PHILIPSBURG--Officials from St. Maarten and LIAT met on Friday, September 30, and agreed on a plan of action to promote St. Maarten's role as a major eastern Caribbean shopping destination.
The St. Maarten team was led by the Minister of Tourism Franklin Meyers, Secretary General of the Ministry of Tourism Miguel de Weever, Interim director of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau May-Ling Chun, senior representatives from the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA) and the Chamber of Commerce.
The LIAT team included Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Brian Challenger, the Directors of Ground Operations and Cargo & Quikpak as well as representatives from the Company's Commercial Office and the LIAT St. Maarten airport office.
According to a statement from LIAT, both sides agreed on development of a travel and shopping incentive package that would be aimed at lowering the cost of shopping in St. Maarten for regional travellers, including reduced air fares and discounted shopping in St. Maarten, as well as options for discounts in other areas such as car rentals, hotel accommodation and restaurants.
Minister Meyers indicated his administration's commitment to the initiative which he noted came at an opportune time and would be targeted at the pre-Christmas shopper in the first instance with the possibility of extending the programme to other periods as well.
The LIAT CEO noted that the initiative flowed from the recent Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) State of the Industry Conference in St. Maarten which had identified the need for promoting inter-regional travel and the importance of forging strategic partnerships in this regard. The officials from St. Maarten and LIAT agreed to meet in a few days time to finalize the mechanics of the programme.
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