One does not need to be a brain surgeon to figure out that there is some urgency involved in getting St. Maarten’s hospitality industry at least somewhat back on track. With no other sources of income to speak of, the Dutch side depends almost completely on what visitors spend while here.
As several large resorts are not opening until after winter and others only partially, the upcoming season promises to be a difficult one at best. This makes convincing cruise ships to start calling on the island again that much more important and current efforts to do so certainly deserve support.
However, the marine sector is also a key player in the tourism economy and reportedly contributes no less than 15 per cent of such. With that in mind, today’s story on a letter sent to the Council of Ministers and Parliament by yachting professionals is clearly reason for concern.
The local marinas need to recover quickly so they can receive visiting boats, and removing sunken wrecks is obviously paramount to that process. While rules and regulations must in principle always be respected and enforced, the passage of catastrophic Hurricane Irma has created an exceptional situation.
Under the circumstances, being a bit flexible about the paperwork when allowing barges and cranes to do salvaging work doesn’t seem too much to ask, providing proper precautions and supervision regarding safety and the environment are ensured. Ultimately, having the yachts return in numbers as soon as possible is in everybody’s best interest.
