Wales Tourism and Visit Planning

St. Maarten Introduce 10-year Tourism Master Plan

Holiday In Wales In a bid to improve its tourism industry the Government of St. Maarten has commissioned an international team of tourism consultants from Europe and the Caribbean to conduct an integrated study of all industry sectors to develop a 10-year Tourism Master Plan.

Regina LaBega, director of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau has uncovered TourMap, year master plan set to radicalise the islands tourism development. The announcement came on July 6 at an island conference. progress since last August and has been a group effort of various tourism partners, local community initiatives and government officials.

Holiday Wales Through an extensive public relations and tourism awareness campaign, the public was kept informed of all developments surrounding the "TourMap" as the Tourism Master Plan was dubbed.

St. Director of Tourism Since 1998 Mr. Peter Hilary Modeste has served, as the Director of Tourism of the St. Lucia Tourist Board. President of the St. Lucia Hotel & Tourism Association, Mr. Modeste has been employed within the tourism sector for a number of years. He was educated at the University of Wales and is married with three children. A former Minister of Education, Mr. Modeste has served on a number of national organizations including the St. Lucia Development Bank.

Cottage Holiday In Wales The TourMap team visited schools, community councils, the elderly, business organizations, etc. to get feedback from the general population during each stage of the plan. These groups were also invited to attend TourMap workshops; some tourism stakeholders participated in surveys, one-on-one interview and forums.

Speaking at the summit was newly appointed secretary general of the CTO, Wallace He headed up with the theme "We're Going Places, " and he lead with improvement of St. Maarten and the islands forward planning and realisation of the numerous factors affecting world tourism.

Caravan Holiday In Wales Key recommendations from the master plan address the following major tourism sectors:

Travel weekly writes that Theo Heyliger, St. Maarten's commissioner of economic affairs and tourism said that, "we have a direction which will pay off for our industry." Further information can be found at www. maarten.com and www.sxmtmp.com

Camping Holiday Wales Stay-over Tourism The study reveals that stay-over tourists on average spend just over US$140 per day compared to US$95 per day for a cruise visitor. An increase in stay-over visitors can significantly contribute to tourism revenue, thus support other sectors and improve local living standards.

More than ten cruise ships a day steer into the port at St. Thomas, and because of successful tourism, the standard of living in St.

Accommodation Holiday Wales On Dutch St. Maarten, there are currently 15 new properties in the pipeline to provide 1,942 new guest rooms. It is projected that guest accommodation capacity in 2010, based on the current stock of 3,500 rooms, will increase by 83% to the conservative estimate of 7,700 rooms.

Holiday Last Minute Wales Key strategy recommendations include:

Catering Holiday Self Wales Controlled development of large-scale accommodation in short/medium term. For the next 3-4 years, renovation and upgrades of existing properties on the western part of the island; new accommodations in the Philipsburg area will be encouraged.

Holiday Wales Walking Aggressive campaign to mitigate seasonality-create reasons to visit (sporting, entertainment, business), niche experiences, safety, good value.

Family Holiday Wales Develop Mullet Bay Golf & Country Club.

Holiday Riding Wales Cruise Tourism St. Maarten experienced rapid growth since 2001 with the opening of the new pier and cruise terminal. Cruising is one of the fastest growing segments of leisure travel from North America and the fastest to recover from the impacts of hurricanes and 9/11. However, the tiny island is challenged to manage the high volume of visitors over a relatively short time, usually no more than 8-10 hours ashore. To ensure positive cruise travel, strategic recommendations include:

Adventure Holiday Wales Cap peak days at the current maximum of 6 ships in order to optimize value and alleviate negative impacts.

Holiday Park South Wales Build cruise ship calls throughout week.

Cottage Holiday Wales Expand range of attractions to better distribute passengers.

Holiday In Wales Ensure shopping continues to be relevant to the market-ensure that the range of shopping possibilities satisfies the changing profile and behaviour of visitors.

A conservative growth scenario, based on one additional large ship visit per week during peak season only, plus an average growth of +4% per year over the next five years and +3% per year between 2010 and 2015 would yield 43% growth in 2015.

Holiday Wales Yachting/Marine Tourism St. Maarten is now an established service hub for the yachting sector, especially as a homeport during the season and the success of the annual Heineken Regatta. Strategic strengths include location; berthing facilities; range, quality and cost of technical supplies and services; ease of accessibility by air; and range of support services. Strategic recommendations for this sector include:

Cottage Holiday In Wales Provide incentives for development of facilities and services; skilled labour, environmental management.

Caravan Holiday In Wales Exploit synergies with condos/villas.

Camping Holiday Wales Promote tourism experiences to this sector of visitors.

Accommodation Holiday Wales Rebuild bare boat charter fleet.

Holiday Last Minute Wales St. Maarten will develop tourism programs to increase local employment to more than 2,800 jobs by 2010 that include create educational and apprenticeship programs and career advancements.

Catering Holiday Self Wales "Our plan is customer-focused, resident-focused, research-based and built to work all island sectors over time," said Commissioner of Tourism Theo Heyliger. Despite a strong start to the tourism season this year, Heyliger stressed the importance of maintaining socio-economic balance.

Holiday Wales Walking "We need to provide vacation experiences that visitors want, yet enhance the quality of life for residents and preserve the natural environment. St. Maarten is only 37 square miles, so our resources are finite and we need to protect and ensure our longevity for the future," he added. This road map to the future of St. Maarten includes all the major policies, which impact on tourism:

Family Holiday Wales macro-economic policies that enhance/detract from business.

Holiday Riding Wales immigration and labour policies.

Adventure Holiday Wales natural environment, physical planning, waste management

Holiday Park South Wales traffic management

Cottage Holiday Wales regulations and fiscal regimes operating in political and administrative systems.

Holiday In Wales education, vocational training, career development.

Holiday Wales public health.

Cottage Holiday In Wales security and public order.

Caravan Holiday In Wales Since tourism is a major engine in economic development, there is need for the tourism industry and government to effectively shape and influence a wide range of issues surrounding these policies.

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