Heyliger-Marten: Tourism growth and household well-being are not the same

GREAT BAY--Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication Grisha Heyliger-Marten told Parliament that strong tourism performance cannot be treated as an end in itself if households and local businesses are not seeing enough of the benefit, stressing that Government must move from simply recording economic growth to creating economic opportunity that people can actually feel.

Responding to a series of questions during the 2026 Budget debate, Heyliger-Marten acknowledged the tension between St. Maarten’s strong tourism performance and the continued financial pressure being experienced by many households.

“Tourism growth and household well-being are not the same,” was the central point of her response. While St. Maarten can recognize that its tourism sector is performing strongly compared to the region, she said Government must simultaneously acknowledge that families continue to struggle with the cost of living.

Heyliger-Marten said the more important question is how Government ensures that a greater share of the economic activity generated by tourism reaches households, employees and locally owned businesses.

She said TEATT’s focus is increasingly shifting from simply pursuing tourism growth to generating greater tourism value, strengthening local businesses and production, reducing dependence on imports and keeping more of the tourism dollar circulating within St. Maarten.

The Minister also stood by her earlier statement that economic growth must become economic opportunity, telling Parliament there was nothing to correct in that position. For Heyliger-Marten, that means stronger local businesses, more employment, increased investment and greater participation by St. Maarten residents in the economic activity taking place around them.

Heyliger-Marten also responded to MP Darryl York’s challenge for evidence of what TEATT’s earlier “R4 Effect” approach had actually delivered. She explained that R4 was never intended to be one project with a single completion date, but rather a framework for reshaping, rebuilding, restructuring and reforming different areas under TEATT’s broad mandate.

Under that framework, she pointed to tourism marketing across the Caribbean, North America and Europe, strengthened airline and travel-trade relationships, SMART 2025, the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, support for micro, small and medium-sized businesses, organizational work toward several new agencies and authorities, an electronic business-license application pilot and continuing reforms involving licensing, statistics, gambling and passenger transportation.

The Minister said some initiatives were completed while others necessarily involved research, legislative drafting, institutional design and procedural work before implementation could begin. She said the current “Followed by Design” approach is intended to move more of those reforms from preparation into execution with clearer deliverables, timelines and accountability.

In terms concrete deliverables rather than policies, Heyliger-Marten pointed to approximately Cg. 3 million in destination marketing activities, support for major tourism events including SMART and the Heineken Regatta, employee engagement and retention initiatives estimated at approximately Cg. 35,000, and approximately Cg. 238,000 in support for MSME development through the Small Enterprise Development Center. She also cited the purchase of new Christmas decorations intended to improve key commercial and public areas during the tourism season.

MP York had also challenged Government over allocating money for a proposed tourism capital project before securing a final agreement with the private landowners and before full feasibility, architectural and engineering studies had been completed.

Heyliger-Marten rejected the suggestion that approving a budget allocation means Government is immediately spending the money. She explained that Parliament first establishes a budget ceiling, after which Government can legally undertake the detailed studies, designs and procurement processes required before construction.

The Minister said the allocation remained uncommitted, unspent and on hold until the necessary legal and preparatory steps are completed. She added that no responsible minister should spend public money on a project without first obtaining the legal right to execute it.

Heyliger-Marten further argued that Parliament should distinguish between approving a financial ceiling and Government entering into a binding financial commitment. According to the Minister, the budget authorization permits Government to fund preparatory activities such as final designs and engineering work but does not by itself authorize construction or create an obligation to build.

In closing her responses, the Minister returned to tourism and outlined what she described as her broader vision for the sector.

She said St. Maarten must move from “chasing volume to creating value,” arguing that success cannot be measured only by how many passengers arrive. Government must also examine how long visitors stay, how much they spend, what they experience and, critically, how much of that economic activity reaches local businesses, workers and communities.

Her long-term objective, she said, is a high-value, year-round, experience-driven destination that is less dependent on a few peak periods, while strengthening slower seasons, diversifying source markets and expanding opportunities in markets such as South America without abandoning St. Maarten’s traditional North American, European and Caribbean markets.

Heyliger-Marten said that vision must also include stronger skills and certification in hospitality, culinary services, customer service, management and other tourism professions, alongside continued investment in infrastructure, public spaces, transportation, airlift and the overall visitor experience.

Most importantly, she said tourism growth must translate into greater economic participation for St. Maarten residents.

The objective, Heyliger-Marten told Parliament, is not simply to bring more visitors to the island, but to ensure that local entrepreneurs, suppliers, cultural practitioners and workers capture a greater share of the value tourism creates.

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