About that elephant

St. Maarten and Saint Martin have just received the kind of international exposure destinations spend heavily to secure. Across several Los Angeles Times special supplement features, officials and private-sector leaders from both sides of the island presented a confident, attractive picture of who we are and where we are going.

On the French side, Valérie Damaseau, Aïda Weinum and Alain Richardson spoke about boutique tourism, gastronomy, new hotel rooms, housing, infrastructure, renewable energy and investment. On the Dutch side, Grisha Heyliger-Marten, May-Ling Chun and George Pelgrim highlighted tourism, air access, luxury development, destination marketing, shipping and St. Maarten's growing importance as a regional logistics hub. They did what destination leaders are supposed to do. They promoted the island.

But there is still an elephant in the room: Traffic.

Oh it might not seem that bad now, but this is when we get lulled into complacency. The next high season is coming, and the country has heard very little about a comprehensive traffic plan capable of dealing with another period of intense visitor arrivals, cruise activity, school traffic, construction, local movement and an ever-growing number of vehicles competing for the same limited road network.

We already know what gridlock looks like. Residents lose hours. Workers arrive late. Visitors sit in traffic instead of spending time in restaurants, shops and attractions. Tour operators struggle with schedules. Airport passengers become anxious about missed flights. Emergency access becomes more difficult. The destination experience promoted so beautifully abroad can begin to feel very different once a visitor is sitting in a vehicle that barely moves.

You can build the best airport, attract major hotel brands, expand the cruise sector and produce world-class destination campaigns, but if movement across the country becomes increasingly frustrating, the experience begins to undermine the promise. This is not a criticism of promoting St. Maarten. Quite the opposite. The recent international exposure should be applauded. Officials on both sides presented the island with ambition, confidence and a clear understanding of its value. But successful promotion must be matched by preparation.

As such, we hope there is a high-season traffic plan in development. The public does not need another broad promise that traffic is being studied. We, the commuters, are the experts. By now, we all know where the congestion occurs and when it gets worse. The Los Angeles Times exposure showed the world a destination with enormous potential. It showed leaders who understand how to speak positively about the island and attract attention to its strengths.

We love the promotion, we love to see it. It brings people to our shores.

But when they arrive, they have to be able to move.

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