Ministry

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Coat of arms of Sint MaartenGovernment of Sint Maarten
TEATT

Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport & Telecom

Mrs. Grisha S. Heyliger-Marten

Mrs. Grisha S. Heyliger-Marten· Deputy PM · Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport & Telecom

This ministry spends its budget stimulating economic growth and diversification, running tourism marketing and development, and enforcing economic, aviation and maritime regulation in Sint Maarten.

2026 spending
Cg 0M
Own revenue
Cg 0M
Share of ministries
0%
Staffed
0%
Where it spends

Spending by cost category

  • Personnel costsCg 19M46%
  • Material costs, goods & servicesCg 19M46%
  • Transfers and subsidiesCg 3M7%
2026 → 2029

Spending outlook

20262029Cg 31M

Capacity to deliver

Staffing — posts actually filled72%
168 filledof 232 budgeted posts
What it plans to do

Strategic objectives

  1. 01Economic growth and diversification: diversify the economy beyond tourism by promoting agriculture, supporting MSMEs, and establishing an Investment & Innovation Promotion Agency.
  2. 02Economic emergency relief: protect vulnerable consumers from inflation by strengthening and digitalizing the Maximum Price System and enforcing price regulation.
  3. 03Enforcement and regulatory oversight: strengthen IETA field enforcement, modernize inspection processes, and finalize the framework for the Sint Maarten Gaming Authority (SMGA).
  4. 04Improving service delivery and data-driven governance: modernize the Statistics Department (STAT), conduct key national surveys, and build local inflation-measurement capacity.
  5. 05Tourism development: establish the independent St. Maarten Tourism Authority (STA), update the tourism master plan, develop niche markets, and run targeted marketing campaigns.
  6. 06Organizational strengthening: invest in digital transformation, institutional capacity, and staff recruitment and training across all departments.
Funded programmes

Key programmes & projects

Strategic marketing campaigns (US, Canada, Europe, South America, Caribbean)Cg 3.8M

Increase visitors to Sint Maarten by at least 17% versus 2024 levels while diversifying source markets so at least one new market contributes to arrivals.

SME Empowerment and Support Programme (E6)Cg 1.1M

By Q4 2026, provide technical assistance and access to training to at least 50 small and medium-sized enterprises in Sint Maarten.

STAT institutional strengtheningCg 1.3M

Recruit new staff and expert support to deliver a fully operational STAT entity with improved speed and quality of data delivery.

STAT recruitment and capacity buildingCg 1M

By Q4 2026, fill all key STAT vacancies, train staff, and improve the speed and quality of data output.

Policy and legislation review of DEL (E6)Cg 900k

By Q4 2026, complete the policy evaluation and update relevant policy and legislation for the Department of Economic Licenses.

Establishment of the Sint Maarten Tourism Authority (STA)Cg 750k

An independent, industry-led STA operational by end of 2026 to carry out destination marketing effectively and promote economic growth.

Measured by

Indicators & targets

  • Increase in visitor arrivals to Sint Maarten from strategic marketing campaigns versus 2024 levels
    Target: at least 17% by Q4 2026
  • SMEs receiving technical assistance and access to training
    Target: at least 50 by Q4 2026
  • Reduction in business license processing time (Economic Licenses / digital licensing system)
    Target: 50% reduction by end of 2026
  • People interested in agriculture/farming/fisheries trained to qualify for 2% micro-loans (Agri Loan)
    Target: at least 75 by Q4 2026, plus 3 agri-business academies with 25 candidates each
  • Reduction in IETA case handling time via digital case management platform
    Target: ~40% reduction, full rollout by Q4 2026
  • Enforcement FTEs trained and deployed with field equipment (IETA)
    Target: 45 FTE trained Q3 2026, fully deployed Q4 2026
  • Off-peak visitor increase for May and June from MICE/festivals/events policy
    Target: 12% increase versus 2025
  • Regional sporting events attracted (sports tourism)
    Target: at least two by Q4 2026
What could go wrong

Key risks

  • External economic shocks such as inflation, fuel price increases, US tariffs, trade wars, supply chain disruptions and hurricanes shifting priorities (likelihood 4, impact 4).
  • Failure to achieve policy objectives across economic diversification, emergency relief, enforcement and tourism (likelihood 4, impact 3).
  • Insufficient human resources due to vacancies and recruitment challenges, driven by less competitive public-sector salaries (likelihood 4, impact 3).
  • Delay in legislative processes such as the SMGA, STA and tourism master plan updates (likelihood 3, impact 4).
Mapped to policy goals

National Development Vision & SDGs

NDV G03NDV G04NDV G07NDV G09NDV G18SDG1SDG2SDG8SDG9SDG10SDG12SDG16SDG17