~ SMART 2026 ~
The Saint Martin/Sint Maarten Annual Regional Tradeshow (SMART 2026) turned up the energy at the JW Marriott St. Maarten Beach Resort & Spa, bringing together tourism professionals from 27 countries for three days of networking, business and island experiences.
This year’s event was the biggest yet, expanding its exhibition space by 40% and welcoming more buyers, suppliers and vendors than ever before. Beyond the business appointments, delegates enjoyed a packed social program designed to showcase the destination, including a welcome dinner at Grand Case Beach Club, a saxophone dinner at Seaview Beach Hotel in Philipsburg, a sunset experience at Rainforest Adventures, and a variety of island excursions highlighting the best of St. Maarten/St. Martin.
The trade show floor featured an impressive line-up of tourism partners, including the tourism bureaus of Montserrat, Sint Maarten, Saint-Martin, St. Kitts-Nevis, Saba, Statia and Anguilla. Vendors included Sint Maarten Heritage Foundation, Freedom Fighters Ital Shack, Be the Change Foundation, Les Fruits der Mer and Nature Foundation, but also major annual festivals such as Heineken Regatta and SXM Festival.
Resort representatives also came out in force, including Grand Case Beach Club, Princess Heights Hotel, Oyster Bay Beach Resort, Anguilla Great House Beach Resort, Sapphire Beach Club, Sonesta Resorts, Scenery Hotel, Divi Little Bay Beach Resort, Hotel La Playa, Holland House Beach Hotel, JW Marriott, Hilton Grand Vacations, Simpson Bay Beach Resort, Mary’s Boon Beach Resort & Spa, Simpson Bay Resort, Esmeralda Resort, Hommage Hotel & Residences, Port de Plaisance Resort and The Commodore Suites.
Travel partners showcased exciting ways to explore the region, including Makana Ferry Services and its new “4 Islands, One Escape” getaway package, along with Arajet, Winair, Sunrise Airways, Anguilla Air, Air Caraïbes and Princess Juliana International Airport.
With valuable business meetings by day and unforgettable island experiences by night, SMART 2026 once again proved why it remains one of the Caribbean’s premier tourism networking events.
