Port St. Maarten is expected to welcome its one millionth passenger to the shores of the country on Thursday, as the port continues to exceed projections made following the destruction of the facility after the passing of hurricane Irma just over a year ago.
Between January and September 6, the Port received 972,000 cruise passengers, St. Maarten Tourist Bureau Director May-Ling Chun told reporters at a stakeholder’s press conference held at the Oyster Bay Beach Resort on Monday.
Chun and her counterparts in French St. Martin provided an update on the current state of the various sectors on both sides of the island as well as gave projections for the future.
Stakeholders painted a promising picture of the island’s recovery during a stakeholder’s press meeting.
PJIA
Princess Juliana International Airport also had good news reporting that its approximate weekly seat capacity stood at 24,229 in the winter of 2016/2017 and it now stands at 10,792. A total of 21 of the 26 airlines serving the country pre-Irma have returned to the destination, which represents 84 per cent. Additionally, four new carriers are now plying the St. Maarten route: Air Century, SkyHigh, SXM Airways and interCaribbean.
Prior to Irma the country had 394 weekly flights. By October 2018, the airport projects the number of weekly flights to increase to 310, which represents 78.7 per cent.
Source: The Daily Herald St Maarten