PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications (TEATT) Grisha Heyliger-Marten on Monday opened the Strategic Economic Stakeholders Consultation by declaring that St. Maarten must move beyond survival and deliberately design a future focused on sustainable growth, fiscal reform, and coordinated action.
The consultation, taking place from February 2 to 6, 2026, brings together regional experts, local leaders, and policymakers to initiate the country’s next phase of economic planning.
Addressing participants at the opening ceremony, Heyliger-Marten said St. Maarten has demonstrated resilience in the face of hurricanes, global shocks, pandemics, and uncertainty, but warned that resilience alone is insufficient. “Resilience is about surviving,” she said. “And what we need now is growth – growth that is sustainable, inclusive, and intentional.”
According to the Minister, the consultation is designed to move beyond discussion. “This workshop is not symbolic. It is not a box to check. And it is not meant to produce another report that sits on a shelf,” she said, describing the week as a push for alignment “so that we move from conversation to coordination, and from ideas to action.”
She explained that the economy functions as a single system, noting that “housing affects labour, labour affects tourism, tourism affects revenue, revenue affects public services, and public services affect trust.”
She said discussions during the week will address St. Maarten’s position as a Small Island Developing State, tourism modernisation, and economic diversification. Key areas include the Blue Economy, the Green Economy, the Orange Economy, and innovation and technology.
However, the Minister stressed that economic opportunity cannot succeed without proper revenue capture. “Are we truly capturing the value of the economy we already have?” she asked. Referring to data from the Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten, she noted that “billions of guilders flow through St. Maarten’s economy every year,” while “our national budget is just over 500 million guilders.”
“That gap tells a story,” she said, “not about a lack of economic activity – but about how much value is leaking, bypassed, or unevenly captured by the system.” She added, “As we like to say: the math isn’t mathing.”
The Minister said fiscal reform is essential to designing “a revenue system that is fair, modern, and supportive of residents, workers, and businesses across the board.” She also underscored the need for policy alignment across labour, education, health, housing, competition, fair trade, and transportation, warning that “if the foundations are weak, investment will not stick – and development will not last.”
Calling on participants to engage honestly, the Minister urged them to think beyond individual interests and consider the wider system. “When we see the whole system, we design better solutions,” she said.
She said the process will feed into a Strategic Economic Development Plan focused on implementation. “Forward by Design means we will not only plan – we will deliver,” Heyliger-Marten said.
The consultation is supported by a diverse group of regional and local experts, including Jim Hepple, Vincent Wallace, Tadzio Bervoets, Emil Lee, and Gregory Richardson, who bring hands-on experience in economic transformation, tourism development, climate resilience, innovation, and governance. Together they are contributing to a focused, working-session approach designed to move the process quickly from dialogue to direction and help lay the foundation for St. Maarten’s Strategic Economic Development Plan.
