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St. Maarten lagging behind in South American marketing
by The Daily Herald
Posted: Oct 29, 2009 00:18 UTC
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~ No representation in key market ~
PHILIPSBURG - The recently concluded ABAV Tradeshow in Brazil, while presenting many positive opportunities for St. Maarten, made one aspect crystal clear for tourism officials from St. Maarten: the destination is lagging behind in its positioning strategy as it relates to the vital South American market.
Curaçao, Aruba and Barbados, through securing of agreements with Brazil in particular, have managed to secure the services of Gol and TAM Airlines, using Venezuela as a hub, something St. Maarten has continuously failed to do. Other Caribbean destinations have also invested heavily in the South American market.
Compounding St. Maarten’s shortcomings is the lack of a contractual marketing agreement for the destination with a South American firm. As a result, wholesalers at the tradeshow warned that the competition in the region has increased significantly and St. Maarten should step up its efforts to take advantage of the vibrant Brazilian travel market.
By securing agreements with Brazil, St. Maarten would enhance its efforts to meet objectives as a year-round tourism destination. Without funding, however, St. Maarten cannot showcase to potential South American airlines the benefits and opportunities of servicing the island, especially in regard to the close proximity of the destinations.
The Daily Herald understands that funding for the Brazilian market was budgeted but, for some unknown bureaucratic reasons, was never released. Commissioner of Tourism Frans Richardson returned from the trade show over the weekend and reported a successful trip, with the possibility of TAM Airlines using a six-hour layover in Venezuela to service St. Maarten.
The Commissioner along with Head of the Tourism Bureau Regina Labega met the CVC Tour Operator, Brazil’s largest tour operator. CVC indicated its willingness to resume its service to the island as of December 12, 2009. This service, along with a possible service from TAM would each deliver approximately 170 seats for the destination.
According to official statistics and data, tourism in Brazil has been growing considerably for the past 15 years. Both, the public and private sectors have invested in many areas such as: hospitality, transportation, food & beverage, entertainment and tourism operations (in general).
St. Maarten is also without official representation in Canada, the island’s second largest source market behind the US.
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