Lab Results:
St. Maarten

What's the value of tourism for St. Maarten/St. Martin to locals? Surprisingly, this was a fundamental question posed by our gathering of the island’s top travel experts in Destination Lab: SXM. Given its outward reputation for sun-drenched beaches, spirited nightlife and unique blend of Dutch and French influences, it's obvious why tourists come.

Yet, our panel felt many locals don’t understand what that means to them. And when that value isn't embraced by everyone—from those in hospitality, to locals simply calling St. Maarten/Martin home—that means growing tourism becomes more challenging.

The World Bank reported that Sint Maarten’s economy contracted by a cumulative 12 percent during 2017-18 in the aftermath of hurricane Irma. So for an island-nation where recovery takes center-stage, that growth in tourism is critical is undisputed.

Much like the what we learned in Influencer Lab: Montego Bay, our experts found the idea of getting the community to see the value of tourism, and to embrace it at every level to be lacking.

They posed Aruba as an example of a country where the entire community is on board to make the tourism product great. This adoption of the industry gives visitors a more welcoming, and thus memorable, experience. In other words, it makes a huge difference in perception. 

A host of obstacles, including bureaucracy, budgets, and a lack of innovation are also driving flat occupancy and a peak-and-valley average daily rate in the country. Contributing to the situation, in their opinion, are OTAs which neither host visitors nor tell the story of any destination’s personality or culture.

These giant companies are, instead, the front line of the price wars, where daily battles drive rates down, and focus the narrative on dollars instead of the unique offerings and experiences places like St. Maarten/Martin provide. Our experts realize visitors value experiences, and want to leverage that into room nights.

To overcome these challenges, the panel feels the island needs to tap the community and put local voices to work telling their own stories. They want to create a collective of tourism ambassadors or local advocates to spread their own, and collectively, the island’s, message to the world. They recognize personal connections are the best way to engage potential travelers.

The experts know SXM must act quickly and be nimble, or be left in the wake of their neighbors. Cleaning up the mess still lingering from Hurricane Irma stands as the top priority, as does uniting the two countries to work in tandem to solve problems. Targeting the correct demographic, and finding ways to lengthen the tourism season are short term steps that also came from our discussion, but ultimately the collective voices of their advocates and the welcoming arms of locals are the path to the more distant goals.