Tourism Office representatives and Lynn Taylor from Grand Case Beach Club, with travel agents from Trinidad and Tobago.
MARIGOT--The Tourism Offices of French Saint Martin and Dutch Sint Maarten joined forces to conduct a promotional and media tour in Trinidad and Tobago June 3-9. The objective was to promote the Friendly Island destination and raise its profile among the 1.3 million inhabitants of this island republic.
Located less than 15 kilometres from Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago has the largest economy in the Lesser Antilles, driven by significant hydrocarbon resources. With significant demographic and economic potential, this market is a strategic target for Saint Martin in the short and medium term.
The representatives of Saint Martin and Sint Maarten undertook a week-long charm offensive through a series of actions. The delegation included several key players in the tourism sector: Malaïka Hunt (Communications Officer), Narissa Page (Promotion Officer), Grégoire Dumel (Local and Regional market manager) for the Saint Martin Tourism Office, as well as Lynn Taylor, Rooms Division Manager at Case Beach Club.
Also present were Sint Maarten Tourism Bureau Caribbean agent Jacqueline Louis and Holland House Beach Hotel Reservations Manager Diana Gumbs.
A week of promotion rich in exchanges, centred around the highlight of the mission, an immersive event scheduled for June 7 at the East Gates Mall in the capital Port of Spain, to showcase the tourist attractions and cultural richness of the Friendly Island. The event, broadcast live on 95.1FM and Slam 100.5FM, enjoyed maximum visibility.
The event featured major cultural performances by Joshua Regrello, Guinness World Record holder for the longest steel-pan marathon, as well as a cultural dance performance by De Shaun Prince from Sint Maarten.
Visitors were also able to take part in a photo session offering them a personalised snapshot and try their luck at winning one of two trips with accommodation offered in partnership with Caribbean Airlines, at Grand Case Beach Club, Holland House, and a stay in collaboration with Commodore Suites. With more than 400 visitors, the stand generated a lot of excitement and many questions asked. Several reservations were made on site.
As part of its outreach and promotion mission, the delegation ensured significant media coverage to position Saint Martin/Sint Maarten as a destination of choice for Trinidadian travellers. Some nine interviews were conducted with several influential media outlets, covering intergenerational audiences.
Seven radio interviews were conducted on major stations: Slam 100.5FM, 95.1FM, Sangeet 106.1FM, Vibe CT 105FM, MoreFM104.7, Hott 93.5FM, and TAJ Radio. Television interviews were conducted on the high-audience morning shows TV6 (Morning Edition) and CNC3 (Morning Brew)
Representatives of the Saint Martin Tourism Office met on Friday, June 6, with their counterparts from Tourism Trinidad Limited: Carlton De Four, Tourism Development Officer, and Jameela Martin, Visitor Experience Officer.
“This meeting was a highlight of our mission. It allowed us to share our respective strategic visions for stimulating intra-Caribbean tourism and to identify concrete avenues for collaboration,
particularly in terms of air connectivity between Saint Martin/Sint Maarten and Trinidad and Tobago,” said Narissa Page.
To reinforce this momentum, a workshop accompanied by a brunch was also offered to travel agents to present the destination’s assets and provide them with all the resources they need to better promote it to their customers.
“This is an initiative that deserves to be repeated again and again,” said Malaïka Hunt. “The Trinidadian market is very interested in Saint Martin: they love our beaches, the appearance of the island, and are generally very curious to learn more. Many are already planning to visit, particularly during our Gastronomy Festival, which will be held from November 11 to 22, 2025.”
