Alexander Gumbs reappointed for five more years as Port St. Maarten CEO

GREAT BAY--Alexander Gumbs has received a five-year renewal of his contract as Chief Executive Officer of Port St. Maarten Group, extending the tenure of an executive whose leadership period has coincided with a strong recovery and continued growth in the country’s cruise sector. Gumbs’ reappointment by the shareholder, the Government of St. Maarten, successfully completed the required process, including confirmation by the Corporate Governance Council.

Gumbs was initially appointed CEO in August 2021. His career with the port began much earlier, however, when he joined the organization as an intern in 2010 after completing his studies. He subsequently moved through the organization and eventually headed Business Development and Marketing before gaining additional international cruise industry experience.

Before returning to lead Port St. Maarten, Gumbs served as Director of Port Operations and Development for a major cruise corporation. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Commercial Economics and a master’s degree in Management and Leadership with a specialization in Project Management.

His new five-year term comes as St. Maarten continues to record growth in cruise tourism. In 2025, the country welcomed 1,597,940 cruise visitors, representing an overall increase of 16% compared with 2024. Growth was recorded in every quarter of the year, with cruise arrivals increasing by 11% in the first quarter, 14% in the second, 23% in the third and 22% in the fourth.

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The number of cruise calls also increased significantly. St. Maarten recorded 592 cruise calls in 2025, compared with 513 in 2024, an increase of 79 calls, or approximately 15%. The performance brought the destination close to the 600-call level last seen before Hurricane Irma.

That momentum continued into 2026. During the first quarter, St. Maarten welcomed 748,603 cruise visitors, compared with 635,968 during the same period in 2025. That represented growth of approximately 18% year-on-year.

Port St. Maarten has also continued working to deepen relationships with cruise lines and diversify its cruise offerings. In 2025, senior executives of Norwegian Cruise Line met with Gumbs and Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication Grisha Heyliger-Marten to discuss increasing cruise calls and passenger volumes.

The 2025-2026 cruise season further reflected the port’s ability to attract new vessels. MSC Grandiosa, Celebrity Xcel and Marella Discovery 2 made inaugural calls in December 2025, followed on January 1, 2026 by the inaugural visits of Sun Princess and Oceania Cruises’ Allura.

Gumbs has consistently emphasized that cruise growth must translate into wider economic opportunities for St. Maarten, particularly for businesses and workers who depend on visitor spending. During the opening of the 2025-2026 cruise season, he stressed that the success of the industry should be measured not only by passenger volumes, but also by the performance of businesses interacting with visitors and the quality of service delivered across the destination.

Port St. Maarten Group currently operates across four main areas, cruise, cargo, yachting and real estate, and remains a major component of St. Maarten’s tourism and maritime economy. The port’s current leadership team continues to list Gumbs as Chief Executive Officer.

The five-year renewal provides continuity at the helm of the organization at a time when cruise arrivals are growing, new vessels are entering the destination’s itinerary mix and Port St. Maarten continues to position itself for further expansion within the Caribbean cruise market.

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