Port St. Maarten on course for nearly 1.8 million cruise passengers in 2026

POINT BLANCHE-- Port St. Maarten welcomed 1,051,030 cruise passengers from 396 vessel calls during the first seven months of 2026, placing the destination ahead of its preliminary projections and on course to receive nearly 1.8 million cruise passengers by the end of the year.

Passenger traffic through July was 40,151 above the port’s projected year-to-date figure, while the number of vessel calls was four above projection. Port St. Maarten had initially projected 656 calls and 1,738,393 passengers for the full year.

Should the monthly projections for August through December hold, while the gains recorded during the first seven months are maintained, St. Maarten could close 2026 with approximately 1,778,544 cruise passengers from 660 vessel calls. This would place the final passenger total around 40,000 above the original full-year projection and bring the country close to the 1.8 million mark.

January recorded the strongest performance during the period, with 292,526 passengers from 117 calls, exceeding the monthly passenger projection by 13,123. February followed with 227,719 passengers from 105 calls, while March delivered 228,358 passengers from 94 calls.

April recorded 119,940 passengers from 38 calls, followed by 57,123 passengers from 14 calls in May. June welcomed 67,983 passengers from 15 calls, exceeding its preliminary passenger projection by 10,922.

July continued the positive trend with 57,381 passengers from 13 vessel calls. This was 12,396 passengers above the preliminary projection of 44,985 and one call more than initially anticipated.

The remaining five months of 2026 are projected to generate 727,514 passengers from 264 calls. Cruise activity is expected to increase significantly during the traditional high-season period, with November projected to deliver 213,553 passengers and December projected to welcome 331,765.

The figures demonstrate that Port St. Maarten is entering the second part of the year ahead of its passenger and vessel-call projections, with the final quarter expected to play a major role in determining whether the country reaches nearly 1.8 million cruise visitors for 2026.

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