We live in an Information Age where reliable, up-to-date,
factual information is the key to decision-making, whether
it be in government, in the private sector, or at the
personal level. At Your Service, the quarterly electronic
newsletter of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau, meets
that demand for authoritative information about developments
on the island. It is a tool, which I am confident, all
readers will find useful.
A lot indeed has been happening on our Friendly Island,
a lot of improvements in virtually every area, which
will hopefully make visiting St. Maarten one of the
most pleasant choices you would ever make. In 2007,
we will continue to see tremendous improvements. Joining
our state-of-the-art Dr. A.C. Wathey Cruise and Cargo
Facility is the ultra-modern new terminal building at
the Princess Juliana International Airport. We are not
only investing in the gateways to our island, but also
in the beautification of the capital of St. Maarten,
Philipsburg, all in an attempt to improve the quality
of life of our citizens and contribute to a more positive
tourist experience.
The St. Maarten island government, as well as all the
stakeholders in our industry, are committed to making
your visit a most memorable experience; one which you
would proudly talk about for a long time. We not only
look forward to you spending your vacation with us,
but also hope you would recommend our island to others.
As we share this source of information about our island,
we promise we would do all within our power to make
your visit an enjoyable one.
Welcome. At Your Service is the electronic
newsletter of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau, a quarterly
publication meant for visitors and industry owners to
keep abreast of developments in St. Maarten, as well
as other relevant information.
In this first edition of 2007, we continue to focus
on new developments that would undoubtedly have a significant
impact on the tourism industry.
The island is undergoing a lot of changes, all of which
cannot be included at the same time in a newsletter
like this. However, At Your Service will continue
to inform you about all of them in due course.
We welcome suggestions for improvement from our readers,
as well as questions that you may wish answered with
factual information. We encourage you to use this newsletter
as much as possible and tell your friends and families
about it.
Thank you for choosing to visit us and as always, we
remain at your service.
Contact Information
St. Maarten Tourist Bureau
Vineyard Office Park
WG Buncamper Road 33
Philipsburg, St. Maarten • T:
(599) 542-2337 • F: (599) 542-2734
• E: info@st-maarten.com
• W:
“Catch
the Spirit” to St. Maarten
The spirit has been
in the air for quite a while now—that is, the
idea of attracting Spirit Airlines to fly to St. Maarten—and
finally, it is expected to touch down at the new Princess
Juliana International Airport in April of 2007.
It will be the culmination of years of persistent negotiations
to bring in a reputable discount airline to the island.
“This will usher in a very exciting period in
air travel to St. Maarten, and contribute to affordable
fares as well as a greater availability of seats to
the island,” remarked Director of the St. Maarten
Tourist Bureau, Regina LaBega.
Not only tourists visiting the island would benefit
from another possibility of air connection from Ft.
Lauderdale to St. Maarten, but also residents of the
island bound for the US would have, for the first time,
the choice of a low-cost carrier.
Spirit Airlines has its headquarters in Miramar, Florida,
and about a quarter of its flights are to destinations
in the Caribbean, Bahamas, and Latin America. www.spiritair.com
Tanny
& the Boys near half a century
The
legendary stringband ensemble, Tanny & the Boys,
is still in a fête (party) mood, celebrating its
47th year in show business, although for band members
it has been more for the love and fun of it rather than
for any pecuniary reasons.
The island’s music icons received the 2006 Caribbean
Tourism Organization Lifetime Achievement Award, but
are not resting on their laurels. Fête –
The first recording of traditional St. Martin festive
music (2007), the group’s anniversary CD, was
pre-released during the holiday season as a re-mastered
edition of their epoch-making Fête LP/cassette.
The CD, which also included Christmas songs such as
the cherished guavaberry song (),
“sold like hot bread” during the holiday
season, according to the Van Dorp bookstore. Fête
is certainly a music collector’s gem.
“We took advantage of the availability of more
modern technology since the double-album’s release
in 1992 to offer fans of traditional stringband music,
and especially of the unique sounds of Tanny & the
Boys, a new, better-sounding gem of a CD,” said
the recording’s producer, HNP.
The “tribute to the boys” continues in 2007,
with the proposal to publish a Fête booklet and
a DVD documentary that will focus on the music and the
individual members of the ensemble. All band members
are over 65 years old, and the group is reportedly the
second in longevity in the whole Caribbean.
Patrons of the arts and community-minded businesses
involved in the non-profit project include businessman
Michael Ferrier of NAPA-St. Maarten, the utility company
GEBE, and the St. Maarten Ports Authority.
The
legendary stringband ensemble, Tanny & the Boys,
is still in a fête (party) mood, celebrating its
47th year in show business, although for band members
it has been more for the love and fun of it rather than
for any pecuniary reasons. 