by Cdr. Bud Slabbaert
Technology is accelerating, traveler expectations are shifting. The Caribbean is at a crossroads. By combining AI with Behavioral Psychology, one gains something powerful: the ability to design systems around how people actually behave, not how it is assumed they behave. In governance, that means services that build trust. In tourism, it means experiences shaped by emotion and culture. In air transportation, it means understanding the Caribbean traveler and strengthening route viability. Together, these insights form a unified intelligence strategy that makes our region more trusted, more competitive, and more connected. This isn’t just modernization; Caribbean transformation, powered by data, guided by psychology, and anchored in culture, is a new blueprint.
The Caribbean is being reshaped by forces larger than any one island: technology, climate, global mobility, and the rising expectations of its people and its visitors. But the truth is simple: the future of the Caribbean will not be built by technology alone. It will be built by understanding people. That is where AI and Behavioral Psychology come together, as tools for designing a Caribbean that is more trusted, more competitive, and more connected. A model built specifically for the region could be called: “the Caribbean Human‑Centered Intelligence Framework”. It unites three pillars of development, governance, tourism, and air transportation, into one human‑focused strategy.
1. Governance: Trust through adaptive intelligence. AI helps to see patterns in how citizens use services, where frustration builds, and what communities need before they ask. Behavioral psychology explains why people behave the way they do, why they avoid certain processes, why trust rises or falls, why some messages resonate, and others don’t. When combining the two, one gets predictive governance with services designed around real human behavior. Policies are tested before launch. And communication is shaped by culture, not bureaucracy
2. Tourism: Experiences move people. Tourism is the region’s global identity. AI can now map what travelers search for, what inspires them, and what makes them choose one island over another. Behavioral psychology explains why scarcity drives bookings, why authenticity matters, and why diaspora travelers respond to identity cues. Together, they allow us to design emotion‑driven tourism. The Caribbean can lead the world in tourism powered by culture and guided by behavioral insights.
3. Air Transportation: Understanding the Caribbean Traveler. Air transport is the region’s bloodstream. AI can analyze passenger flows, booking patterns, and stress points in the airport journey. Behavioral psychology explains why reliability matters more than price, why respect shapes loyalty, and why symbolic gestures — like first‑flight ceremonies- matter in our region. Together, they create passenger‑centered aviation and build a more connected Caribbean.
The real power emerges when all three sectors are connected. Governments, tourism boards, airports, and airlines all serve people, and people behave in patterns that can be understood, predicted, and shaped.
A unified Caribbean intelligence system would enable the anticipation of visitor flows and the improvement of route viability. This is not just modernization but rather Caribbean transformation. The question is no longer whether AI will shape the Caribbean. The question is whether AI is shaped to serve the Caribbean. If one combines data with culture, technology with behavioral psychology, one can build a region that is not only smarter but also stronger.
PHILIPSBURG:--- JCI Dutch Caribbean National President Anjeanee Mathew has successfully concluded her participation in the JCI National Presidents’ Meeting held in Mexico City from January 29–31, joining fellow JCI leaders from across the Americas for strategic dialogue, collaboration, and leadership development.
PHILIPSBURG:---- In line with the continued development of the organization on Sint Maarten, SOAB announces that Saskia N. Salomons was appointed Director of SOAB Sint Maarten, effective 1 January 2026.
