By Murat Turkmenoğlu, PR Director
When we hear the word “ambassador,” we usually think of someone representing a country in an official position. But in a tourism destination, I believe the word has a much wider meaning. Every day in St. Maarten, thousands of visitors interact with people who, without realizing it, represent our island.
The taxi driver picking up a family from the airport; the waiter serving dinner; the hotel receptionist welcoming a new arrival; the bartender making a drink; the salesperson helping someone in a store; the tour guide showing visitors around the island; the security officer answering a simple question – all of these people are ambassadors of St. Maarten; no official title is required.
Visitors don’t see departments; they see St. Maarten
Those of us, who live and work here, naturally separate the island into different businesses and industries. Hotels have their responsibilities. Restaurants have theirs. Transportation companies, casinos, shops, marinas, beach clubs and tour operators all operate independently. But visitors don’t necessarily see those divisions. To them, it is one experience.
If a taxi driver is friendly, that becomes part of the visitor’s impression of St. Maarten. If a restaurant provides wonderful service, St. Maarten gets some of the credit. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. One unpleasant interaction can influence how a visitor talks about the entire destination. It may not always be fair, but that is how travel experiences work. People don’t return home and prepare a detailed report separating every company they encountered. They say, “We had a wonderful time in St. Maarten.” Or, they say they didn’t. That should make all of us think.
Tourism doesn’t belong only to the Tourism Industry
It is easy to assume that tourism is mainly the responsibility of hotels, restaurants, airlines and tour companies. I don’t think that is true. Tourism touches almost everything on an island like ours. A clean street affects tourism. Traffic affects tourism. Safety affects tourism. Customer service affects tourism. The condition of public areas affects tourism. Even the way we answer a visitor who stops us on the street to ask for directions affects tourism. You don’t need to work in a hotel to influence someone’s vacation. Sometimes you only need to be the person standing nearby when they need help. This is why I believe tourism is everyone’s business.
Small conversations can travel thousands of miles
A couple visitors ask a taxi driver: “Where should we eat tonight?” It sounds like a simple question, but think about what happens next. The driver recommends a restaurant. The visitors go there and have a great evening; they tell their friends about it; perhaps they post a photograph online; maybe they return later in the week. One simple recommendation has now helped a restaurant, contributed to the visitors’ experience and created another positive memory of St. Maarten.
That is destination marketing in its most natural form. It happens every day. The same thing occurs when a waiter recommends a beach, when a hotel employee suggests a local attraction or when someone explains where to find good live music. We are constantly introducing visitors to different parts of the island. The question is whether we recognize how valuable those conversations are.
We should know our own island
To be a good ambassador, you need to know what you are representing. This sounds obvious, but it is worth discussing. People working in hospitality should know more than their own business. If a visitor asks where to find a particular beach, we should try to help. If they want a restaurant recommendation, we should have some ideas. If they ask what they can do tomorrow afternoon, we should be able to suggest something. That does not mean knowing every business or every event. It means having curiosity about our own destination.
The better we know St. Maarten, the better we can share it. And, sometimes, recommending another business does not mean losing a customer. It means improving someone’s vacation. A guest who has a great experience on the island is more valuable to all of us.
Competition and cooperation can exist together
Of course, businesses compete. Hotels compete for guests. Restaurants compete for customers. Entertainment venues compete for people’s evenings. That is normal and healthy. But there is a larger competition happening at the same time. St. Maarten is competing with other destinations.
A traveller deciding where to spend their next vacation may be choosing between St. Maarten and another Caribbean island, Mexico, Florida or somewhere completely different. From that perspective, the restaurant down the road is not only your competitor. It is also part of the product we collectively offer. If visitors have a great dinner there; the island benefits. If they enjoy their hotel; the island benefits. If they have a wonderful day at the beach, enjoy their evening entertainment and receive friendly service throughout their stay, all of us benefit. Those visitors may come back – and next time, they may bring someone with them.
Local residents are ambassadors too
This idea should not stop with people working directly in hospitality. Residents also play an important role. Most of us have probably been stopped by visitors asking for directions or recommendations. It takes very little effort to help. Sometimes those short interactions become part of someone’s memory of a destination. I have experienced this myself while traveling. There are cities I remember fondly not because everything was perfect, but because a stranger took the time to help when I was lost or confused. You remember kindness – especially when you are far from home.
Social media has made every experience bigger
Today, the role of an ambassador extends even further. A visitor no longer shares an experience only with family and friends when they return home. They may share it immediately. A beautiful sunset appears on Instagram. A great meal becomes a photograph. A fun evening becomes a video. A good experience becomes a five-star review. And, of course, a bad experience can travel just as quickly.
This means the way we treat one person can potentially influence hundreds or even thousands of others. In some ways, every visitor has become a small media company. That makes genuine hospitality more valuable than ever.
Pride makes a difference
Being an ambassador does not mean pretending everything is perfect. No destination is perfect. We have challenges, just as every tourism destination does. But there is a difference between recognizing problems and losing pride in where we live. Visitors can feel that difference. When someone speaks enthusiastically about their island, recommends places with genuine excitement and takes pride in helping a visitor discover something new, it creates an impression. Pride is contagious. If we believe St. Maarten is worth discovering, visitors are more likely to believe it too.
One island, one experience
A visitor may meet fifty different people during a vacation here. Most of those people will never meet each other. They work for different companies, live in different communities and have completely different jobs. Yet, together, they create one experience: St. Maarten. That is why I believe we should think differently about what it means to represent our island. You don’t need a government position. You don’t need a tourism title. You don’t need to work for a large hotel.
Sometimes, being an ambassador is simply noticing that someone needs help and choosing to help them. Sometimes, it is giving an honest recommendation. Sometimes, it is welcoming someone back after remembering them from last year. And, sometimes, it is nothing more complicated than a smile and a simple sentence: “Welcome to St. Maarten.”
We spend a great deal of time asking how we can market our island to the world. Advertising matters. Public relations matters. Social media matters. But perhaps one of our most powerful marketing tools has been here all along – because every visitor we welcome is a potential returning visitor; and every person they meet is an opportunity to give them another reason to come back.
