At the Staycation press conference Tuesday were (from left) St. Maarten Tourism Bureau Marketing Officer for the Caribbean Market Gina Illidge, Saint Martin Tourism Office Director Aida Weinum and St. Maarten Tourism Bureau Director of Tourism May-Ling Chun. (Robert Luckock photo)
ANSE MARCEL--The French Saint Martin Tourism Office and Dutch St. Maarten Tourism Bureau jointly launched the 2025 edition of “Staycation” at the new boutique hotel, The Forest, in Anse Marcel. This is the first time the Dutch side is officially participating in the programme.
“This all about getting to know and explore our own island, something we tend to take for granted, and having the opportunity to experience the offers available,” said St. Maarten Tourism Bureau Director of Tourism May-Ling Chun in her opening remarks. “Seasonality is one of the topics both offices want to minimise and this is one of the ways to do it.”
Restaurants, hotels, activities and shops on both sides of the island will be offering discounts and promotional offers to residents of St. Martin and St. Maarten from July 1 to September 30, 2025, one month longer than the 2024 edition and with a possibility to extend until the end of October for those businesses that want to continue.
Staycation is open to all residents of Saint Martin or St. Maarten. Applicants must be 18 years or older, have a French- or Dutch-side ID, and have proof of residency on the island.
Some 48 businesses, French- and Dutch-side combined, have registered to take part in the initiative; 40 on the French side and eight on the Dutch side. The breakdown is 11 activities registered, eight shops, 15 hotels, 11 restaurants and one car rental.
Presentation of the programme was given by Néilleda Desir in charge of promotion of the Local and Regional Market, and Grégoire Dumel, Manager of the Local and Regional Market.
The French Tourism Office is using the platform “UP CEV” to register businesses and consumers. There are two ways for the public to register, online or by obtaining the physical card from the Tourism Office.
“With the card you will be able to choose any of the four categories and benefit from the offers or discounts,” explained Dumel. “You can use the card from last year, as it will be upgraded to validate it. Extra cards will be available. Registration is open as of today. You don’t have to wait ’til July 1.”
To register, go to
https://staycation-saint-martin.fr/
Simultaneously, the Tourism Office is launching a communication campaign in French, English, Dutch and Creole on social media networks, radio stations, billboards, and using influencers.
In 2024, 52 businesses registered for Staycation, on the French side only. The drop in participation this year is partly explained by more businesses closing for the slow summer months.
Some 2,541 residents took part in Staycation 2024, for an estimated revenue of 38,500 euros.
May-Ling Chun encouraged residents to take part in Staycation, given the uncertainty of what is going on in the world right now.
“Some people may be reluctant to travel to the USA and Europe right now for their vacations, so that’s an opportunity to remain here and do a Staycation,” she said.
