The year 2009 has been a challenging year for the Port of St. Maarten with respect to the fall-out of the international financial-economic crisis.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Mingo says he is not deterred as the island as a cruise destination has a lot to offer cruise passengers and cruise lines.
Mingo along with Supervisory Board Chairman Michel Soons and Cruise Manager Nzinga Lake left the island over the weekend to attend Seatrade Europe which is being held from September 15-17 at the Hamburg Messe Fairground in Germany.
Seatrade Europe is the leading meeting place for the Cruise, Ferry, Rivercruise and Superyacht industries.
The European market is seen as a very important developing market where four million Europeans take a cruise on an annual basis. The top two European source markets are the United Kingdom and Germany.
"The Port of St. Maarten has done very well with attracting European cruise lines and therefore the European cruise passenger. As a cruise destination we have to continue to build upon our established relationships and secure new business and opportunities for the island.
"From an infrastructural perspective as a cruise port, we have invested heavily over the years with the most recent being the construction of a second cruise pier jetty to accommodate the largest cruise vessels in the world that will set sail later this year.
"The construction of another tender jetty near Sea Palace is part of the overall development plan to spread the number of cruise passengers throughout the Philipsburg shopping area.
"Our philosophy as management and as a supervisory board guided by the vision of Commissioner of Port Affairs Theo Heyliger, has met I would say all expectations of the cruise lines and passengers as a premier cruise port in this part of the Caribbean.
"The Port of St. Maarten is definitely in line with the thinking of the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) where the current global economic crisis should be viewed as an opportunity and that you have to be at the forefront of the recovery when it comes.
"We continue to position ourselves in order to be able to take advantage of opportunities that come forth. Attending Seatrade Europe, will give us the leverage once again to meet with cruise line executives and hear about the latest trends and developments in the cruise industry and the outlook for the coming years based on the current global economic challenge. Based on this information we are able to continue to make informed decisions about our own port development and as a premier cruise destination," CEO Mark Mingo said over the weekend before leaving for Germany.