Surprise News: Tripadvisor Announces 10 Top Travel Destinations
May 6, 2008
Guess what, Philipsburg St. Maarten ranks #3 on TripAdvisors list of top 10 travel destinations in the world!
The listing was created from millions of TripAdvisors members which ranked St. Maarten a #3 spot right behind two New Zealand destinations and ahead of two Virgin Island destinations.
Here is the list as chosen by millions of TripAdvisor travelers.
1. Milford Sound, New Zealand
2. Queenstown, New Zealand
3. Philipsburg, St. Maarten/St. Martin
4. Rhodes, Greece
5. Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
6. Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands
7. Bridgetown, Barbados
8. Banff, Canada
9. Lake Tahoe, California
10. Salzburg, Austria
Even though TripAdvisor did not disclose the source of information that landed St. Maarten this high up on the list, it is reassuring to know that 18,150,812 travelers from 190 countries planned Trips on TripAdvisor this week alone.
Bonaire gets award
May 5, 2008
Bonaire is the new recipient of the prestigious Islands Magazine/Caribbean Tourism Organization 2008 Sustainable Tourism Award. Read more
Controversial Cupecoy Yacht club to be finished by April 2009
April 29, 2008
The gated community has been the subject of much controversy over the past couple of years, but in spite of the protests and discussions and environmental concerns, the power of concrete and capital once more have won the “battle”.
The developer of the project, Orient Express Hotels Ltd. owns some 38 other hotels elsewhere including The Villas in La Savanne, Saint Martin. Controversy arose in 2005 because environmental groups expressed serious concerns about the preservation of the Simpson Bay Lagoon; Government expressed at the time that construction would have to stay 15 meters away from the coastline and ten meters from the Lagoon however artist impressions of the Cupecoy Yacht Club shows that the developers did not comply.
A second incident occurred when a historic slave wall was on the verge of being demolished at the start of the construction when public outcry over this halted the construction and the developer was “ordered” to alter its construction plans.
A third incident came to light when the developer requested to build part of its development on the former 500 year old road and finally received approval to, “at developer’s expense”, reroute the road to accommodate the construction.
Several voices have now raised the question why big developers who overburden the Island’s infrastructure and seem to throw money at commissioners, can do what they want. There is truth to the fact that approximately 2,400 units are or will be under construction within the year and the concern is raised about such a development boom leading to an additional 5-6000 cars to an already overburdened road infrastructure without even looking at the stress on water and electricity production.
The almighty dollar, well it is not that mighty anymore, seems to win the game most of the time, however the battle over building up to the waterlines on both sides (Ocean and Lagoon) may become a hot issue that even Government may loose its shirt over.
Caricom Secretary General Edwin Carrington urges St. Maarten free movement of professional workers
April 27, 2008
During the three day visit of Secretary General of the Caricom States, Edwin Carrington urged St. Maarten to adhere to the principle of free movement of professional workers. That was one of the main messages seeking cooperation ties with the independent states of the Caribbean Islands.
This is also the major stumbling block since St. Maarten is technically not an independent State and as such joining the ongoing regional process of integration, being part of the Netherlands Antilles, is complicated and often, for constitutional reasons, impossible.
Visits by dignitaries from the Caribbean region almost never fail to inspire and raise high hopes for effective cooperation in the future and as such the visit of the Secretary General was no different. But often after the last fair-wells have been said the euphoria marking these visits dies down, realization kicks in that such cooperations are often based on unattainable decision making process.
Often good intentions become hollow words when put into the context of legality and die another “ungraceful” death. This should not happen this time since the process of dismantling the Netherlands Antilles is a certainty, albeit not known when. Within the negotiations in the dismantling process a clear stipulation should be included that allows unilateral trade agreements to be made with the surrounding Caricom islands, benefitting all parties concerned.
The opportunity to for once and for all set the negotiations and cooperation into full motion so they will lead to some real mutual beneficial results, the Government of St. Maarten should use the “latitude” and assistance offered by the Secretary General to reach an agreement with the Kingdom partners over the “free trade zone” with the independent Caribbean Nations joined under the Caricom.
Since St. Maarten and Saint Martin do not produce anything and are fully dependent on imports for consumption, such trade agreements can only support the Caribbean economies toward some self sustainability.
One of the main reasons the Secretary General asked to consider the free movement of professional workers (Media, Medical, Teachers, Musicians, Sport professionals and many others) which implies not to have to apply for work and residence permits is for planning of careers on a much broader scale and stimulates a thrust for higher quality.
In contrast, St. Maarten’s current immigration regulations suffocate ambition and prompt professionals to move to America or Europe. Moreover, the regulations spread an environment of insecurity. St. Maarten must replace these choking regulations with sensible policies, inspired by Caricom’s forward thinking.
Another Boo-Boo by Central Government … and local Government
April 25, 2008
It turns out that the appointment of the “acting” Lt. Governor Millicent de Weever for St. Maarten was illegal according to Constitutional Law Expert Douwe Boersema at Spigthoff lawfirm in Curaçao.
Other legal experts believe that the best course of action is to do the honorable thing which is for Mrs. de Weever to resign.
The reason for the illegal appointment is that her brother Petrus “Leroy” de Weever was at the time of Mrs. de Weever’s appointment an Island Council member (and still is). According to the Island regulations (ERNA) the Lt. Governor (or Acting Lt. Governor) cannot be a blood relative of any of the Island Council Members.
The Central Government is the body that approves a candidate submitted by the Island Territory and as such is actually at fault, however annulments of appointed officials are difficult to reverse once sworn into office. Therefore the legal bodies urge Mrs. Millicent de Weever to do the honorable thing and resign since she cannot be forced to resign without a Kingdom decree.
Caribbean Activities Round Up
April 23, 2008
When I read the announcement of the 19th Annual St. Croix Triathlon early this morning, my thoughts went back to the first one, just before Hurricane Hugo hit the island in 1989. I had been on St.Croix for almost a year and got actively involved in the organization of the event. Excitement all around.
Something important was happening to St.Croix after all the misery of the Fountain Valley episode. TV deals were being made, exposure was being arranged and many athletes flocked in.
Great organization, great exposure and good cameraderie. I remember us serving the high carbo hydrate dinners to a row of young and strong athletes at the resort I was managing. There was excitement. The event went as planned and we sat down after it was all over to make the next one for 1990 bigger and better. But then Hurricane Hugo hit the island back into the canvas. There was no Triathlon in that year, hence it is not the 20th anniversary.
That will be next year….and I’m getting old. Anyway the 19th annual St. Croix Ironman 70.3 Triathlon, will be held on May 4, an island-wide event that includes a 1.24-mile swim around Christiansted harbor, a 56-mile bike ride, and a 13.1-mile run. For details, visit St. Croix thristhlon
Also pencil down SMART, the St. Maarten/St. Martin Regional Tradeshow, scheduled for May 20 to 22, Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino, St. Maarten. It showcases the islands of the northeastern Caribbean and provides buyers and sellers the venue in which to network and negotiate business. For details, visit SHTA.
I noticed that this is the first one where organizers realized that having the event on Mother’s Day for so many years was not promoting traffic or participation. I think I pointed that out 3 years ago. Okay so now the event coincides with the big Memorial Day Weekend here in the States. Poor SMART, they can’t get a break.
On another note, as I pointed out not long ago, in this down shifted economy you’d better learn to start hitting your competitors rather than trying to attract new markets, is taking hold. At least in Jamaica it is.
Jamaica’s prime minister Bruce Golding yesterday announced that Casino gambling will soon become a reality in Jamaica. The government’s decision for a go-ahead was announced during his presentation in the budget debate. The pie is getting smaller and more of us need to eat from it. My only question now is: who is going to keep crime out.
On a positive note, I would like to share a keynote speaker observation from the course Profits In Paradise I went to last week. I thought it was an eye opener. You judge.
“Leadership begins with recognizing that everybody needs four things,” said one speaker, “something to do, someone to love, something to hope for, and something to believe in. Strategic plans don’t excite anybody. Dreams excite people… And every employee, every team member, wants to know the same thing: Do you really care about me? Every successful organization shows its people they genuinely matter.”
How do you live up to those standards?
Bread and Butter?
April 22, 2008
The decision of the Island’s largest baker, Carl and Son’s, to stop baking white and whole wheat bread due to the rising prices of flour in a cost cutting matter, follows suit to other countries’ complaints about the rising food prices.
St. Dominic High School sweeps science fair prizes
April 21, 2008
St. Dominic High School dominated the 14th annual science fair capturing all first prizes in each of the categories (12-13, 14-15, 16 plus).
Still no signs of Leta Lynn Cordes
April 18, 2008
Search efforts for missing U.S. tourist Leta Lynn Cordes heightened recently with the arrival of a specialized search team and dogs, none which has been funded by her family.
What Delta-Northwest Merger Means for St.Maarten and Saint Martin
April 16, 2008
Atlanta carrier Delta, which recently came out of bankruptcy proceedings, immediately turned the industry’s scales and became the leading partner in the board approved 17.7 billion dollar merger with Northwest Airlines out of Minneapolis. Make no mistake, Delta is actually buying Northwest Airlines. With 800 aircraft and some 75,000 people employed worldwide, once again a new “biggest” airline in the world has been crowned.
What will this mean for St.Maarten’s tourism? Well, obviously we’re just a very small pea in the pod, but for the moment it looks like there are some benefits of scale. More cities will have less burdensome, quicker access to St.Maarten. With fast connections, preferably even direct flights being the number one customer desire in airtravel, St.Maarten’s marketplace will expand exponentially with this “merger”. But there is also a downside…..
