The significance of today’s news that the St. Maarten Tourism Authority (STA) now has a full board should not be underestimated. Some perhaps wonder why, as the local hospitality sector was left in shambles by Hurricane Irma, but that actually makes it extra important to have industry professionals at the helm of the Dutch side’s main economic activity.
The island will need a community-wide effort to regain its prominent position as a popular Caribbean vacation destination. That is bound to take lot of work and probably won’t be easy, but with all noses pointed in the same direction it can certainly be done.
Financial means are also going to be required and some of the recovery assistance pledged by the Netherlands hopefully may be used for this purpose. The Emergency Marketing Funds released after the also devastating passage of Hurricane Lenny in November 1999 played a major role in getting visitors to return.
However, the job regarding the STA has not yet been completed. To ensure its functioning in an autonomous manner removed from political influence, the foundation must become a self-governing body with its own funding that doesn’t depend on what party is in office.
The latter is even more apparent when one realises that of the seven board members, at least three currently work with and/or for the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT). Of course, the supervisory council includes representatives of private sector organisations St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) and St Maarten Timeshare Association (SMTA), but also from the Airport and Harbour as Government-owned companies.
Their terms have reportedly expired and the entities in question should waste no time to nominate replacements, rather than complain later that they weren’t sufficiently involved in determining crucial future policies regarding marketing and promotion.
While the existing setup might be far from ideal, it’s in any case a start.
