Port St. Maarten Rebounds

On September 6, 2017, Hurricane Irma struck the Caribbean island nation of St. Maarten. A Category 5+ on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale, with St. Maarten receiving wind speeds between 185 to 240 miles per hour, Irma left behind catastrophic damage. Only five months after, the country had already restored over 95 percent of its electricity to households and businesses; over 80 percent of businesses had reopened; and over 75 percent of tours were operational—making St. Maarten open for business.

At the same time, the country remained focused on building better and stronger after going through this experience. The reset button is in place to reinvent “Cruise St. Maarten.”

When rebounding, the overall promotional theme to the cruise community was to rediscover the “Friendly Island.” And this obviously resonated, with major cruise lines as well as boutique luxury lines returning within two months of the storm, demonstrating not only that the country was open for business, but also showing the continued support and commitment from the cruise sector for the destination, along with the destination’s resiliency its people’s tireless efforts.

The first commercial cruise ship to call at Port St. Maarten post-Irma was on December 4, 2017. The vessel was in port with 672 mainly American passengers and 472 crew. A delegation boarded the vessel for the welcome and plaque exchange ceremony mid-morning, and a senior Government official presented a plaque of the courthouse to the Captain.

On that day, passengers stepped off the ship and into a warm welcome from a local steel pan band, stilt walkers, dancers and Carnival Queens. This took place in the presence of a senior Government official and members of Port St. Maarten’s Board of Supervisory Directors and Management, who greeted the first passengers.

Port St. Maarten distributed complimentary #SXMStrong wrist bands to passengers who came ashore to make them a part of the destination’s recovery. And activities throughout the day made them a part of St. Maarten’s culture, with festivities on the Boardwalk near the Captain Hodge Wharf in Philipsburg including a steel band, a mini-parade with a local Drum Band and DJ entertainment, all organized by the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau.

Similar activities were also staged at the the Walter Plantz Square at Down Street, strategically located next to the Walter Plantz Tender Jetty, which connects to the boardwalk/beach promenade,

Down Street and Front Street, and allows for a broader distribution flow of cruise passengers throughout the shopping and dining areas of Philipsburg.

The St. Maarten people themselves also served as part of the experience, as they have been activated as destination ambassadors and in general provide a high standard and memorable experiences for

cruise guests in the post-Irma era. Besides rebuilding their homes, businesses and lives, the population has been working diligently for a positive rebound in 2018.

Port St. Maarten utilized this invaluable resource by organizing cruise seminars for stakeholders in an effort to enhance hospitality services to cruise passengers and to leave no stone unturned to provide that ultimate cruise experience.

The two-day sessions held in November 2017 brought together port employees who come in direct contact with cruise passengers (security, information and other personnel), tour operators, taxi drivers, store owners, jewelers (at the port and downtown), excursionists, dive shop operations, small hotel sector, restaurants, watersports, media and other cruise sector oriented businesses.

The sessions for cruise sector stakeholders were a huge success and underscored the destination’s eagerness to return to business in the right manner throughout the cruise season. The interests were very high, and those who attended were upbeat and ready to welcome cruise passengers back to the island.

A former cruise line executive was on hand to provide information and tips during the two-day sessions to prepare cruise tourism stakeholders on the alignment of cruise guests’ expectations with the destination’s story and the experience they need to deliver when the first guests arrive, as well as the significance of the first cruise ship call, which would shape future calls to the destination.

And the success of that call has indeed helped the destination build momentum. Major cruise lines like Carnival Corporation brands, Disney Cruise Line, MSC Cruises and Royal Caribbean Cruises brands have come back, and Port St. Maarten is looking forward to the return of European lines for the 2018-2019 season.

In the past, St. Maarten received high marks from cruise passenger and crew surveys. According to Business Research & Economic Advisors’ (BREA) latest survey-based analysis of the impacts of passenger, crew and cruise line spending in Caribbean and Latin American destinations, Sint Maarten led all destinations in passenger spending, with $355 million, despite having 37 percent fewer passenger visits than the leading destination—thanks to the study-leading average expenditure per passenger of $191, a staggering 84 percent above the study’s overall mean.

St. Maarten had the second-highest average expenditure per crew, at $119.13 per crew visit and 78 percent above the mean, and the third highest-number of crew onshore visits (377,400). This satisfaction and the numerous options led to Sint Maarten taking home the economic impact gold, with the study’s highest total cruise tourism expenditures among the 35 participating destinations, $423 million.

Destination St. Maarten is ready and open, and on track to not only to return to those aforementioned numbers, but to build onto them as the destination recovers #SXMStrong. Port St. Maarten Management is very appreciative of all the assistance rendered by cruise industry partners to the destination port-hurricane Irma.

The resilience of the local population and business community is at the forefront of the rebound, and the destination looks forward to offering cruise lines and passengers new tours and attractions in 2018, and to bring back other popular tours throughout the year.

Port St. Maarten Management says the destination will maintain the momentum, and everybody has been encouraged to ensure a unique, memorable and enriching visitor experience.