Seatrade Europe, the French and Dutch sides presented a united front, said Port St. Maarten, adding that emphasis was placed on product enhancement and visitor experience.

  The cruise passenger destination experience score of 9.3 out of 10 is testament to the hard work and dedication from partners in the hospitality industry in St. Maarten, which has resulted in a welcome increase in positive reviews from cruise passengers, said Port St. Maarten.

  The cruise industry is continuing to build ships on an annual basis with orders up to 2027. The destination has maintained its competitive edge through continual research and development, strategic planning, and the key partnerships with the cruise industry, stakeholders and leading players, said the port, adding that it plans to extend the North cruise pier to be able to accommodate the new vessels that will be setting sail in the coming years.

  “There are approximately 100 new ships on order that will be built over the next 10 years, and berthing space will be needed to accommodate these vessels. They will need a place to go and as a port we have to put the necessary infrastructure in place to capitalise, but at the same time be cognisant of the destination’s carrying capacity,” Port St. Maarten said on Sunday.

  Port St. Maarten informed cruise line executives and stakeholders at Seatrade Europe about the new planned investment in a permanent homeporting structure, with the aim to be operational by 2021. Homeporting stakeholders were very enthusiastic after hearing the news, said the port.

  “Homeporting has been pursued over the years with success. With some of the best cruise facilities in the region, a number of boutique cruise lines with small luxury vessels of 100- to 500-passenger capacity have used the opportunity offered by Port St. Maarten as a home port base.

 “The destination financially benefits from homeporting during the pre- and post-stays. Between 20 to 25 per cent of homeporting passengers stay on the island before and after their cruise,” said the port.

  The Seatrade Europe conference was organised by Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH, in partnership with Seatrade (Informa Markets). The convention took place September 11-13.

Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/91119-port-st-maarten-returns-from-seatrade-europe

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