St. Maarten air arrivals climb 21.4%, cruise passengers increase 13.9% in first half of 2026

GREAT BAY--Visitor arrivals to St. Maarten increased strongly during the first half of 2026, with both air and cruise traffic surpassing the same period last year, according to figures compiled by the Department of Statistics (STAT).

Between January and June 2026, St. Maarten recorded an estimated 1.56 million visitor arrivals, approximately 16.5 percent more than the 1.34 million recorded during the first six months of 2025. The increase was supported by growth in both air and cruise arrivals, with air travel recording the faster rate of growth while cruise tourism remained the larger source by overall volume.

Air arrivals up nearly 100,000

Air arrivals reached 566,722 during the first half of 2026, an increase of 21.4 percent compared with 466,800 during the same period in 2025. This represented 99,922 additional arrivals through Princess Juliana International Airport.

Growth remained consistent across the first two quarters. Air arrivals increased by 22.5 percent in the first quarter, reaching 314,765, while the second quarter recorded 251,957 arrivals, an increase of 20.0 percent compared with Q2 2025.

Every month during the first half of 2026 recorded more air arrivals than the corresponding month in 2025. March was the busiest month, with 112,525 arrivals, followed by January with 102,893. The figures indicate that the increase was spread across the first six months rather than being driven by a single exceptionally strong month.

Cruise traffic also higher

Cruise passenger arrivals totalled 993,649 between January and June 2026, up 13.9 percent from 872,359 during the same period last year. That represents an additional 121,290 cruise passengers.

The strongest cruise growth occurred during the first quarter, when arrivals reached 748,603, an increase of 17.7 percent compared with 2025. January was the busiest cruise month of the first half of the year, with 292,526 passengers coming ashore.

Second-quarter cruise growth was more moderate. The quarter recorded 245,046 passengers, 3.7 percent above Q2 2025. April and June exceeded their respective 2025 totals, while May declined to 57,123 passengers from 70,019 one year earlier.

Tourism activity remains strong

The figures are significant for St. Maarten because visitor arrivals remain one of the most closely watched indicators of economic activity. Tourism supports a large share of employment, business activity and government revenue, while air and cruise visitors contribute to the economy in different ways.

Air visitors generally stay several days and spend on accommodation, restaurants, transportation and other services, while cruise passengers typically visit for the day. Taken together, the first-half figures show St. Maarten attracting substantially more visitors than one year earlier, with continued air-arrival growth providing much of the momentum.

STAT said the figures are based on arrival records from Immigration & Border Protection Services for air traffic and Port St. Maarten for cruise traffic. The statistics cover January through June 2026 and are compared with the corresponding months of 2025.

Second-quarter figures are provisional and may be revised as final records are processed.

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