Minister: Ongoing hotels, Mullet Bay can't be stopped, but after that "It's enough"

GREAT BAY--Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication Grisha Heyliger-Marten said Wednesday that, following two major hotel projects already underway and the likelihood of an eventual Mullet Bay redevelopment, Government must seriously consider placing a cap on additional large-scale development, citing increasing strain on infrastructure and daily resident experience during the high season. "It's enough," she said. "We have met our cap."

The Minister made the remarks during a live Council of Ministers press briefing in response to questions about traffic congestion, growth pressures, and whether St. Maarten is reaching a point where infrastructure must catch up before further expansion continues.

The Minister noted that two major hotel developments are already in progress and cannot be stopped at this stage: The Setai at Indigo Bay, formerly Vie L’Ven, and Planet Hollywood Beach Resort St. Maarten. She added that Mullet Bay is also expected to come into play in the near future.

With those developments in view, the Minister said the focus must shift toward managing how the country welcomes new capacity and determining what level of additional growth is sustainable.

“I personally believe with those three hotels, it’s enough,” the Minister said. “I think we have met our cap. We’re feeling it every day now during the high season, and there’s got to be a time now we say this is it, no more.”

Carrying capacity study to guide next steps

The Minister said Government is at a crossroads and is assessing next steps through a planned carrying capacity study, which she described as essential to determining where St. Maarten should “draw the line” on future development.

She explained that the study is intended to take a full, broad approach, examining not only how many people the country can accommodate, but also the impact on traffic, vehicle volumes, and infrastructure capacity.

According to the Minister, the outcome of the study is expected to provide a clear maximum threshold for St. Maarten’s carrying capacity and serve as a practical tool for policy decisions, including decisions on future hotel development.

The Minister said professional expertise will be needed to establish the data-driven benchmark that defines the country’s development cap, and she expressed hope that future administrations will respect the carrying capacity findings as a continuity tool for long-term planning.

Further updates are expected as Government advances the carrying capacity study and evaluates its development approach in light of current and projected tourism growth.

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