Philipsburg:--- A delegation led by the Honourable Deputy Prime Minister of St. Maarten Theodore Heyliger travelled to St. Barths on May 6, 2011 to meet with St. Barths President Bruno Magras to discuss tourism strategies between both island nations. The meeting also included St. Maarten Minister of Tourism Hon. Franklin Meyers, Minister of Justice Hon. Roland Duncan and Director of Tourism Regina LaBega as well as St. Barths Vice President, Yves Greaux and Member of Collectivity Maxime Desouche.
The main objective of the meeting between St. Maarten/St. Martin and St. Barths was to establish relations with the government and tourism representatives from both islands, helping to enhance security, marketing, air service, development and maintenance.
Information was presented on the new Tourism Statistical Information System (TSIS) launching on Nov. 1, 2011, which was designed to improve information flow between the islands in terms of relevance, accuracy and distribution.
Another important focus discussed at the meeting was the strategies for improving the visitor experience while travelling between St. Maarten and St. Barths by land or sea.
"Our commitment to ensuring our visitors have a quality experience when transferring between both our islands is essential," explains Minister Heyliger. "St. Maarten, like St. Barths, is an ideal vacation destination and offers travellers a variety of activities, therefore working with St. Barths to help provide a smooth transition from island to island will only drive tourists to experience more than one Caribbean destination on their next vacation."
Another strategy discussed was the cooperative marketing activities with South American, European and U.S. airlines with St. Maarten and St. Barths pooling financial resources to position Princess Juliana International Airport as a major hub in the Caribbean. The representatives explored ways of accessing European Union funding for joint tourism projects.
The meeting concluded with all delegates reaffirming their commitment to the partnership and jointly working together to enhance economic environments of both island nations.