The decision to jointly purchase the Lighthouse tourism intelligence platform to improve data collection and analysis of the island’s independent vacation rental (IVR) sector, including villas and condominiums (see related story), makes sense. The initiative was led by the St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) and carried out in collaboration with the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau (STB) and the St. Maarten Timeshare Association (SMTA).
The online platform monitors IVR activity across three of the biggest providers AirBnB, VRBO and Booking.com, providing detailed insight into volumes and market performance. According to the partners, Lighthouse will deliver data on average daily rates, length of stay, booking pace and occupancy rates, while also allowing performance comparisons with other Caribbean destinations.
This is needed to effectively monitor the rapidly growing IVR industry. Data showed that short-term rentals in 2024 generated more than 156,000 room nights per month and hosted around 202,000 occupants annually.
While not explicitly mentioned in a related press release, the move can also help government find ways to collect revenues from this activity. The fact that many of the homeowners involved are non-residents and thus not registered taxpayers obviously complicates matters,
Nevertheless, having them contribute their fair share to the country’s public finances is essential to create a level playing field with more traditional local resorts represented by SHTA and SMTA.
