ST. EUSTATIUS-- Providing travel services on a small island such as St. Eustatius may seem over-ambitious, but according to Island Essence Manager Dihiara Pierre-Arnaud, “the opportunities for tourism on the island are enormous.”
Island Essence was set up almost two years ago by Pierre-Arnaud as a one-stop travel shop. New activities have been added to their services, and last Thursday she invited tourism stakeholders to a public meeting in the Lion’s Den.
“The Historical Gem has many treasures that are worth sharing with the rest of the world,” Pierre-Arnoud told her guests. “The people of Statia are part of that island fortune. I am particularly proud of my travel team of four young professionals, who, with a lot of hard work and late nights have made a great new business venture.”
However, Island Essence has not done it alone. The firm has partnered with Maduro Travel Group in St. Maarten. With roots in 1837, Maduro Travel was the first International Air Transport Association (IATA) travel agency in the Netherlands Antilles and has a network of branches in six countries.
In addition to providing airline ticketing and hotel booking, the partnership with Maduro focuses largely on hotel vacations and cruise packages. From Statia’s end, Jamaica and Cuba are two destinations that are currently offered through IATA.
Maduro Travel’s Sjaoel Richardson introduced his company during the meeting. “The world of tourism has changed. Today, it is not only about travel, tickets and accommodation. It is also about the experience,” he said.
His words were echoed by Carmen Nova of Island Essence who presented an overview of the firm's activities that include walking- and island tours, hotel- and residential accommodation, car rental and event planning. Even activities such as naturalization, residential accommodation and provision of cleaning and concierge services are included.
A new development is the agency’s appointment for ticketing of a new airlift connection between Statia and St. Maarten. Operated by SXM Airways, the flights can take up to nine passengers – three times weekly.
Island Essence’s Mark Goorcharran explained how important customer service is for the development of tourism on the island. “Word of mouth is always the best form of advertising. And it is always better to have returning and loyal customers than to find new customers, he said.
A presentation by Misha Spanner about St. Eustatius Historical Museum grabbed the audience’s attention.
“The Museum is a vital element in the island’s tourism marketing,” Spanner insisted. “And through the Historical Foundation’s Simon Doncker Club and other community activities, it serves as an important marker for local heritage and identity.”
Questions were then posed by the audience at the public meeting. One main issue was raised by co-owner of Scubaqua Dive Centre Ingrid Walther. She suggested that gates be installed to the entrances of Bay Path.
“The goat fence is not working, and tourists are not prepared to take a 20-minute detour to visit Upper Town,” she stated.
Walther is Swiss and knows something about climbing mountain goats. However, Acting Government Commissioner Mervyn Stegers, who was also present in the audience, dismissed the suggestion by insisting: “The Bay Path will be closed for a very long time” However, Pierre-Arnoud informed the audience that talks about this issue were ongoing.
She also proposed that more public meetings could be organized by Island Essence in future. “As an island, we don’t show what we have. The Historical Gem is unique. And Island Essence is devoted essentially and absolutely to it in a very environmental and very monumental way,” she said.
