Marigot: --- Leader of the Union Pour le Progres and Senator of St. Martin Louis Constant Fleming made his position clear regarding the French Tourist Office. Fleming in an interview with SMN News said he is rather concerned with how the Tourist Office is spending the people’s money and who are being hired to promote tourism on St. Martin.
Fleming said just last week he called in the President of the EPIC Ida Zin Ka Ieu where he had a serious discussion with her pertaining to the Tourist Office, the UPP leader said he does not believe the tourist office is doing a good job marketing the island. “Right now they are acting more like a committee de fete rather than promoting the island overseas.” Fleming explained that there is no need for the tourist office to organise promotional activities on the island instead, they should be working closer with the Dutch side to promote the island overseas.
Another concern for the UPP leader who was given the mandate of the people to govern St. Martin is the amount of foreign workers that are being hired by different sectors of the COM. He said he personally gave Zin Ka Ieu the resume of a very brilliant St. Martiner who could have rejuvenate the working relationship with the Dutch side but the EPIC president did not heed his advise. “I personally advised the EPIC president to call in this person and see what they can offer to St. Martin because the French looks at tourism differently from the Dutch.”
“How can you take on someone that has a handicap in communication with their counterparts as a director and most importantly why St. Martin should hire these young foreigners? He said he is not questioning anyone’s qualification but if that person has a language or cultural barrier then they are no use to the Tourist Office. My objective is to see the see the Office du Tourisme function as a tourist office and not as a committee du fete”.
Fleming said while there are a number of studies made on tourism the monies spent by the tourist office brings back no returns to the island. He admitted that very soon an audit would have to be conducted to see where the two to three million Euros are being spent. He made clear that while there are people who have political responsibilities also have criminal responsibilities. If there is an investigation done they would have to answer to the authorities like everyone else if there is misappropriation of funds.
Fleming said they have agreed that tourism is the common denomination of the two sides and it is imperative for them to work together. He said he particularly told the EPIC president that she cannot fight or cause war with the Dutch side instead the French side has to be humble and admit that the Dutch side has progressed more than the French side of the island. The senator said he is not in a position to judge what took place at the tourist office over the last 20-years but he does know that the island has to move forward.
The senator said it is clear that the Dutch side is ahead of the French side because of their investments while the French side is yet to catch up. He said prior to having major cooperation the two-tourist office must begin to work together on a closer level.
Fleming said that unless the two entities work together the island would not move forward. “It cannot be that the Dutch side is marketing in the US and South America and the French in Europe. It is evident that flights from the US and South America is the easiest to get to the island while the US has more potential for tourism.”
Asked about the amount of monies spent to organize the Caribbean Festival the president said the CTC would have to answer to this also because he himself cannot understand who would organize such an event in July and charge 30 Euros for patrons to attend shows during a recession. Fleming said he has been listening to the radio programs like everyone else and he heard the stories of how many people were not paid also. This he said has to be clarified by the CTC and the Collectivity.
The senator said he already had an experience with the CTC in 2008 when they built a number of booths for the carnival village and gave the COM a bill of Euros 100,000 which had to be paid by the SEMSAMAR. Fleming said right now St. Martin needs money for training of its civil servants and he does not know how to approach the State for this money when the island spent Euros 400,000 on a fete. Another concern for the senator is the promoter that was brought in from Guadeloupe to organise the event. The UPP leader and senator said he is expected to invite all his councillors (majority) to a meeting including the President where they would have to establish their achievements over the last two years. He said election would be in two years and his party would have to show him what they achieved. “When we elected the executive council there were four vice presidents, each of them has responsibilities and they would have to show what they accomplished over the last two years.”
