MP Irion credits businesses and influencers for carrying much of St. Maarten’s tourism promotion

GREAT BAY--Member of Parliament Ardwell Irion has credited St. Maarten’s private sector, local businesses, entertainers and independent social media personalities with playing a major role in keeping the destination visible to travelers, while questioning whether Government is doing enough to market the country through its own official channels.

Irion raised the issue during Parliament’s continued handling of the draft 2027 national budget, after recent discussion about St. Maarten experiencing a better-than-expected slow season and performing well on social media platforms such as TikTok.

The MP said he had spoken with and verified with businesses that the island had indeed experienced a stronger period than might normally be expected during the slower tourism months. However, he cautioned against automatically interpreting that performance as evidence that Government’s tourism marketing is responsible.

Irion said St. Maarten has benefited from the efforts of people and businesses that continuously promote the island without waiting for an official campaign.

He pointed to private businesses, nightlife operators, restaurants, entertainers and social media personalities whose content regularly reaches audiences outside St. Maarten and gives potential visitors a reason to consider the destination.

Irion specifically referenced local business operators involved in the food and entertainment sectors as examples of people who are effectively promoting St. Maarten through their own platforms.

His argument was that when Government points to St. Maarten performing well on TikTok, it must also recognize where much of that content and visibility is actually coming from.

According to Irion, the destination’s social media presence is being strengthened significantly by individuals and private businesses that create content showing what visitors can eat, where they can go, what they can experience and what St. Maarten’s nightlife has to offer.

The MP said that contribution should be acknowledged rather than allowing Government to take broad credit for online visibility generated outside of its own tourism-marketing operations.

At the same time, Irion made clear that he was not criticizing the employees of the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau.

He said he believes the staff are doing the best they can with the means available to them and shifted his questions toward whether Government has provided them with enough resources to effectively compete with other destinations.

Irion asked how much money would actually be required to give Tourism Bureau personnel the tools they need to build a stronger digital presence.

He questioned why Government is not making greater use of relatively inexpensive social media promotion, pointing out that even modest spending to boost content on platforms such as Facebook can substantially increase the number of people reached.

The MP also drew attention to the growth of St. Maarten’s official social media pages compared with other small tourism destinations.

He questioned whether Government is properly measuring that performance and whether sufficient attention is being given to expanding the country’s presence on Instagram, TikTok and other platforms where travelers increasingly discover destinations.

For Irion, the issue is particularly relevant because Government continues to speak about expanding tourism while the 2027 budget raises questions about the level of resources being directed toward marketing.

He asked Government to explain what measurable tourism and economic indicators will be used to determine whether its 2027 approach is successful.

The MP also questioned whether the Tourism Bureau has identified exactly what additional resources it requires, and whether Government is prepared to provide those resources.

Irion said St. Maarten should not find itself in a situation where private businesses and individuals are effectively keeping the island’s digital marketing alive while the official destination-marketing organization lacks the means to maintain a comparable presence.

He acknowledged that the private sector has always played a major role in St. Maarten’s tourism economy and said the contribution of businesses should continue to be encouraged.

However, he argued that Government has a responsibility to complement those efforts with a deliberate and adequately funded destination-marketing strategy.

That means, in Irion’s view, not simply pointing to strong visitor numbers or social media trends, but determining what Government itself is doing to generate those results.

He wants Government to identify how much is being invested in digital marketing, how the performance of official tourism platforms is being measured, what the Tourism Bureau needs to improve its reach and what additional support will be provided in 2027.

Irion’s message was that the private sector deserves much of the credit for keeping St. Maarten visible, but Government should use that momentum as a foundation for a stronger official marketing effort rather than relying on businesses and independent promoters to carry the destination’s image on their own.

‍