The Junior Minister of Tourism Panel Discussion slated for May 19 (see related story) is the kind of thing that can help get more youngsters interested in the hospitality industry. Especially because it regards the island’s only major economic pillar, the importance of such cannot be overemphasised.
It also offers the winner a chance to participate in the Youth Tourism Congress of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) in Grenada next October. Regardless of how well he or she does at the regional competition, knowledge and insights gained at that level can serve not just the individual involved but the entire destination well in the near future.
“Tourism is everybody’s business” the saying goes and initiatives like these help bring that message home among the “best and brightest” high school students. Human resources are essential in the field of travel, because it’s all about the experience.
Moreover, many of the guest services provided tend to be relatively labour intensive, which is why the tourism sector generally creates a lot of employment. On the other hand, that also means investing in education and training to be able to adequately occupy these jobs.
Of course, being innovative and reacting to new developments are crucial too. The St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) in Friday’s paper reported a two per cent increase in hotel occupancy last year compared to 2015, attributing the modest growth mainly to its TripAdvisor/Expedia campaign.
Without this the rate would have most likely been down 1.5 per cent, yet the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau (STB) is said to have significantly reduced Government’s contribution to the online effort in 2017. Perhaps there were valid reasons to do so, but if SHTA is right one has to wonder whether it’s a good idea.
A definite concern is the continued lack of a separate Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT), while the marketing representative for North America Spring O’Brien apparently still had not been formally appointed and decisions needed to be taken on initiatives such as the St. Maarten/St. Martin Annual Regional Tradeshow (SMART).
Most will probably agree that Justice Minister Rafael Boasman has done an admirable job filling the TEATT void, but especially considering all that’s going on in law enforcement it seems high time the US Party as coalition partner with this portfolio comes up with an acceptable candidate who is able to pass the related screening.
Tourism is work and there’s a need to have all hands on deck.
