Caribbean Travel Marketplace

It may seem odd that the interim minister of tourism and economic affairs asks the minister of public health to attend the Caribbean Travel Marketplace in the Bahamas, but the background of Minister Emil Lee – a former president of the Caribbean Hospitality and Trade Association – justifies this decision.

It is good to have a professional presence at this event, because destination marketing has been in the doldrums for too long, though one should not expect miracles from just one event.

The government would do well to take the lessons from Isabel Mosk at heart about the use of social media as the platform for destination marketing.

Done the proper way, this could lead to more visibility of St. Maarten in the overcrowded tourism market. Currently, the name of St. Maarten hardly ever appears in tourism trade journals or – maybe even more important – in lay publications.

If we really want to give a boost to the most important pillar of our economy, that definitely has to change.