GREAT BAY--Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication Grisha Heyliger-Marten says St. Maarten’s Cg 3.785 million strategic tourism marketing budget is expected to protect the country’s existing tourism economy while potentially generating hundreds of millions of guilders in additional visitor spending.
If the government’s 17 percent visitor-growth performance target is achieved, this would represent approximately 145,000 additional stay-over visitors compared with 2025. Using conservative assumptions for length of stay, accommodation use and visitor expenditure, the Ministry estimates this could translate into approximately Cg 225 million to Cg 350 million in additional direct visitor spending.
That would amount to approximately Cg 60 to Cg 90 in visitor spending for every guilder invested in strategic tourism marketing, depending on factors such as market mix, length of stay, room rates and travel behavior.
The Minister stressed that the return on tourism marketing should not be measured solely through arrivals. Government intends to examine room nights, hotel occupancy, average daily rates, visitor expenditure, room tax, turnover tax, airline load factors, cruise activity and employment supported by tourism.
Higher tourism activity is expected to feed government revenues through room tax and turnover tax while supporting employment across hotels, restaurants, taxis, tour companies, airport services, security, cleaning, entertainment, construction and small businesses.
While the 17 percent increase remains a headline performance indicator, the Ministry also provided more conservative planning expectations for 2026.
Based on current recovery trends, increased airlift, digital marketing, online travel agency campaigns, public relations, events and niche tourism development, government believes St. Maarten can realistically achieve 8 to 12 percent growth in stay-over arrivals and 5 to 8 percent growth in cruise arrivals during 2026.
The Ministry is aiming for a 3 to 5 percent improvement in average daily visitor expenditure, with the objective of moving spending closer to or above the 2024 benchmark of US $197.12 for air passengers and US $120.81 for cruise passengers.
The Minister cautioned against drawing firm conclusions from lower average daily expenditure recorded in the 2025 Tourism Exit Survey because only two surveys were conducted that year due to budget constraints, compared with four in 2024.
Focus shifting toward higher-value tourism
Heyliger-Marten said government’s long-term objective is to position St. Maarten as a high-value, year-round and experience-driven destination, rather than measuring success only by the number of people arriving.
The strategy is intended to increase visitor spending, improve destination management, expand airlift and market access, support local businesses and ensure that tourism’s economic benefits reach a wider section of the community.
Government sees St. Maarten’s competitive advantage in its combination of accessibility, culture, dining, events, shopping, nightlife, sailing, yachting and the experience of two cultures on one island.
Priority tourism niches will include culinary tourism, festivals, sports, meetings and conferences, yachting and cultural tourism, together with continued investment in infrastructure, beautification and digital marketing.
Government said tourism performance will increasingly be judged by visitor spending, longer stays, room and turnover tax contributions, repeat visitation, airline performance, employment and participation of local entrepreneurs.
U.S., Canada and Europe remain key markets
St. Maarten’s primary marketing markets remain the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Europe, with selective attention to Latin America and other emerging markets where airlift and demand support expansion.
The United States remains the country’s largest stay-over source market and will continue to be targeted through digital advertising, public relations, online travel agencies, airline partnerships and travel trade engagement.
European marketing will include the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy and surrounding markets, while Canada remains important for winter demand and its repeat-visitor profile. The Caribbean market will continue to be targeted for events, shopping, medical travel, cultural visits and short stays.
Campaign messaging will continue to promote beaches, cuisine, nightlife, culture, events, shopping, sailing, wellness, family travel, romance, luxury experiences and St. Maarten’s dual-nation character.
Updated Tourism Master Plan to include carrying-capacity study
The Minister also confirmed that the updated Tourism Master Plan will include measurable implementation timelines, annual reporting requirements and defined performance indicators.
It will cover luxury, culinary, wellness and eco-tourism, together with other established and emerging areas of the tourism economy.
The development process will include structured consultation with the tourism industry, business community, civil society and the general public.
A separate carrying-capacity study will be conducted alongside the Master Plan to assess beaches, cruise tourism and other tourism assets and determine sustainable visitor thresholds.
The results will be incorporated into the wider tourism strategy to ensure future growth takes account of environmental, social and infrastructure limitations.
Government also expects the Tourism Authority, once established, to produce regular performance reports, including annual reporting on the return on investment from tourism marketing campaigns.
Marketing far exceeds product-development spending
The Budget allocates approximately Cg 3.7 million to tourism marketing compared with Cg 295,000 for product development.
STB currently operates with three marketing officers, one promotional officer and one Section Head Marketing, resulting in significant reliance on external marketing agencies to maintain St. Maarten’s presence in its major source markets.
The Ministry said destination marketing remains one of the fastest tools available to St. Maarten to stimulate demand, but product development will also continue in 2026.
Among the planned initiatives are continued rollout of interactive tourist information kiosks and the self-service visitor map in Philipsburg, additional destination signage, further development of sailing and yachting experiences, community-based and heritage tourism, the Tourism Pioneers initiative and continuation of Tourism Awareness in Schools.
A Tourism Ambassador Program is also expected to launch in 2026, featuring local personalities from sports and the creative economy as destination ambassadors in local and international marketing campaigns.
The Tourism Bureau will additionally work with stakeholders to strengthen events, festivals, seasonal programming and other visitor experiences intended to encourage repeat visitation.
Cruise spending remains a shared challenge
Government acknowledged that increasing spending by cruise passengers requires cooperation among TEATT, Port St. Maarten and local businesses.
The Ministry noted that cruise lines sell shore excursions and retain a significant share of that revenue, while many passengers have already paid for meals and entertainment aboard their ships, reducing incentives for additional spending on land.
Government said increasing cruise expenditure will therefore require better infrastructure, stronger cruise-line partnerships, more compelling experiences, attractive retail and dining options and sustained investment by local businesses.
