Today’s report that changes made to the Temporary Crew Admittance Policy have been welcomed by the St. Maarten Marine Trade Association (SMMTA) and St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) may be called good news. There was concern about adverse effects on the yachting sector that has become an increasingly important part of the local tourism economy.
Justice Minister Rafael Boasman explained that it merely regarded putting existing regulations on paper following some misunderstanding involving Immigration officials. However, the reality is that rules which are not enforced tend to be forgotten and rarely respected.
The timing right before the Heineken Regatta and at the height of the maritime season was indeed unfortunate, but authorities did have a point that people from countries normally requiring a visa cannot just be allowed to come and go as they please without any sort of control.
Administrative procedures to facilitate compliance are still being worked on, but at least agreement has now been reached on the basic ingredients anchored in law and their implementation, to be published before the next 2017-2018 season. This once again demonstrates that with a willingness to seek common ground, practical solutions can be found for almost every problem.
