PHILIPSBURG:--- In a recent meeting, the Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic, and Telecommunication joined SCDF representatives to discuss Carnival 2025’s success and plan a forward-looking partnership agreement for upcoming celebrations. The talks revealed that Carnival is both an economic driver and a cultural highlight in the island’s society.
The Minister commended the Carnival event for its success in attracting large crowds and strengthening local commerce while highlighting St. Maarten’s cultural wealth. “Carnival is not only our most unifying cultural event, it is also a critical economic engine,” the Minister stated. “The success we saw in 2025 is a testament to the hard work of our local partners and the tangible benefits that a vibrant cultural program brings to our community.”
The Minister maintained that government investments in international projects like the Soul Beach Music Festival serve a wider strategic plan despite criticisms about neglecting local events. St. Maarten can both draw visitors during the low season and strengthen our economy by prolonging the high tourist season. This combined strategy establishes a dynamic environment enabling local cultural festivals to coexist with internationally recognized events, which benefits everyone involved.
At the meeting, participants discussed multiple innovative ideas to be included in the partnership agreement with SCDF, such as:
- Coordinated scheduling
- Strategic co-branding
- Enhanced safety protocols
- Visitor engagement and hospitality
- Future-oriented research and partnerships
- Technological integration
The draft partnership agreement presents these proposals, which demonstrate the government's dedication to building a dynamic cultural environment that benefits social cohesion and economic prosperity. By fine-tuning operational details such as the integration of tours from the harbor and selling international packages for accommodations and event tickets, the partnership’s goal is to endorse Carnival as a lasting economic and cultural asset for the island.
President of the SCDF Edward Radjouki said: “It is encouraging to see that discussions with the government on a long-term agreement for Carnival are progressing in a meaningful way. Carnival 2025 was, in large part, successful due to the commitment Minister Heyliger-Marten made to the festival. Now, the focus must shift to making Carnival sustainable through steadfast collaboration, marketing support, and outside-the-box thinking. We have always maintained that with the proper support, St. Maarten’s Carnival would be unmatched in the Northeastern Caribbean. As we prepare to celebrate the 55th edition of Carnival, we look forward, together with the government, to further developing the country’s largest calendar event.”
The Minister reiterated, “Our strategic investments in events like Carnival and the Soul Beach Music Festival are not mutually exclusive. Our tourism sector benefits from a domino effect when we build up our local events calendar. The economic success created by these festivals plays a crucial role in maintaining our cultural distinctiveness and supporting the public services essential to our community’s functioning.”
The revitalized focus on event programming and tourism development seeks to win critics over by showing that all investments are deliberately designed to deliver lasting positive outcomes. The partnership with the SCDF and the standards set by Carnival 2025 will lead to a new period of cultural festivals alongside economic strength and community solidarity.
