After praising Saba and Anguilla, O'Reilly described St. Maarten, "especially the Dutch side, a disaster".
"Chaos... doesn't even come close to describing the governmental situation down there – not the folks, the government. The resorts are alright, but the authorities running the island are pinheads," O'Reilly said, while adding that his viewers would like Anguilla better.
"Of course, this is nothing to rejoice about; but it is nothing to panic about either," LaBega stated. "Perhaps it is worth remembering that the owner of Fox, media mogul Rupert Murdoch has been a frequent guest of St. Maarten for at least a decade now, coming here every year with his luxury yacht. There must be a reason he has chosen to make St. Maarten the homeport for his winter vacation."
"In other words, I would be more concerned if O'Reilly's boss – Rupert Murdoch himself – were to make any derogatory remarks about St. Maarten, its people, or even its government," the Director of Tourism added.
LaBega was, however, quick to point out that negative comments about the destination generally should not be seen as a condemnation, but as a call to action to improve "our services, our properties, our overall standard of living in a sustainable manner, bearing in mind that we are doing these first and foremost for ourselves and for our children's children."
"We can be defensive all we want or question the motives and/or agenda of those who make such negative remarks, but one thing is sure, we would be playing ostrich if we refuse to recognize the challenges we're facing together as a people, and work hard to overcome and seek sustainable solutions to them," LaBega said.
"The reason Commissioner Frans Richardson and I are currently in Brazil is to further solidify arrangements that would lead to an increased market share of this fast-growing Latin American market. We will certainly not be distracted from this endeavor," the Director of Tourism said.
"Gol Airlines, one of Brazil's leading carriers, will begin weekly, year round, scheduled flights to St. Maarten on June 1, 2010 and there is a good possibility that we may be able to add another airline on the same route. This is our focus: to make St. Maarten a year-round destination by opening up new markets without, of course, ignoring our traditional source of visitors. It is a mission we must accomplish to continue to fill our hotel rooms, our restaurants and stores and keep our economy on the right track," LaBega concluded.
