From the 12/24/14 SXM Weekly News: To Maintain Its Economy, SXM Must Leverage Its Uniqueness -- and Attack Its Problems Head-On in a New Manhattan Project Suddenly, thanks to US Pres. Obamas announced intent to normalize relations with Cuba, country St. Maarten and St. Martin French West Indies find themselves — to quote George Clooney -- in a tight spot. The island has two choices. It can either wring its hands and worry about whats going to happen, or it can prepare itself to compete. It may seem counterintuitive to think that a small country like SXM can possibly compete with the biggest landmass in the Caribbean while looking for tourist dollars. Indeed, St. Maarten does have its share of problems -- on both sides of the island. Gendarmes on the French side, for example, dont seem particularly adept at preventing crime. Though improving, the islands road infrastructure is neither modern nor efficient, except for roads at the airport on the Dutch side and the lagoon Causeway. Worse, the Dutch Side has done nothing so far to protect the interests of tens of thousands of timeshare owners who are the pillar of the islands current stayover tourism business. As a result of the Caravanserai debacle, many timeshare owners from that resort have already said publicly that they will not be returning to the island after the 2014 – 2015 season, if indeed they come this winter. Last years Chikungunya near-epidemic and this years stubborn seaweed are nothing compared to the impact the island would feel were its timeshare owners to give up on St. Maarten and try something new — like Cuba -- which could very well see a Renaissance in timeshares if the government there allows it. Of all the nations of the Caribbean, St. Maarten clearly has the most to offer. It has a modern new airport; it has a modern new cruise port; it has beautiful beaches, though access to a number of them on the Dutch side is both spastic and difficult; it has extraordinary restaurants in many price ranges; it has genuine, warm hearted people; it has great jewelry bargains; and much more. To market itself in a battle against Cuba, St. Maarten must make itself visible in American media — and it has not been visible really at all for many years. It is out advertised, out publicized, and outwitted by many other nations with far more ambitious marketing programs. There is no doubt that it can be marketed effectively even against Cuba if its uniqueness is leveraged in a comprehensive, wide-ranging, imaginative marketing program. The recent program which used double aas in a play on words was too small, too obscure, and to infrequently communicated -- and consequently, it did nothing lasting for the island. To compete, the island must invest, and we have never seen it invest anything significant in any marketing program in the last 30 years. We know it hasnt had the money, but somehow - now - it must get that money if it is to compete effectively. It has no choice. Either it invests and succeeds or it doesnt invest, in which case it could virtually disappear if Cuba happens. To develop an atomic bomb to end World War II, the United States launched the Manhattan project. Since Manhattan really is the epicenter of the target market that is most important to St. Maarten, perhaps St. Maarten should launch its own Manhattan project while the entire island, at the same time, unites in a way that enables it to combat and overcome its problems in a cohesive fashion. Before, it was simply a matter of competition. But now, it could well be a matter of survival.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 23:55:47 +0000
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