The tourism industry in St. Maarten/St. Martin continues to recover at a steady pace as hotels re-open following the passage of Hurricanes Irma and Maria last September and airlines add new service.
Hotels & Activities
As of May, there are just under 2,000 bookable rooms available across the entire island. These are primarily villas, condos, guest houses and boutique hotels; several larger properties, however, have begun conducting soft openings in order to welcome back guests. Amongst the larger properties, Divi Little Bay Beach Resort, Simpson Bay Resorts & Marina and Oyster Bay Beach Resort opened their doors. Many of these properties are currently offering promotional discounts for travel through the end of 2018. Additionally, Sonesta has announced projected openings for the Sonesta Ocean Point Resort and the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Spa scheduled for November 15, 2018, and February 1, 2019, respectively.
Vacation St. Maarten reports that 87 percent of all on-island activities are also available for guests to enjoy. Popular offerings at Aqua Mania Adventures, Flavors of St. Maarten, Rainforest Adventures, Lee’s Deep Sea Fishing, the Topper’s Rhum Distillery and more are open to visitors. For those looking to get a taste of St. Maarten’s cuisine, the vast majority of restaurants on the Dutch side are open, in particular along Front Street, the Boardwalk, Simpson Bay and Maho Stripes.
New and Resumed Flights
As of May 2018, two-thirds of all carriers that provided flights to and from the airport have resumed regular service. From the United States, travelers can fly via United Airlines, American Airlines, JetBlue, Delta Air Lines, Spirit Airlines and Seaborne Airlines. Service from Toronto is available on WestJet, while Dominican carrier Air Century and Panama-based Copa Airlines have returned, as well.
American Airlines recently announced that it has increased seat capacity on their daily flight from Miami upgrading its Miami International Airport - Princess Juliana International Airport route to a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, accommodating 160 passengers. In addition, American Airlines will be adding a daily nonstop flight to St. Maarten from its hub at Charlotte Douglas International Airport starting November 4, as well as a second daily nonstop from Miami effective December 19. Both new flights are currently bookable and will be operated by Airbus A319 aircraft with a capacity of 128 passengers.
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