President of Saint Martin Tourism office Valérie Damaseau (left) and CCISM President Angèle Dormoy (right) on stage for their respective presentations. (Robert Luckock photo)
MARIGOT--Saint Martin Tourism Office President Valérie Damaseau and Chamber of Commerce CCISM President Angèle Dormoy presented their separate reviews of 2025 as well as their joint collaborations with other entities to an audience of elected officials and tourism stakeholders on Monday at Grand Case Beach Club.
The reviews were the first part of a two-day series of meetings, workshops, round tables and discussions between tourism office staff and tourism stakeholders.
Invited guest Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Communications (TEATT) Grisha Heyliger-Marten joined President of the Collectivité Louis Mussington and Député (MP) for Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy Frantz Gumbs, for the review.
Tourism and promotional activities in 2025 included 25 attendances at tourism trade shows, over 1,000 travel agents were trained via online training, over 20 meetings took place with press and influencers, and over 520 companies were referenced on the Système Information Touristique (SIT): 35 hotels, 53 local accommodations, 157 businesses, 197 restaurants, and 81 activity organisers.
During the year the tourism office won three major awards: Caribbean’s leading Festival & Event Destination (World Travel Awards), Best Culinary Destination Caribbean (Travyy Awards) and Third Best Caribbean Island to visit in 2026 (USA Today).
“I’m giving a nod here to my counterpart Minister Marten-Heyliger because most of these awards are shared awards. The island is very unique; one heart with two beats. No matter what nationality we are, one side cannot do it alone. For a leading destination to stand out it’s all about cooperation,” Damaseau emphasised.
Contour Airlines was a new player and Air Caraïbes resumed its transatlantic flights between Paris and St. Maarten while Jet Blue, American Airlines, Frontier Airlines and Air France increased their rotations.
Grand Case Airport handled 213, 925 passengers in 2025 and Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) over one million passengers. The island received 1.5 million cruise ship passengers.
As far as collaborations were concerned, International French and Travel Market (IFTM) Top Resa was attended with the islands of Guadeloupe and cooperation missions took place in Martinique, Saint Barthelemy and Guadeloupe.
Staycation 2025 was organised for the first time in collaboration with Sint Maarten Tourism Bureau. The Mall Show and Media Tour in Trinidad was organised with Sint Maarten Tourism Bureau. Attendance at the Paris Fair (Foire de Paris) was a collaboration between the Collectivité and the Chamber of Commerce CCISM.
SMART 2025 was organised in collaboration with Sint Maarten Tourism Bureau, SHTA, and Club du Tourisme. Routes 2025 was a collaboration between Sint Maarten Tourism Bureau and PJIA.
Following the review of CCISM’s actions in 2025, Angèle Dormoy presented certificates of recognition to several volunteers who have made valuable contributions to Saint Martin’s economy.
