The tourist season resumes in Saint-Martin, at least partly in Holland. In recent weeks, several cruise ships have docked at the port of Philipsburg, dumping thousands of tourists just four months after Hurricane Irma.
Between the end of 2017 and the month of January 2018, many cruise ships are returning to the port of Philipsburg. Starting with the "Viking Sea" with 672 American passengers on board.
Last Thursday, four other liners dropped anchor in Philipsburg, 12 tourists and crew members who invaded "Friendly Island" the same day. A few days earlier, five other boats had already docked.
For the representatives of the port, this return of cruise passengers is “a sign of positive encouragement. Cruise tourism is gradually reborn ”. In fact, in one month, no less than 30 cruise ships called at Sint-Maarten.
Note that 37 other boats are expected this month and 44 in February. Clearly, the cruise resumes, and very beautifully, on the Dutch side!
Tourism officials are satisfied with the resumption of the “cruise” activity. The reception of tourists is done with a lot of entertainment, a paying recipe which has already proven itself in previous years.
Tourists, curious to see the state of the island after the passage of Irma are rather surprised to see Sint-Maarten get up so quickly. And for some, coming or returning to the Caribbean is also a way to help the economic recovery of these territories.
The French part pointed out
The only snag is that some cruise lines advise vacationers not to go to the French side, because "the beaches are not yet ready" to accommodate swimmers. Others still offer excursions to Marigot. A warning regretted by Valérie Damaseau, the 1st vice-president of the Collectivity, president of the Tourist Office of Saint-Martin, "certainly, Irma has particularly damaged our beautiful territory, but we have retained our sense of welcome ", She specifies.
It is true that the French side recovers more difficult than its Dutch neighbor and if our sense of hospitality is recognized, we must also listen to the criticisms of professionals in order to adapt our reception strategy to tourists.
Organizing activities on days when cruise passengers are particularly numerous would be a good thing ... could not the rehabilitated craft market be retained as a determining factor in the priorities?
Many other tourist sites, restaurants and other activities are still closed. Alas… _AF
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