By Murat Turkmenoğlu, PR Director
We live in an age of digital marketing. Hotels advertise on Instagram. Restaurants post videos of their dishes. Tourism boards work with influencers. Visitors search Google, watch TikTok and read hundreds of online reviews before deciding where to spend their vacation. All of these things matter. But I still believe one of the most powerful sentences in tourism is also one of the simplest: “You have to go there.”
When that recommendation comes from someone we trust; it carries a different kind of weight – and for an island like St. Maarten, word of mouth may be more valuable than we sometimes realize.
St. Maarten has always benefited from people talking
One of the interesting things about our island is the number of repeat visitors we see. You meet people who first came to St. Maarten ten or fifteen years ago and have been returning ever since. Some come every winter. Others bring friends, children and eventually grandchildren. That kind of loyalty cannot be created by advertising alone. Recent St. Maarten visitor research continues to show strong intentions among surveyed visitors to return and recommend the island to others.
That matters because a returning visitor does something very valuable for the destination. They become a salesperson without being asked. They tell friends where to stay. They have a favourite restaurant in Grand Case or Simpson Bay. They know which beach they prefer. They explain where to go for nightlife, shopping or a good sunset. Before long, they are giving someone else an itinerary. No advertising contract was signed. It happened because they had a good experience.
Recommendations feel different from advertising
There is nothing wrong with advertising. As a PR professional, I certainly understand its importance. But people know when they are looking at an advertisement. They understand that a hotel will show its best room, a restaurant will photograph its best dish, and a destination will use its most beautiful beach. A friend's recommendation is different. If someone you trust comes back from St. Maarten and says, “We had an amazing time. You should go,” you listen differently. Better still, they begin telling stories. They tell you about watching the planes at Maho. They talk about an evening in Simpson Bay. They remember dinner on the French side, a boat trip around the island or a taxi driver who made everyone laugh. Suddenly, St. Maarten is no longer a photograph in a brochure. It becomes a place you can imagine yourself experiencing.
Today, word of mouth has a much bigger audience
Years ago, word of mouth usually meant telling family, friends or colleagues about a vacation. Today, one person's experience can reach thousands of people. A visitor posts a sunset from the Boardwalk. Another shares a video from Maho Beach. Someone photographs dinner in Grand Case. A couple posts clips from a boat trip to Anguilla. Another guest writes an online review before even leaving the island. Modern word of mouth is happening constantly. Social media did not replace it. It multiplied it. That creates a tremendous opportunity for St. Maarten, but also a responsibility for everyone working in hospitality.
Sometimes the smallest moment becomes the story
We often assume visitors will talk about our biggest attractions. Sometimes they do. But the story they take home can come from something completely unexpected: Maybe a restaurant employee remembered their name; perhaps a taxi driver stopped somewhere so they could take a photograph; maybe someone recommended a small local place they would never have discovered on their own. These moments cost very little. But they are personal – and personal experiences are the ones people like to talk about. This is why I believe every interaction in tourism has marketing value, even when nobody is thinking about marketing at the time.
One bad experience travels too
Of course, word of mouth works in both directions. A disappointed visitor can share their experience just as easily as a happy one. Today, that may mean an online review, a social media post or a video seen by thousands of potential travellers. That should not make hospitality businesses afraid of reviews. It should remind us how valuable consistency is. No destination will get everything right every day. Mistakes happen. What often matters is how we respond when they do. A problem handled with genuine care can sometimes create a stronger impression than a visit where nothing went wrong. People appreciate being heard.
Our best marketing may already be on the island
St. Maarten will continue to advertise internationally, and we should. We should use digital marketing, social media, public relations and new technology to reach travellers. But we should never forget the marketing already happening every day. It happens when a visitor receives a warm welcome at Princess Juliana International Airport. It happens in a restaurant in Simpson Bay, on the Boardwalk in Philipsburg, at a hotel in Maho or during a day spent exploring both sides of the island.
Every good experience gives someone another reason to talk about St. Maarten. And every person, who leaves wanting to return, is potentially bringing another visitor with them in the future. We can spend a great deal of money telling the world that St. Maarten is worth visiting. We should also make sure the people who have already visited are saying it for us, because sometimes the best tourism campaign does not begin in a marketing office. It begins when someone returns home, shows a friend their vacation photos and says: “Next time, you should come with us.”
