PHILIPSBURG:--- On June 27th, a new Expedia destination campaign for the country St. Maarten was launched. The campaign was the result of swift cooperation between acting Minister Ottley of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport, and Telecommunications, the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau, the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA), and many private sector entities on both sides of the island. 69 Companies on the Dutch side and French side of the island provided support for the upcoming campaign, the total of the fundraisers doubling government funding.
The 2022 campaign entails a highlighting of the destination St. Maarten on Expedia as the world’s largest online travel agency for the upcoming months. The campaign succeeds earlier public-private sector campaigns and is expected to bring extra room nights to St. Maarten. In previous years, similar campaigns brought in 31% more bookings than average via Expedia.
In a recent analysis by SHTA, destination St. Maarten has a great opportunity of increasing its occupancy during the summer season. This will assist in producing a steady flow of tourists throughout the year. The joint campaign with Expedia is intended as a direct measure to grasp this opportunity – though SHTA reminds us more needs to be done beyond this campaign alone to make a significant and lasting comeback as a tourism destination.
SHTA wholeheartedly thanks all hotels, suppliers, activity providers, nautical companies, retailers, NGOs, and other organizations that supported the campaign without hesitation.
