PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Maarten Tourism Bureau (STB) recently concluded a series of promotional activities in the Netherlands that formed part of a comprehensive marketing plan to strengthen St. Maarten’s position as a premier Caribbean destination in the Netherlands by increasing brand visibility and generating tangible bookings.
An integral part of these marketing efforts included a cooperative promotional campaign with TUI Netherlands that strategically combined retail, online, and direct-to-consumer touchpoints to maximize consumer engagement.
This campaign concluded with positive results, surpassing all targets and generating direct bookings that impacted winter and summer bookings. TUI Netherlands is one of the largest sellers of St. Maarten in the Benelux and played a pivotal role in amplifying the island’s visibility and converting interest into sales.
TUI Netherlands confirmed that this growth is directly linked to the combined impact of this and prior joint promotions, highlighting the value and effectiveness of long-term marketing collaborations.
In addition to the TUI cooperative marketing campaign, the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau implemented a cross-channel activation that included an online and offline component to reach four million potential travelers.
Notable promotional activities that were successfully executed included native video advertising, social media advertising, digital billboard advertisements in metro stations, and bus advertisements, among other promotional activations.
By leveraging the network of TUI Netherlands and engaging with the Dutch consumers via impactful media, these initiatives have reinforced St. Maarten’s position as a must-visit Caribbean destination.
Stayover arrivals from the Netherlands have consistently shown growth year over year, with statistics showing an increase of 6.6% to 17% in Dutch visitors.
Statistics show that 34522 Dutch travelers visited the destination in 2024. KLM currently flies to St. Maarten three times weekly: Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Starting in June, KLM will have additional flights on Wednesdays and Saturdays.