Commissioner Frans Richardson, Director of Tourism Regina Labega, and Advisor to the Commissioner Fernando William, were a St. Maarten delegation that visited New York City this past week for a series of tourism-related meetings at The New Yorker Hotel and other locations throughout the region as well as a special media luncheon.
During the press lunch event, which took place on Wednesday, August 19, the St. Maarten delegation spoke with travel writers from various trade and consumer media outlets, including Bride’s, Cruise Industry News, For the Bride, Jax Fax, Meetings & Conventions, Money Magazine, Newhouse Newspapers, Performance Media Group (TravelPulse.com, Agent@Home and VacationAgent), Travel Weekly, Wedding Dresses Magazine, and Working Mother.
Other publications were represented by contributing editors, including the Associated Press, Avid Diver, Big Apple Parents, Boston Herald, Bridal Guide, Budget Travel, Caribbean Escapes, Caribbean Living Magazine, Caribbean Travel & Life, City Guide, Crain’s NY Business, Diversion, Elite Traveler, Hotels, Incentives & Meetings International, Luxury Travel Advisor, Mature Life Features, Modern Bride, New York Daily News, Ocean Style, OffBeatTravel.com, Passport Magazine, Promenade, Sherman’s Travel, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Travel & Leisure, TravelAge West, Travel Savvy and Woman’s Day.
At the lunch, Commissioner Richardson discussed St. Maarten’s tourism industry and his plans to help raise awareness of the island in key markets across the Americas and Europe. Commissioner Richardson also spoke of his plans to develop St. Maarten’s infrastructure in an environmentally friendly manner.
Other meetings throughout the week included meetings with airline partners and tour operators designed to further St. Maarten’s positioning as the most accessible and most value-oriented vacation destination in the Eastern Caribbean – a strategy that has proven to be a boon for the country’s tourism industry.
At a meeting at the JetBlue Headquarters, the St. Maarten delegation urged the airline to increase its frequencies out of New York and Boston and look at the possibility of adding flights out of Florida. Airline officials assured Commissioner Richardson that the New York flights would be restored to the same levels as last fall and winter, but Boston could not have additional flights right now because of aircraft scheduling at this time, but that they would watch the demand and act accordingly.
The delegation also had very productive meetings with two of the leading wholesalers promoting the destination including Pauline Abatemarco, Senior Director Caribbean, and Gineen Gallo, Caribbean Product Manager, both with Travel Impressions, and Jenna Brunelli, Product Manager for LibGo Travel. These meetings are expected to produce an increased level of marketing and sales activity which will hopefully drive more visitors to St. Maarten.
All the meetings were organized by New York-based KTCpr, the new marketing and public relations company hired by St. Maarten.