PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of TEATT Roger Lawerence told reporters on Wednesday that he attended the Seatrade Cruise-Global this past week, which is the largest tradeshow in the cruise industry.
St. Maarten, he said participated in panel discussions and it was during this tradeshow that St. Maarten was nominated and selected for the Wear back Seatrade award. The award is a representation of St. Maarten’s commitment to the industry.
The Minister said that a realization path for the country will allow the start of the reposition as the leading destination in the Caribbean.
St. Maarten is now at the beginning stages of the last quarter of the year. The country’s ports of entry are expected to have a good fourth quarter.
By the end of the year, the airport is expecting to have two-thirds of its pre-covid numbers. In 2019 St. Maarten had over 715,000 passenger arrivals and by the end of the year, approximately 450,000 passenger arrivals are expected.
The Minister said this week the airport is planning to hand over the keys to the contractors to continue the reconstruction of the terminal building. The Canadian airlines will be restarting their destination, while PJIAE welcomed Sunwing in late September and it is expected that Air Canada, WestJet, and Air Transat will be returning in the coming months.
The Port is also expecting to have a good rebound in the fourth quarter. Based on the cruise ship’s capacity the port can expect between 150,000 to 400,000 passengers, which has been observed due to the steady increase in the capacity of the ships.
