With all that’s been going on lately there’s luckily also some good news to report. For starters, the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season ended and the island did not suffer any significant impact.
That could easily have been different. After all, it was the first above-normal season since 2012, with 15 named storms of which seven became hurricanes, three of them major and one even a Category 5.
The Disaster Commander and Fire Commander rightfully noted that “once again the nation has been spared the full onslaught of a major hurricane.” Other, hard-hit countries like Haiti clearly can’t say the same.
All the more reason to feel blessed and that’s exactly what the annual Thanksgiving Service is about. It takes place this Sunday evening at the new Government Administration Building and everyone who wishes to express gratitude – regardless of their religious beliefs – is encouraged to attend.
Also quite welcome is the apparent progress in efforts to make St. Maarten a homeport destination in the Northeastern Caribbean. XL Airways will start weekly flights from Paris on December 18 with an Airbus 330-200 that has 250 seats allocated to travellers boarding Pullmantur’s ship Zenith at Pointe Blanche for boat trips departing from Great Bay.
The impression was created in the past that massive home-porting on the island would always be difficult because of logistics, including having to quickly move large numbers of people and their luggage between Princess Juliana International Airport SXM and the harbour. However, it already has been done for several years on a relatively small scale with vessels carrying fewer than 300 passengers and has proven successful enough to now invest in a special terminal to accommodate between 500 and 1,500 instead.
The activity should benefit not just the island’s two main gateways, but also other businesses, as these passengers will be here one or two days before and/or after the cruise. They are therefore more likely to spend money locally, while their short visit might even entice some to return as stay-over tourists in the future.
So, don’t be fooled by the many shocking headlines. A lot of positive things continue to happen on “The Friendly Island.”
