However, due to circumstances beyond his control, the Minister Plenipotentiary of the Netherlands Antilles, Mr. Marcel van der Plank, has expressed regrets he won't be able to be present. In his place, Mr. Robert Candelaria, Director of Antillenhuis, has confirmed his participation.
Commissioner of Tourism, Frans Richardson, will be leading the St. Maarten delegation to the event, accompanied by the Director of Tourism, Regina LaBega and Section Head Marketing, Edward Dest.
"It is very important to re-position St. Maarten in the Dutch market, especially taking advantage of the new branding of the island, which has been receiving rave reviews in all the other markets," said Commissioner Frans Richardson.
He added that he expects that the presence of high-profile Dutch authorities at the launch would further add weight to the initiative and bring greater media attention to the event.
"It is indeed an important component of our marketing strategy to ensure that the new branding of the destination reaches the target segment we are seeking to attract and this opportunity will hopefully result in the Dutch seeing St. Maarten in a new light," Director of Tourism, Regina LaBega said.
The new branding has already been launched successfully in the United States, and the Latin American markets.
"We are expecting similar positive results from the Dutch market," LaBega added.
